New photos feature women over age 50 feeling confident and beautiful, no retouching necessary
Madison Reed, a prestige hair color brand, applauds the movement toward authenticity in advertising and announces that it is advancing the cause with a pledge to use unaltered, raw photography. In these images, nothing will be adjusted. Hair color will be shown “as is.”With Madison Reed, confident is the new beautiful.Going forward, Madison Reed pledges zero alteration of all advertising photography. The company’s new mantra? Confident is the new beautiful.
Madison Reed’s untouched, “raw” photos will be easily identified by a Madison Reed “Real Mark.”
“Recently, we had a photo shoot with six amazing women, some of whom are over the age of 50,” said Heidi Dorosin, Madison Reed’s chief marketing officer. “When we received the digital files, we thought, ‘Why alter these photos?’ Yes, these women have wrinkles. Yes, they have smile lines. But these are all qualities that made the women even more beautiful to us.”
Many brands have vowed to not “materially alter” the appearance of women in their imagery, but that leaves room for retouching. Madison Reed’s promise goes a step further. Going forward, there will be zero alteration of all advertising photography. These untouched, raw photos will be easily identified by a Madison Reed “Real Mark.” Web pages and packaging showing shades of each color will continue to be digitally altered, so clients have clear expectations of the end result.
From its inception in 2013, Madison Reed – led by Amy Errett, fearless founder and CEO – has challenged the hair-color status quo. Historically, women had two options: purchase a low-quality box from a drugstore or visit an expensive salon. Madison Reed created a third, radically new option: salon-quality hair color delivered to a woman’s home so she can do-it-herself in under an hour. But she isn’t alone: Madison Reedprovides access to human beings – licensed hair colorists – who are standing by to offer support and guidance via email, website, chatbot and phone.
In 2017, Madison Reed tackled the notion that a salon visit has to be a lengthy, expensive experience. Now open in New Yorkand San Francisco, Madison Reed Color Bars offer fast, inexpensive color services that can be booked online, much to the delight of busy women. The company plans to open more than 20 Color Bars nationwide by the end of 2019.
With the disruption of an entire industry well underway, Errett felt the time was right to challenge conventional advertising in ways no beauty brand has before. The company’s new mantra: Confident is the new beautiful.
“Long ago, I decided Madison Reed would never use seductive photography,” said Errett. “In fact, I named the company after my daughter to empower her to find her own path, with grace and without apology. So I am thrilled by our decision to promise zero photo alteration in our advertising. This pushes our brand, and the cause, forward. We encourage other beauty companies to join the movement.”
