Category sponsored by GSW
Gold
Allergan and Condé Nast (Allure)
The Melanin Edit
Many places Black people congregate around beauty — the salon, the beauty supply store, the barbershop — closed due to the pandemic. That did not stop traditions around beauty from flourishing. Community continued to thrive in living-room hair-braiding sessions and kitchens, mixing up DIY masks. Those long-standing memories and experiences have brought melanin-rich communities together for generations.
As people returned to these spaces, it was a reminder that these are places where people connect. Conversations can be a springboard for entrepreneurship, a haven of therapy and mental health, the center of pop culture and politics and, most importantly, a celebration of culture.
Allure wanted to play a more significant part in those conversations. So it launched The Melanin Edit, a digital hub that covered skincare and textured hair with social extensions to support content on Allure.com. With a phased approach throughout 2021, the franchise took a deep dive into suncare by inviting renowned dermatologists to share their expertise and tips for sun protection and normalizing the use of aesthetics/injectables within Black communities.
Phase two focused on scalp and skin conditions, including scalp psoriasis, alopecia, vitiligo and melasma. And phase three dove into social and political content surrounding Black beauty, from colorism to the importance of properly lighting melanin-rich skin on camera.
One of our judges called this “a beautiful partnership of brands.” In year 1, The Melanin Edit notched a 30% increase in average monthly Black audience, with a 63% increase in visitors per story.
Silver
Black Health Matters, DoulaMatch.net and Wunderman Thompson Health
We Love You to Health
This love letter to Black mothers goes right to the heart of the Superwoman Myth. Reminding them that they are “strong, but not unbreakable,” it links them with doulas. These professionals soothe women’s labor fears, support their birth plans are nurture them in the crucial postpartum period.
