In 2013, Maybelline was accused by the National Advertising Division (NAD), for falsely representing the effect of Volum’ Express Mascara (Newman, 2013). The print ad included fine print at the bottom of the ad to disclose that the model was “styled with lash inserts” which the NAD states is “inadequate to prevent inaccurate consumer takeaways” (Newman, 2013). Also, in 2011 Maybelline ads were banned in the U.K. for excessive airbrushing, which U.K Advertising Authority considers misleading (Cowles, 2011). The message of a marketing campaign can have different meanings for different people. Therefore, part of the survey included having participants watch a Maybelline mascara commercial. After viewing the commercial, they were asked their thoughts regarding the commercial’s message. Some of the comments included the following:
"This product will give you great lashes"
"Your lashes need to look fake to look good"
"You can get great looking lashes without falsies"
"Long eyelashes are better"
"No need for fake eyelashes"
The respondents were also asked if this type of commercial was appealing to them, which 54% said “yes.” However appealing this commercial was, it was not aligned with the target market expansion that Team Maybelline has identified for its new tagline/target market.
The survey also asked participants which top three makeup brands they purchase and Maybelline was the top brand for an astounding 37% of respondents. The exception being the “other” category, which allowed participants to fill in his/her brand of choice not listed. Some of the brand choices listed for “other” included: Urban Decay,