Right the Story – Cheekbone Beauty | Clapboard Ad Archive

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Right the Story - Cheekbone Beauty | Clapboard Ad Archive

Cheekbone Beauty’s Right the Story campaign, launched in tandem with Sid Lee and Sephora Canada in the beauty category in 2021, reframes the conversation about Indigenous representation by deploying a short film that insists Indigenous peoples themselves must take control of how their identities are portrayed in the media. The brand’s Indigenous ownership and mission to empower Indigenous youth manifest in a creative platform that sidesteps familiar product-centric tropes, instead advocating for narrative sovereignty and cultural redefinition. At the heart of the concept is a striking use of symbolism: rather than reenacting the stereotypical misrepresentations Indigenous peoples have long endured, the film undertakes the act of righting the story as a metaphor for reclaiming agency, embedding the movement in a layered visual analogy that achieves resonance without recourse to overt didacticism. This reflects what Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#3—Symbolize the Problem, opting for emotive metaphor over literal portrayal to dramatize representational injustice in the media landscape. Cheekbone Beauty sets itself apart from legacy and contemporary rivals alike—not entering the inclusivity discourse as a gesture, but as an assertion of identity with direct ties to its community and cultural history, speaking credibly to Indigenous youth and to Canadian society at large. By leveraging an alliance with Sid Lee’s strategic creativity and Sephora Canada’s industry heft, the campaign achieves relevance beyond beauty, positioning Cheekbone as a catalyst within a broader context of social discourse. The brand foregrounds the hashtag RightTheStory to foster active engagement and extend the film’s narrative across digital channels, inviting reflection, dialogue, and a participatory rewriting of cultural stories. The campaign’s creative restraint and confident symbolism offer a powerful counterpoint to legacy beauty marketing, signaling to the industry a move toward storytelling that is both mission-driven and commercially astute. The campaign earns 74/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. As a moment within beauty’s evolving landscape, Right the Story signals that authentic representation is shifting from marketable talking point to strategic, long-term value for brands willing to invest in honest cultural leadership.

Credits

Client

Cheekbone Beauty

Agency

Sid Lee

The 'Right the Story' campaign by Cheekbone Beauty, created in collaboration with Sid Lee and Sephora Canada, positions the brand as a catalyst for reshaping the media narrative surrounding Indigenous peoples. Rooted in the brand’s Indigenous ownership and cultural identity, the campaign advances a promise to empower Indigenous voices and present a contemporary, authentic representation that challenges entrenched stereotypes in the beauty industry and beyond. This aligns with Cheekbone Beauty’s broader mission to foster pride and visibility for Indigenous communities, particularly youth, through both product and storytelling. Strategically, the campaign leverages a narrative-driven short film as its central medium to engage audiences emotionally and intellectually. It taps into a significant cultural insight: Indigenous peoples have historically been misrepresented or marginalized in mainstream media, contributing to a skewed and often negative public perception. By reclaiming the narrative, the campaign targets both Indigenous youth seeking representation and broader Canadian audiences who are becoming increasingly aware of social justice and inclusivity issues. The creative approach centers on authenticity and empowerment rather than traditional beauty advertising tropes, differentiating Cheekbone Beauty within a competitive market. The use of the hashtag #RightTheStory encourages community participation and dialogue, expanding the campaign’s reach beyond immediate viewers to social platforms. This thoughtful integration of cultural resonance and brand values demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the market opportunity to align beauty with social impact, making the campaign both a branding exercise and a statement of identity and advocacy.

FORMAT#3 SYMBOLIZE THE PROBLEM — Uses symbols or analogies to represent the problem instead of showing it literally. The 'Right the Story' campaign for Cheekbone Beauty most closely aligns with the "Symbolize the Problem" format. The campaign’s focus is on reclaiming the narrative around Indigenous peoples in media by challenging negative stereotypes—a broad, societal issue. Rather than depicting a specific problem literally or a product-driven story, the campaign uses the act of "righting the story" itself as a powerful metaphor for cultural empowerment and narrative reclamation. The title and campaign messaging point toward symbolic storytelling, addressing representational injustice through analogy rather than explicit demonstration of the issue or solution. There is no sign of literal demonstration, celebrity/character focus, direct problem-solution arc, or comparison with competition—making "Symbolize the Problem" the best fit. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats