PARIS – Olivia Rodrigo, the chart-topping American singer-songwriter and actress, is Lancôme’s newest global brand ambassador.
The three-time Grammy award-winning, multi-platinum, 21-year-old artist has struck a chord with her songs about coming-of-age and heartbreak.
“Embracing your individuality is so important in beauty, since there are many unrealistic expectations placed on young women today,” Rodrigo said in a statement. “Lancôme is an iconic and timeless brand that promotes beauty from within, and I am honored to be a part of their family.”
“Olivia is an incredible talent, an exceptional phenomenon,” Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme International Brand President, said in an interview. “She’s a person exuding strength and authenticity. [Olivia] is a beacon for her generation. She’s inventing her own path, doesn’t fit into any molds and is inventing something new.”
Rodrigo kicked off her career as an actress on the Disney Channel. In 2021, she topped the charts with the single “Drivers License.” Also that year, she released “Sour,” which also shot up in the rankings globally and has become the most-streamed album by a female artist on Spotify.
Last year, Rodrigo released the album “Guts,” which debuted at number-one, and on Spotify has now been streamed more than 4.1 billion times. She is this year and next globe-trotting for her Guts World Tour across North America, Europe, the U.K., Asia and Australia, to a sold-out audience on 95 dates.
Rodrigo gives back, too. “This is proof of a great artist,” said Lehmann.
Rodrigo has launched Fund 4 Good to support community-based non-profits around the world that champion women and girls’ reproductive rights. It also fights against gender-based violence.
Rodrigo’s artistic accolades include three Grammy awards – for Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album for “Sour” and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Drivers License” – in 2022. This year, she was a six-time nominee at the Grammys and won the People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Album.”
“She exudes happiness,” said Lehmann. “Which also makes her the perfect person for Lancôme, which is the brand of happiness. She’s about happiness and generosity. The way she connects with her audience during her concerts is absolutely amazing.”
While serving as an example for her generation, Rodrigo has built a following among other demographics. On Instagram alone, she has 38.3 million followers.
“She embodies very positive values,” said Lehmann.
The executive further lauded Rodrigo for fighting for rights, and acknowledging and showing empathy for issues with which some young people struggle. Rodrigo has delt with them herself.
“She expresses that in her songs,” said the executive. “We love her at Lancôme. [It’s] is a big brand, so we wanted also someone who [has] a big audience.”
That’s true around the globe. “For all these reasons, the match is perfect with Lancôme,” said Lehmann.
Rodrigo’s arrival has a wide significance for the brand. “It means also that we are going more and more for an unexpected Lancôme,” said Lehmann.
She noted the L’Oréal-owned brand’s rose domain, inaugurated in the South of France in 2022, falls in that category. So, too, do the brand’s tie-in with the Louvre museum for a capsule makeup collection last year and other recently nominated brand ambassadors.
Lancôme’s rose domain.
Courtesy of Lancôme
“Emma Chamberlain, not an actress, known for her second-degree humor, is also building her success with her podcast,” said Lehmann. “Aya Nakamura is also a bold, strong artist.”
She said such picks underline the confidence in Lancôme’s brand equity and for what is stands.
“We want Oliva to be Olivia,” said Lehmann. “What we like with her is that she’s a true person. It’s not what Lancôme can bring to her – or to any of our ambassadors. What Olivia can bring is to push us into a new chapter, to push the boundaries together and go for it together.”
Rodrigo will first front a campaign for L’Absolue Rouge lipstick by year-end 2024.
