L’Oreal Paris’ new talent contest aims to hit three targets: reach a younger-than-traditional demo for the brand, tap into the popularity of YouTube vloggers, and bring a new makeup designer to the company.

Activated across 11 countries, The Brush Contest‘s Canadian execution is taking the global strategy a step further with a cross-platform campaign that includes integration with CTV’s eTalk for English audiences. Working with media partner GroupM, it is also partnering with Elle Quebec to reach French Canadians, with targeted search to reach online users across the country.

Hugo Thibault, communications and digital director, L’Oreal Paris, says Canada is the only country worldwide to use a TV program as part of the campaign, adding the global directives suggested magazines. The partnership with eTalk has since been heralded as a global best practice for the reach the show is bringing to the project.

ETalk averages 708,000 viewers each night, according to Numeris numbers provided by Bell Media. Elle Quebec had a total paid and verified circulation of 80,926, according to June 2014 AAM numbers.

Thibault says the company has made a media investment of about $200,000 in the campaign, plus production costs. Etalk will be promoting the contest through elements including episode segments on the selection of the top five contestants, profiles of the top five contestants, a profile on the national winner and a segment of the international winner on the job in France. Creative is being handled by Nurun.

The contest aims to reach people aged 18 to 34, younger than the typical L’Oreal Paris consumer, who is usually around the age of 40.

The Brush Contest is the latest digital project for the beauty brand. Late last year it launched its augmented reality Makeup Genius app in Canada, allowing users to view makeup looks on themselves through a live mirror camera.

The 50 most popular Canadian videos will be judged by a jury made up of Mélanie Frappa, editor-in-chief, Elle Québec, Danielle Graham, co-Anchor of CTV’s eTalk and Eddie Malter, official makeup artist, L’Oréal Paris Canada. The top five videos will be announced on March 8, and the Canadian winner will be announced March 23. Country winners will be flown to Paris, and the global winner will be announced live on YouTube on May 1st.

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