Dove asks consumers to ‘Choose Beautiful’ with new global film-focused campaign

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwH81q-HlGE

The video, filmed across four cities including London, shows real women’s reactions when they are presented with the choice of walking through two doors, one entitled “Average” and the other “Beautiful”.

It is based on insight that suggests women find it difficult to recognise their own beauty or are concerned about others thinking they have an exaggerated sense of self confidence, something that Dove hopes to tackle by creating a conversation of “women inspiring other women” on social media with the hash tag #ChooseBeautiful.

Alison Fisher, marketing manager for Dove UK & Ireland, told Marketing Week: “Everything we do comes back to the mission to make beauty a source of confidence rather than anxiety for women, which is the inspiration behind the new campaign.

“We needed fresh insight and stimulus, and we found that the polarisation of two different choices was a great way of getting women to reflect,” she adds.

The campaign is being supported by PR, print and digital, and since its launch 24 hours ago has received over 24,000 views on YouTube and has made 8.7 million impressions on Twitter according to the brand.

These numbers suggest it may well follow the success of its previous campaigns such as Dove Real Beauty Sketches, Dove Patches and Dove Legacy. Since its release in 2013, Real Beauty Sketches has garnered over 65 million views on YouTube, making it the most viewed video of all time as of 2013 rankings.

“The ultimate goal is to make a difference with women and have an impact on their happiness and confidence, and social is great for tracking that because you can see their interactions and follow them closely,” Fisher says.

It is not only the Dove brand that is looking to challenge perceptions of beauty – campaigns such as Sport England’s “This Girl Can” show a growing trend for brands to attempt to improve the self esteem of women by using “real” consumers in their ads and focusing on empowering content.

“Every year consumers get more saavy and critical and they ask more of brands,” Fisher says. “At Dove, [changing perceptions of beauty] is not a new phenomenon. We’ve been doing it for a long time and it’s what every campaign we have is about.”

The brand will also continue its Dove Self Esteem Project, with plans to go into 165 schools this year to lead lessons, activities and provide resources. Fisher says that in the last 10 years, the program has reached 1.5 million people in the UK.

“It’s a conversation the brand is committed to having with women, but we’re also committed to it longer term with the upcoming generation,” she says.