DOVE: FROM BLAND SOAP TO THE FACE OF "REAL BEAUTY"

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2000: Dove is a bland soap company 

2005: Dove released a new marketing campaign

2010: Dove is the face of "Real beauty"

2022: Dove continues to empower millions of women across the globeSo, how did Dove go from a bland old soap company to empowering millions of women across the globe?You're about to find out!

Company Overview

Valuation: $5.1 Billion (Source)

Est. Annual Revenue: $762.1M (Source)

Dove is an American personal care brand owned by the British consumer goods company Unilever. With products sold in 150 countries across the globe, it's fair to say that Dove is a household name.However, back in the early 2000s, the brand had fallen into a rut. They were killing it with their 'Beauty Bar' but wanted to introduce other beauty supplies into their product line.

Their only problem?

The market still saw them as just a soap brand. Their customers had no connection with the brand and they certainly weren't going to feel beautiful wearing Dove.

Then came one of the greatest PR campaigns in the beauty space, to date. 

The Dove Real Beauty Campaign.

Breaking Down The Strategy

Dove didn't just want to break into the beauty industry.

They wanted to revolutionise it.To come in and show all the women in the world that they were a brand for "Real women", the everyday women who wanted and deserved to feel beautiful. That's exactly what the Dove Real Beuty Campaign would star, and it all began with this ad:

The video shows a "normal" woman coming in for a photo shoot for a makeup advertisement. The ad then documents the process that takes place to get her ready for the ad, which includes:- Hours spent doing her hair and makeup.

- Extensive alterations made on photoshop.

The difference is as clear as day. It's not even the same woman. 

Dove then hit you with a line that says:

"No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted."

The ad wasn't made to sell Dove products, it wasn't even made to directly promote the brand. It was made to completely revolutionise what "beauty" was to women.

Dove came in and exposed all the other brands for promoting an unrealistic image of beauty.

The campaign was an instant hit and even has 22M views on YouTube (across reshares of the ad). This wasn't just a one and done PR campaign for Dove, oh no, this was the start of a new brand image for Dove. They weren't trying to expose the beauty industry and then go back to selling bars of soap. They were becoming the face of "real beauty". 

18 years on from the original launch of the campaign and Dove can proudly say that they are the face of "Real women and real beauty".Over the last two decades, Dove has run various iterations of the campaign.

They ran billboards showcasing women of all shapes and sizes: 

They ran online campaigns to continue to change public perception:

They even ran campaigns to showcase the problem they fighting: 

Of course, the most famous of all the iterations would be their "Real Beauty Sketches" (see below). The video was viewed by more than 50 million people within 12 days of its release. To date, Real Beauty Sketches has been viewed almost 180 million times.

This just showcases that even though Dove has been fighting the issue for decades, there is still a lot more to be done. At least now women know that they have a brand that stands by them and believes they are beautiful, no matter how "normal" they are.

Now, we know that the campaign has a huge impact on women around the world. But what was in it for Dove?

1. Connection with their customer base

Arguably the biggest "reward" of the campaign for Dove was the connection they gained with their customer base. All the women who had felt self-conscious about their bodies or their beauty were now being empowered by Dove. The campaign personified Dove as just another normal woman. Relatable, approachable and definitely a company you would buy from!2. Established Dove as the brand for "real women"I wouldn't call this niching down, yet, it is a very similar thing that Dove did. They showed their cards to the world and said they weren't interested in providing for supermodels and celebrities. They were interested in everyday women because Dove believed they deserved to feel beautiful too.This decision made Dove the go-to beauty brand for women that didn't feel like they could associate with the likes of Chanel and Tom Ford.  Luckily for Dove, there was a hell of a lot of people who felt that way.3. Huge amounts of traction

The campaign completely blew up online and brought a tonne of buzz around the Dove brand. So, not only did it create this perception around Dove being for the people, but it also exposed that message to millions of people around the globe. Exposure is one thing. But exposing your brand alongside a positive message = jackpot!

More than 50 million people viewed the Dove video within 12 days of its release. To date, Real Beauty Sketches has been viewed almost 180 million times.

Results: 

-  Sales have increased to $4 billion today from $2.5 billion in its opening campaign year. (Source) 

The campaign also won endless awards:

- Ad Age's No. 1 campaign of the 21st Century

- First double Grand Prix winner in the history of the International Advertising Festival in 2007.

But more important than the ROI, more important than all the awards. Dove changed the way millions of women see beauty and by doing that they became the face of the "real beauty" movement. 

Now, that is a result!

How To Implement It

The whole basis of the 'Real Beaty Campaign' is spearheading a movement that changes public perception. Pick something that you think has been tainted by society and then lead a movement to see it differently. For example:You feel like the education system has become all about money and certificates. So, you start an online education system focused on real-life applicable learning. In this case, you could run a campaign called "This is Education".

A comparative video would work perfectly here. You would start by showing a boy in traditional education (bored and disruptive). Then show him engaged and happy using your online programme. Clearly documenting traditional education vs your idea of education.

Then follow up the ad with posts like the above (which is a Niall Ratcliffe Canva special) across socials alongside a hashtag #THISiseducation. It's a very simple idea, but one that will resonate with millions of people who also don't agree with the traditional education system.

A campaign like this could quickly take you from: Just another education platform -> Heading a global education transformation.I know which one I'd choose.

This has been a breakdown of Dove's "Real Beauty Campaign". I hope you have learned something and can implement a similar strategy in your business!

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I’ll see you next Sunday!