THE CHALLENGE

Social media has a strong influence on how we view the world, with filters and trends creating a false sense of “beauty standards” and increasing pressure on impressionable girls. A study by Dove found that 11 in 12 girls were retouching their photos beyond recognition, leading to issues like body dysmorphia and lower self-esteem. To combat this, Dove wanted to lead an online movement to drive awareness of the Dove Self-Esteem Project by taking on the issue of digital distortion on social media, drive headlines and position DSEP at the center of the movement.

THE STRATEGY

We partnered with Lizzo, who has been working to broaden beauty definitions, to drop the Naked Truth on Instagram, an unretouched, naked selfie that invited people to get real about harmful beauty standards. In collaboration with influencers and paid partners, Dove and Lizzo generated wider awareness of the Dove Self-Esteem Project by tapping into the cultural zeitgeist.

Beyond exposing the problem, Dove created “The Selfie Talk,” a suite of tools and resources designed to tackle modern issues facing girls today.

THE EXECUTION

As a known culture driver, Lizzo’s announcement of our partnership and DSEP campaign went viral, capturing new audiences through music, news, culture, and entertainment outlets with our important message.

To coincide with the launch, Dove hosted its first-ever Dove Global Summit, a virtual event over two days featuring conversations on digital distortion, sustainability, body confidence, natural hair freedom, and more.

THE OUTCOME

• 346+ articles resulting in 3.4B+ potential impressions drove engagement with DSEP tools by embedding Dove in a cultural conversation around digital distortion on social media, driving massive exposure in The Cut, E! Online, Buzzfeed, Complex, Paper Magazine, Forbes, and Insider.
• Our launch announcement impacted 28K+ young people through DSEP downloads of The Confidence Kit
• 28% of unique articles include a link to Dove.com to download DSEP tools
• 20% of unique articles mention ‘The Confidence Kit’