Deep Dive: 🕊️Dove’s Real Beauty

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Imagine you are in the beauty industry, and you discover that only 4% of your target demographic considers themselves to be beautiful.

The heartbreaking statistic is what Dove found out after conducting some original research with the famed advertising agency, Oglivy. 

Dove decided to bring this stat to light, but they did it through compelling storytelling – endearing their brand in the process (while not even showing the product in the commercials).

Campaign in the hot seat: 🕊️ Dove’s Real Beauty

Today's Treasure Trove

• What is Dove’s Real Beauty?

• Dove’s Real Beauty Effect

• Wrap Up

What is Dove’s Real Beauty?

The Real Beauty campaign started with original research, but it became clear that the perceptions women had of themselves was disheartening – there’s no way they could just sit on that research.

So, they ran a series of billboards in Germany and the UK with photographs of women and posed questions like “Fat or Fab?” – as votes came in, there were dynamic vote counts on the billboard for each option. (Widely considered one of the first “viral” campaigns)

But they didn’t stop there – they turned to television commercials next.

And of course, one of the most iconic ads – more miniature movie than ad – the Sketches campaign.

The original ad runs 3 minutes long – but it is immensely captivating.

The story is engaging, well-told, and heart-wrenching. 

If you haven’t seen the campaign, essentially, a forensic sketch artist interviews women and draws them how they describe themselves. Then, another woman comes in and also describes the first woman. 

Then the two portraits are revealed side-by-side and the results are quite striking: the portraits described by the third-party were much more flattering than the self-described ones – revealing the poor self-image these women held.

As a watcher, it’s impossible not to want to reach through the screen to offer the women words of comfort and a hug. (I’m not crying, you’re crying 😭)

Dove’s Real Beauty Effect

Here’s the wild part: Dove’s Real Beauty commercials don’t even show the product.

No close-ups of creamy lather. No seductive water splashes. Just real people, real stories, and a message that actually matters.

This wasn’t just another ad campaign – it was a cultural shift. 

Dove ditched the airbrushed perfection and put everyday women front and center. They didn’t just sell soap, they sold self-confidence. And it worked. Dove’s revenue doubled from $2 billion to $4 billion in just three years.

The campaign sparked conversations, challenged beauty standards, and made inclusivity mainstream. It wasn’t about short-term buzz, it was about reshaping an industry.

Now, 20 years later, the Real Beauty campaign is still going strong, proving that when a brand stands for something bigger than itself, it doesn’t just gain customers – it builds a movement. 

Wrap Up

There are actually several takeaways in this short post:

1. Original research can yield some real gold – It doesn’t have to be customer interviews or market research, it could be analyzing the proprietary data you already have. It’s risky to conduct original research, not knowing if the results will show anything of interest, but when it does, the value far outweighs the effort.

2. Speak to your audience’s desires – People don’t buy a drill to put a hole in their wall. They buy a drill to put a hole in their wall, to hang a shelf, to put their wedding photos on, to make their partner smile every day. Is your marketing “solving a problem” or “speaking to desires”?

Double-down on what works – 20 years is an impressive lifespan for an ad campaign. Kudos to Dove for recognizing they struck paydirt and staying laser-focused on building on success.

✌️,

Tom from Marketer Gems

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