SILVER WINNER
The challenge and insight
In 2012, Dove conducted its own global research and found only 4% of women considered themselves beautiful. It also discovered that a remarkable 64% of women say they feel constantly pressured to be beautiful.
Dove has long been known for its stand on promoting real beauty and self-esteem, but eight years had passed since the landmark online film “Evolution” launched, highlighting the pressures young women experience by showing an image of a model being retouched in Photoshop. While the spot continues to garner YouTube views, Dove decided it was time to stir up the conversation about beauty and self-esteem for a new generation.
The B!G idea
Dove’s agency, Ogilvy/OgilvyOne, helped the brand reignite the topic of retouching and society’s often distorted perception of beauty, taking a different approach to “Evolution.”
It went straight to the source of the issue, speaking directly to art directors, designers, publishers and photo retouchers themselves.
Ogilvy/OgilvyOne created a Photoshop action – a tool users can download to create an effect with a single click – called “Beautify” (which artists thought would add a skin glow effect to images) and uploaded it to sites retouchers frequent.
When designers downloaded the tool, they quickly realized the Photoshop action actually reversed all manipulations, alterations and cosmetic changes they had applied to the image they were working on. When the photo reverted to its original, untouched and naturally beautiful state, a message appeared on the screen asking the user to reconsider their perception of real beauty.
The impact
Dove’s Trojan Horse was described around the world as “innovative” and “brilliant.” The video highlighting the tool received over 1.3 million views on YouTube, caused a stir on social media and attracted the attention of international and mainstream media. So far it has garnered over 81 million impressions worldwide, effectively rekindling the conversation around real beauty.
Judge’s comment
“This aligns so well with what Unilever is doing as a brand globally to help empower women and girls. As a father of daughters, I really appreciate what Ogilvy/OgilvyOne has done here” – Hunter Tura, president and CEO, Bruce Mau Design
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