Dove turned its back on beauty filters. Literally. Here's why
Dove and Ogilvy UK have won the Social Media category and the Chair Award at The Drum Awards for PR. Here is the award-winning case study.
Check out the award-winning campaign
With more than two decades of campaigning, Dove is well known by the public as a champion of real beauty. Its mission is to redefine beauty standards and help everyone experience beauty and body image positively.
Social media has had face-altering augmented reality filters since 2015 and most of them are harmless. We’ve all added dog ears to our face, right? With the advent of generative AI, the Bold Glamour filter took augmentation dramatically and dangerously forward. It even worked with a hand in front of a user's face - making it impossible to tell if someone was using the filter.
This unlocked the creative idea. The only way for a filter not to distort your face was for it to not 'see' your face, so we asked people to #TurnYourBack.
The #TurnYourBack campaign used a rapid response, multi-channel media strategy to turn the tide against the harmful ‘Bold Glamour’ TikTok filter. Within 72 hours of the Bold Glamour filter trending, Dove activated 68 influencers, including actor Gabrielle Union, who took the campaign to The Oscar’s; turning her back on the red carpet.
The campaign garnered over 1 billion in earned media and led to a leading influencer agency publicly condemning the ‘Bold Glamour’ filter. Earned media also helped deliver an increase in brand consideration and purchase intent in the UK and US.