Dove Elevating Women, Beauty and Confidence

Today, more than ever, we are taught too quickly by brands what we are lacking before we even know it or given a gentle affirmation of what we may have already suspected. Dove has been a pace setter, working to use its brand and loyal following to correct a mass ill-alignment of personal perception held by women worldwide.

Dove’s latest beauty campaign, quite literally examines the personal and external perception of oneself. The short video campaign uses blind sketching by former FBI trained forensic artist, Gil Zamora to provide two views of one woman and to promote an understanding of true beauty.

The women were asked to describe themselves while being sketched blindly, all describing themselves in a lesser light; thinner lips, bigger noses and wider foreheads, all common soft spots and targets for marketers everywhere.  Zamora then recreated seven profiles based on descriptions provided by strangers who had met with the women earlier. The sketches were more accurate and complimentary. The women were then shown both sketches. This beauty study saw women understand the gap between personal and external perception.

‘It impacts the friends we make, the jobs we apply for, how we treat our children – it impacts everything. It couldn’t be more critical to our happiness.'

Dove has been famed in recent years for its advertising and marketing which has always looked to engage and invite women to embrace natural beauty, not to create or remove it. The world of beauty is no longer beautiful as much as it is judgmental and we have all fallen victim to convincing marketing ploys. By gaining the respect and loyalty of women, Dove enhances its brand by affirming that their family and its products are not for body (or confidence) improvements, but for sustainability and celebration of inherent beauty.

The video has since gone viral, tapping on the shoulders of women (and men) everywhere and sending out a positive affirmation. Dove conducted this experiment to ‘prove something very important: You are more beautiful than you think.’