Social media has long evolved from a platform of connection, to one of also self-expression. While it makes it easy to share experiences, in this virtual world driven by digital engagement, it also brought pressure to only share curated and seemingly perfectly polished posts. Women spend a lot of time looking at other women, eventually falling into a trap of comparison and taking a toll on their mental health.

As a brand whose purpose is to provide a positive experience of beauty for women, Dove needed to empower women to pause and appreciate the real beauty that they possess.

With the ease of expressing yourself online, one is also exposed to judgement and opinions from others. In front of you is placed, the seemingly perfect life of others, causing one to get caught in the Comparison Trap - the feeling you get when you judge your life based on the beautiful posts of others. This is further confirmed in a recent study where 69% of females have experienced stress and anxiety from social media.

With social media creating unwanted pressures amongst young women, how then could Dove interrupt the Comparison Trap and empower women to appreciate their own beauty as well?

Inspired by the blank black screen on mobile phones, Dove created a campaign that allowed women to stare back at themselves and reflect on their beauty. Hoping to soothe the tension and anxiety faced by these women, Dove planned the following journey:

1/ DISRUPT women’s social media scrolling;

2/ REMIND them of Dove’s determination to let them experience their real beauty;

3/ PROVIDE an avenue for them to reflect on their own beauty.

The campaign ran for 1 week, targeting Females 18-44 years old.

On World Mental Health day (October 10), Dove disrupted women’s usual experience on social media. While scrolling through their Instagram and Facebook feed, an ad appeared mimicking their scrolls. Like always, images of beautiful women were shown being liked and heart-reacted. However, after a few seconds, the story fades to black – reflecting back the face of the user staring at her phone. A reassuring voice, accompanied by an on-screen message, shares words of encouragement.

Dove was able to turn an ad placement into a moment to literally reflect, pause, and appreciate one’s self. When women swiped up on the ad, it led them to Dove’s home page, which housed the brand’s continuing mission to promote positivity and well-being.

In order to reignite love and appreciation of women for themselves, Dove rose to the challenge of imparting a positive experience of beauty, especially at a time when it was difficult to have one. In just 1 week, this simple message resonated with women nationwide.

The 1-week run of the #ReflectYourBeauty campaign touched the lives of 3,057,163 women, with 5,110,157 Impressions, and an impressive Ad Recall Lift of 6.59% (vs. 4.81% Unilever and 6% industry benchmarks).

The campaign was also picked up by notable publications, such as Adobo Magazine, Marketing in Asia, and MarkeTech APAC, which further amplified the campaign. Additionally, Dove ranked #1 in the entire Personal Care category in both Lazada and Shopee’s 11.11 sales.