Really Caring to Find Out the Answer - A Good Strategy for PR

In 2006, Dove went against the grain. It presented a commercial not aimed to be put at the list of top 10 funniest Super Bowl commercials. Instead, it presented a commercial for the Campaign for Real Beauty. The commercial showed young girls and pointed out that one thought she was fat, one hated her freckles, and one thought she was ugly. At the end is the seemingly simple message “Let’s Change Their Minds.”

Since then, through the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, Dove has connected with 4.8 million girls globally with self-esteem programming. In the U.S., Dove supports the Girls Scouts of the USA to help build confidence in girls 8-17 with after-school programs, self-esteem building events and educational resources.

One of the most interesting pieces of this movement, I found, was that Dove not only supports this idea, they are spearheading it. They state in a recent press release that “When girls feel bad about their looks, 70 percent disconnect from life—avoiding normal daily activities like attending school or even giving their opinion—which can put their dreams on hold, and jeopardize their potential as future leaders, decision makers, and role models.” This statistic comes from their own research project titled “Dove Research: Rebuilding the Foundation of Beauty Beliefs.” This shows that Unilever has identified a cause on which to connect with its constituents, in this case, women and girls, and has committed itself to furthering the cause by conducting research on the issue and partnering with organizations such as Girl Scouts of America, the Boys and Girls Club, and Girl’s Inc. The result? 176,916 are connected to Dove through facebook, 7,023 follow Dove on Twitter, and of course, the millions of people who have participated in Dove Self-Esteem Fund Programming.

And of course, “Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every three households uses a Dove product, which includes beauty bars, body washes, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists, hair care and styling aids.” (Dove information on Unilever website)

This kind of relational campaign between Dove and it’s consumers is exactly the kind of mutually beneficial relationship that Public Relations practitioners and their organizations strive to achieve.