2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

OBJECTIVES
As one of the world’s most iconic, purpose-led brands, Dove has a history of standing up for what’s right and redefining beauty. This commitment was at the core of why Dove co-founded the CROWN Coalition in 2019.

Originally founded to eradicate race-based hair discrimination, it has subsequently expanded its mandate to fighting racial discrimination of all kinds. So, when protests erupted across the United States following the murder of George Floyd, Dove sought to adamantly reaffirm its commitment to fighting racial inequality.
The objective was to reinforce Dove’s credentials as a brand that stands up for what’s right by creating a campaign that would unequivocally voice its support for the Black community.

INSIGHT
Through its longstanding “Real Beauty” platform, Dove has become a brand associated with beauty. But while it wanted to convey hope for a brighter future, the message came at a time when things were not beautiful in America. So rather than shine a light on beauty, we decided to shine a light on the potential for beauty.
From that insight came the line “America will not be beautiful, until it’s beautiful for everyone.” A simple but powerful statement that spoke to both the ugliness of systemic racism and the commitment to eradicating it.

Ogilvy’s idea was to create a film that depicted the fight for social justice that was currently happening in the streets of America. It wanted the film to show the anger and the pain, but to also show the hope that today’s unrest would be the catalyst to a better tomorrow.

EXECUTION
Working with six African American photographers located across the country, the shop began collecting powerful images from the Black Lives Matter protests that reflected the pain, the anger, but also sometimes the beauty, of the fight for a more just future.

These photos served as the foundation of a visually stunning film set to Ray Charles’ iconic “America the Beautiful.” And while many images were harrowing, the film resolved in a message of hope and a tangible commitment of $5 million to fighting systemic racism in partnership with the CROWN Coalition it had co-founded the year prior.

RESULTS
Dove’s commitment to a more beautiful future struck a meaningful chord with tens of millions of Americans. It received press coverage in major national outlets like Essence, Today and Allure and was met with predominantly positive social sentiment in Facebook and Instagram.

In addition to generating significant media coverage and social conversation, ‘America the Beautiful’ also moved the needle on key brand metrics for Dove. The film exceeded breakthrough benchmarks with a 71% ad recall on YouTube while contributing to a +28% lift in brand differentiation and +15% lift in brand affinity.

With “America the Beautiful,” Dove renewed its commitment to confronting ugliness in the world and reaffirmed its allyship with the Black community both with words and with action.

Credits

Alessandro Manfredi, Global Dove EVP, Unilever
Sophie van Ettinger, Global Brand VP - Dove Masterbrand, Unilever
Molly Kennedy, Director, Dove Masterbrand US Engagement, Unilever
Esi Eggleston Bracey, COO & EVP, Beauty & Personal Care, Unilever
Brian Murray, Chief Creative Officer, Ogilvy Canada
Brian Allen, Group Creative Director, Ogilvy Canada
Noah Feferman, Group Creative Director, Ogilvy Canada
Tom Kenny, Chief Strategy Officer, Ogilvy Canada
Aviva Groll, Worldwide Managing Director, Ogilvy Canada
Beth Blatch, Account Director, Ogilvy Canada
Rebecca Tummers, Account Coordinator, Ogilvy Canada
Marie-Pierre Toure, Agency Producer, Ogilvy Canada
Nadja Bellan-White, Worldwide Managing Partner, Ogilvy London
Dan Fisher, Global Executive Creative Director (Unilever), Ogilvy London
Juliana Paracencio, Creative Director, Ogilvy London
Sam Pierce, Global Managing Partner (Dove), Ogilvy London
Georgie Howard, Global Business Director, Ogilvy London
Mike Kerry, Global Creative Delivery Lead (Unilever), Ogilvy London
Sarah Thomson, Head of Art Production (Unilever), Ogilvy London
Jonathon Nixon, Art Producer, Ogilvy London
Matthew Jones, Head of Integrated Production (Unilever), Ogilvy London
Victor Paredes, VP, Creative Strategy, Uniworld Group
Scott Robinson, VP & GM, Uniworld Group
LaToya Newton, Project Manager, Uniworld Group
Harold Tamara, Sr. Producer & Studio Lead, Uniworld Group
Aarolyn Spradley, Production Manager, Uniworld Group
Errol Pierre Louis, Sr. Digital Producer, Uniworld Group
Ben Kay, Chief Strategy Officer, WPP London
Andrea Ellen Reed, Photographer (Minneapolis)
Dee Dwyer, Photographer (Washington, DC)
Stephanie Mie Ling, Photographer (Los Angeles)
Lynsey Weatherspoon, Photographer (Atlanta)
Elijah Nouvelage, Photographer (Atlanta)
Joshua Rashaad McFadden, Photographer (Minneapolis)
Monica Remba, Editor, Married to Giants, Canada
Ray Charles, Music, Atlantic Music Canada
Chris Tait, Audio, Pirate Toronto