The combined use of magazine brands results in higher brand consideration for Dove

The combined use of magazine brands results in higher brand consideration for Dove

Dove believes that everyone should have the opportunity to get the best out of themselves. That is why Dove exposed the lack of self-confidence among young girls and women in the Netherlands. For this 'Self Esteem' campaign they use the powerful magazine brands from the women's domain of DPG Media. This resulted in a significant increase in brand consideration, a positive effect on the brand image and an increase in awareness of the brand mission. By letting real women tell real stories with the power of branded content, Dove has been able to achieve both their brand objectives and social goals. This way every woman gets the best out of herself. Do you want to get the best out of your brand? Then read on!

'You are beautiful just the way you are'

Nowadays our self-image is influenced by what we see around us. That has always been the case, but now that the world is becoming smaller due to globalization and trends are reaching us faster than ever, this influence seems even stronger. And that is not without consequences. Dove's global research shows that only 4% of women would describe themselves as 'beautiful' and that as many as 6 out of 10 girls worry so much about their appearance that they do not fully participate in everyday life.

Dove has a clear brand mission that reflects this: making people proud of who they are, how they are. You are beautiful just the way you are. That is why the beauty and care brand conducted an international campaign around the theme 'Self Esteem', with social proof to demonstrate the negative influence that social media has on self-image. The target? Pay attention to the lack of self-confidence and aim for a positive self-image among young girls and women. The brand does this by drawing attention to the diversity of the female body and by demonstrating that self-acceptance ensures a positive self-image and more self-confidence. That is real beauty. Dove also wanted to improve the attitude of the target group towards the brand, adhere to their brand mission even more strongly and realize an increase in brand consideration. To achieve optimal effect, Dove entered into a partnership with DPG Media.

Cross-media deployment

To achieve maximum impact among the campaign's target group, young girls and women aged between eighteen and sixty-five, Dove and DPG Media have chosen to be continuously visible through an always-on campaign. We did this by using online and offline media within the various magazine brands of the women's domain of DPG Media: Libelle, Flair, Flow, Margriet and Tina. This way we could reach the entire target group during the duration of the campaign: from June to December 2023.

Credible and pure

It was a conscious decision not to use a fixed concept within this campaign, but to opt for a branded content approach that is as close as possible to the editorial formula of each selected title and fits perfectly with the Dove brand. Purity and realism are paramount. We focused on a combination of human interest stories from a diverse group of women, tips & tricks from the various editors and an expert interview with a psychologist with an explanation about self-image in children. With advertorials and branded articles in print, online and in newsletters, Dove told the stories of real women about the real effects of social media on their self-image.

From print and online to direct contact

We have used various advertorials and branded articles in the magazine brands Flair, Margriet, Libelle and Flow. These were placed both in print and online, so that the articles could be shared on social media for even more exposure among the target group. In Flow we also added a minizine (an article of several pages) and the girls' brand Tina went even bigger. In addition to the use of branded content, Dove was present at the much-visited Tina Festival. The campaign also focused on direct contact with the target group. You create your self-image at a young age; so the Tina Festival is ideal for starting to inspire young girls and their mothers at an early stage. With the help of various activities throughout the site, girls were encouraged to actively think and talk about their own self-image. The message 'You are beautiful just the way you are' was actively conveyed.

Increased brand consideration and positive attitude

The use of the campaign resulted in positive results for Dove. This is evident from the effect measurement that DVJ Insights carried out under this campaign on the brand. For example, we see a significant increase in brand consideration, with the exposed group achieving an index of 119 compared to the unexposed group (index 100). The positive attitude towards the brand is also higher among the exposed target group, with an index of 123. Dove can therefore state that the brand objectives have been amply achieved through the use of the 'Self Esteem' campaign.

More positive brand associations

In addition to higher brand consideration, the attitude among the target group towards the brand has improved. The number of positive associations around the Dove brand is significantly higher among people who have seen the campaign (73%), compared to people who have not seen the campaign (59%).

Brand image strengthened

We see a significant positive effect on four of the five image statements within the exposed target group of the campaign. Exposed consumers are more convinced that Dove cares about the self-image of girls and women, helps build self-confidence and breaks taboos regarding well-being. We see the biggest difference in Dove's statement about inclusivity, which states that everyone is equal.

Social impact

The brand goals have been achieved and Dove has made a social impact with their campaign message: 'We believe that real beauty should stand for self-confidence instead of insecurity. That is why we want to give women a more positive image of their own appearance, help them improve their self-confidence and get the best out of themselves. As many as 51% of consumers indicate that Dove wants to help young people and women feel more confident with the Dove Self Esteem program. 51% also believe that Dove encourages people to talk more about self-confidence and mental health. In short: a powerful branded content campaign with powerful results for Dove and society.