Dove Real Beauty Sketches: an honest idea people wanted to share

The challenge

Beauty advertising had long used professional models and perfect pictures. Dove started its Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004 to show real women of different sizes, ages and backgrounds instead.

By 2013 the brand needed a new way to bring this idea to life. Dove’s own research found that only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful. The challenge was to show that feeling in a way people would remember and talk about.

What they did

Dove invited a forensic sketch artist, Gil Zamora, to draw several women without seeing them. First he drew each woman from her own description of her face.

Then he drew the same woman again, this time from the description of a stranger who had met her briefly. The women were then shown both drawings side by side.

The sketches based on strangers’ descriptions were kinder and more attractive. The women’s reactions on camera made the point better than any slogan could.

The film was shared online in 25 languages and spread through YouTube and social media. It later won the Titanium Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions festival.