Dove launches New Year ‘unresolutions’ to help women’s body confidence

Unilever’s Dove clearly isn’t giving up on its purpose platform – despite its owner eschewing such intentions for brands like Hellman’s – describing itself now as “the world’s largest self-esteem education provider.”

To which end it’s launching its very own ‘New Years Unresolution’ campaign inviting women to moderate their beauty resolutions via what it calls a “body confidence” online learning experience for women, helping them to “un-do, un-learn, and reject harmful beauty ideals.” Backed with an ad campaign from long-serving agency Ogilvy.

Participants are encouraged to write down an unrealistic beauty standard they have felt pressure to conform to before tearing it up. Then they can share it on TikTok. As ever these days, there’s a squad of influencers too, 12 in all.

UK Dove Masterbrand marketing manager Emily Galazka says: “For 20 years, Dove has equipped young people with resources to improve their self-esteem and body confidence, and now we’re expanding our focus to women, many who have grown up under the weight of unrealistic beauty standards reinforced by social media. As we enter a new year, we wholeheartedly encourage women to make resolutions that focus on their own happiness and joy, rather than these negative standards. Through Dove’s first-ever body confidence series for women, our aim is to support women in rejecting unattainable ideals, embrace authenticity, and redefine beauty on their own terms.”

Dove says its long-running Self-Esteem Project has reached over 114 million young people across 153 countries.

MAA creative scale: we’ll pass for now.