Winner: Edelman and Unilever-Dove: Dove Campaign for Real Beauty
Having relied on using idealized portrayals of women to engage female customers for years, the beauty industry's strategy finally began to fall flat. Realizing this, Dove knew that the way to distinguish itself from competitors was to take an unprecedented and somewhat controversial approach to its marketing in order to engage its costumers on an emotional level and widen the stereotypical definition of beauty. Gone would be the days of presenting the "perfect" woman as a beauty role model.
Dove, along with Edelman, decided to utilize this strategy to generate sales for its beauty products and new product line, Dove Firming. The team armed itself with the results from a major global study of woman's attitudes toward beauty conducted by StrategyOne, Edelman's opinion research division, and soon after, the "Campaign for Real Beauty" (CFRB) was born. More than 3,000 women in 10 countries took part, and the results became the basis for all of the PR programming. The campaign would target women of all ages, including young girls who needed to foster their positive self-image, and encouraged men to join the dialogue.
Dove became a sponsor of American Women in Radio & Television to increase exposure among the key influencer group. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund was then formed to tap into Unilever's existing partnership with the Girl Scouts of the USA, and the Dove CFRB essay and photo tour contest was used to encourage girls to capture "real beauty."
The PR program was timed to coincide with the launch of the Dove Firming ad campaign, which featured six real women posing – unretouched – in their underwear. Consumers were given an opportunity to meet the women at a photo shoot in Times Square, where they could sign a Dove Self-Esteem Fund pledge banner. For each name signed, a dollar was donated to the "Uniquely Me!" program designed to help build self-esteem in young girls.
The six Dove Firming women appeared on the season premiere of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Oprah, which created a pop-culture phenomenon. The campaign generated more than 650 million impressions during the summer of 2005, and nearly four hours of broadcast time, including 10 minutes on the Today show.
But perhaps the most important gauge for success is the fact that over one million visitors logged into the CFRB website, sharing their thoughts about how the campaign changed their lives.
Honorable Mention: Weber Shandwick and Hardee's: Monster Thickburger Launch
New products in the quick-service restaurant industry often receive little or no attention, so Hardee's wanted to make certain that its Monster Thickburger was the exception. With the help of Weber Shandwick, Hardee's formulated a two-pronged strategy: Catch the media's attention with the burger's maverick personality, making sure that news of its 1,420 calories and 107 grams of fat flew in the face of the Atkins and South Beach Diet media frenzy; and entice customers to try it. A tongue-in-cheek press release triggered media coverage that continued for months. A series of local-market events, which featured NFL players working drive-thru lanes, resulted in 40 local market television hits, 13 radio interviews, and multiple print articles.
Finalists:
Alan Taylor Communications and General Mills
Making All Cereals Whole Grain
Edelman and Microsoft Xbox
"Halo 2" Launch PR Program
Edelman and Unilever-Dove
Dove Campaign For Real Beauty
Ogilvy Public Relations/Robinson Lerer & Montgomery and Gemstar-TV Guide
Tuning Into The Relaunch of TV Guide
Weber Shandwick and Hardee's
Monster Thickburger Launch
Sponsor:
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