About the Brand

Dove is a toiletries brand owned by Unilever. It was introduced in March 1957. Dove logo is a shape of
the bird of the same name as the brand. Dove currently has many products ranging from hair products like
shampoos, conditioners, to skin products like body lotions, body washes, facial cleansers. Dove is one of
Unilever’s flagship brands. Close competitors of Dove in beauty segment are Nivea, Olay; Johnson and
Johnson in baby products; Pears, Lux Pantene and Sunsilk in soaps & shampoos. This brand is mostly
known for it’s campaigns about beauty standards and body positivity. It aims to be “an agent of change to
teach, inspire and empower girls with a broader definition of beauty and to make them feel confident
about themselves.”

Name of the Advertising Campaign

Launched in February 2021, Dove’s #StopTheBeautyTest shows how women of the country are judged
for her physical appearance. First advertisement of this campaign showcased real life stories of 5 women
who were rejected for marriage due to their looks. According to a data, 9 out of 10 women are not
considered for marriage if they are having visible flaws; and 68% said being rejected for these reasons,
affected their self-esteem and confidence.
The second advertisement was released on the occasion Daughters' Day, i.e. September 2022. The
campaign showed how the test for beauty starts from the childhood for Indian women. From the moment
a girl is born, she is always viewed through the lens of marriage. They have to look perfect according to
typical Indian beauty standards. We grew up listening to comments like don’t do this, no one will marry
you, you are so fat, loose some weight or no one will marry you, how slim you are, eat more or no one
will marry you, there’s a long list. Beauty should be a source of confidence, and not anxiety. Instead of
stereotypes, women should focus on their own definition of beauty. Flaws of every women should be
accepted and cherished. In the caption of second advertisement, Dove India stated, “Her face and body
are not your mark sheet. The biggest test Indian girls face in their school years is the beauty test. Dove
says #StopTheBeautyTest.”

The basic objective was to boost self-esteem and raise awareness. #StopTheBeautyTest points to put a
conclusion to the cliché benchmarks of beauty and encourage society to step forward and modify the
acknowledged beauty standards/stereotypes. The campaign was conceptualized to make beauty a positive
experience for women by:-

•Provoking conversation- Addressing age-old customs disguised as conventions.

•Inspiring change- Bringing into light the stories of real women, getting motivated by them, and
celebrating beauty of every women.

•Enabling action- Taking away anxiety of marriages and making the process of match-making better.
To support this goal, Dove partnered with matrimonial platforms like Shaadi.com so that match-making
process is not based on beauty bias. It influences to look beyond shape, height, looks, skin tone, scars to
see new sizes and shades of beautiful.