Objectives

We developed an always-on newsroom strategy where we identify micro and macro trends that allow Dove to consistently insert itself into cultural conversations beyond its own space.  This model allows us to show up in spaces that we care about the most and connect with audiences around topics that are core to our mission like self-esteem, body confidence and hair discrimination. 

Strategy and Execution

Our proactive strategy focused on deepening connections with diverse communities, influential brand advocates and trending conversations. Our core purpose pillars: The Dove Self-Esteem Project, The CROWN Act, and Body Size Discrimination - serve as guiding lights for our social engagements. 

1.  Active listening - we study social behavior closely.
   1. Spotting niche ways to connect with communities, brand loyalists, influencers, and more (i.e:  when we spotted a video of two women in larger bodies who got rejected from a nightclub because of their appearance, we jumped in to support and uplift them. Our comment aimed to help combat stereotypical beauty ideals that are squashing women's self-esteem, and it garnered over 9.1K likes!

2. Agile content creation - to keep the pace with the speed of the feed. 
   1. We engage with trends in a unique way that aligns with our brand in real-time. For instance, we participate in trends like Reasons Why I Regret… and “So You’re This… But You’re Also This…”

3. Meaningful engagement - to actively participate in conversations 
   1. Rather than simply broadcasting messages, we actively chime in to proactive conversations and trending content within the first 24 hours when the moment is aligned with Dove’s tone of voice and content pillars, seeking out opportunities to form relationships with consumers and newsjack a current trend (i.e. Age Filter and Bold Glamour). 

4. Amplifying advocacy 
   1. Our Surprise and Delight tactic has cultivated a thriving community of brand advocates who organically create user-generated content on our behalf. These UGC videos, with view counts ranging from 70K to 300K on TikTok, exemplify the genuine resonance our brand holds within our community.

Results

Our success stems from active listening and feedback-seeking on social media. We engage with users sharing authentic stories, fostering safe spaces for conversations. Our brand uniquely uplifts those discussing confidence, body love, self-esteem, & hair expression.

• 50+ trends on TikTok and Instagram engaged with in H1 including "Girlhood" trend, Aging Filter, Bold Glamour, and more.
• Monthly, we proactively comment 200-600 times. In H1, we identified 4.5K opportunities which resulted in 557K engagements.
• We’ve increased our community on Instagram by ~85,000, and ~61,000 on TikTok since Q4 of 2022 (500%+ increase in unique engaged users on TikTok). 
• We commented on a video of The Little Mermaid, showcasing sisterhood and self confidence in a moment where this premiere was highly anticipated within our community. 
  • This comment on this video has received over 51.1K likes.
• We look for areas to engage to combat both discrimination of body types and sizes, and to support those who express body-love across social media. We engaged with a clothing brand, Jessakae, who creates dresses for all sizes. 
  • This comment on this video received over 20.3K likes.
• In our mission to combat hair discrimination, we spotted one user who created a Black doll, fully showing natural hair. 
  • This comment on this video received over 8K likes and extremely positive sentiment in the replies. 
• Our Campaign for Kids Online Safety video on TikTok went viral. The brand was praised for creating a safe space for these conversations (see entry images).

Media