More than two decades to fight stereotypes and self -esteem promotion have earned him Dove several awards in Cannes Lions 2025. In addition to the Grand Prix in Creative Strategy, the Unilever brand has also achieved the Glass Grand Prix: The Lion For Change, one of the most prominent in the contest.

Thus, the International Creativity Festival has recognized “Real Beauty: how a soap brand created a global self -esteem movement”, which collects the work done by Dove for more than twenty years in the construction of a global brand platform aimed at positioning the brand as a flag bearer of real beauty, especially among women.

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Dove collects the witness of another Unilever brand, since Vaseline was the receiver of the highest award in this category in the last edition of the Festival. The brand was awarded by “Transition Body Lotion”, Designed by Ogilvy Singapore, with which he proposed a cream oriented to solve some of the cutaneous problems facing transgender women during their transition process.

It should also be noted that this category has starred in one of the festival’s novelties, since has expanded its scope. If initially put the focus on those works that demonstrated creative excellence when promoting cultural changes and generating a systemic change with focus on issues such as inequality or gender damage, this year has extended its vision to other vulnerable communities and groups, such as people with disabilities, refugees, LGBTQ+communities, etc.

20 years of “Real Beauty”

Dove promoted “Real Beauty” In 2004 by the hand of Ogilvy United Kingdom, giving a pioneering step in the search for a change in advertising culture regarding beauty through the rupture of stereotypes. He has questioned the representation of women in the media, highlighting digital distortion and encouraging the beauty industry and society in general to face the harmful impact that unrealistic representations have in women and girls.

Before a beauty industry with almost impossible, and even toxic standards, the brand decided to present real women instead of models in your ads. The defense of authenticity resonated with audiences around the world and began to transform not only the perception of Dove, but also the expectations regarding communication.

One of the most popular campaigns was “Evolution”, launched in 2006. With her Dove addressed the then incipient digital distortion and raised a call to the beauty industry and society in general to face the harmful impact that unrealistic representations have in women and girls.

Dove has not only worked the deconstruction of beauty standards, but also the self -esteem of consumers, mainly women. “Real Beauty Skethes”, Activated in 2013, it was one of the most emotional communication exercises in the history of advertising. Through the sketches of a forensic artist, Dove put on the table the difference in the perception of beauty between others and oneself, looking for them to empower people.

The platform has also demonstrated its strength and versatility adapting to social, cultural and technological changes. “Reveal selfie” It was launched in 2020, a moment of enormous consumption of digital content and use of social networks due to the impact of the coronavirus, and addressed the impact of these platforms on girls’ self -esteem worldwide.

The impact of the pandemic on the face of the health personnel who worked in the first line of the health emergency also served Dove to emphasize his message on real beauty in a moment of great emotional load. Portrayed the brands of the protection teams in a campaign, “Courage”, which was recognized with the Grand Prix of Print & Publishing in the 2021 Cannes Lions edition.

“Real Beauty” has continued to evolve over the years, and in one of its last iterations he has addressed the risks and dangers of the artificial intelligence In beauty perceptions. “The Code”, Activated in 2024 coinciding with the celebration of the twenty anniversary of the platform, it was a renewal of the brand’s commitment to protect real beauty at a time when new technologies are committing the diverse and inclusive representation of women in the audiovisual and advertising environment. With the campaign, Dove communicated his promise not to use artificial intelligence or to create or to distort the image of women.
Precisely the strategy “Real Beauty Redefined for the AI ​​era” has received the Grand Prix on average in this edition of Cannes Lions.

With its evolution over the years and its adaptation to changes of consumers and society, Dove has shown that its message remains equally relevant that when he launched “Real Beauty.” Moreover, in one of his latest reports “real state of beauty”, he pointed out, among other things, that 40% of women would give a year of their life to achieve an ideal appearance or body, and that two out of three women affirmed that today’s women are expected to be more physically physically attractive than the generation of their mothers.

The impact of “Real Beauty”

“Real Beauty”, led by Ogilvy United Kingdom but worked over the years with dozens of offices throughout the ogilvy overall network, has helped transform a simple soap mark into a powerful brand with A value, according to Kantar, of 7.5 billion dollars.

However, “Real Beauty” has not been only a communication exercise by the brand, but has materialized in multiple social impact initiatives, including the “Dove self-east project”, A global educational project aimed at empowering young people to reach their maximum potential, and to promote bodily trust and self -esteem.

As Pau Bartoli, global brand and strategy director of Dove shared, the project has arrived, only in the last year, 20 million young people in more than 150 countries with educational materials and scientifically proven content. It is estimated that since 2004 the initiative has impacted 137 million people.

“Real Beauty” has also generated impact on the business. On the occasion of the 20 years of the platform, Dove shared last year that in 2023 he had experienced his greatest Growth in sales In a decade contributing 6,000 million euros to Unilever. “The continuous growth of Dove demonstrates the dedication of the brand to the defense of natural beauty and the solid connection that has forged with consumers around the world“Bartoli said last year.”By focusing our narrative on women and real stories, we have maintained our relevance, offering shocking campaigns and, ultimately, products that our consumers love”

Following the Grand Prix achieved in the Creative Strategy category, Zoe Hamilton, Ogilvy Global Strategy Director for Unilever, said: “Twenty years ago, Dove decided to represent something bigger in the world. This Grand Prix recognizes a platform that has remained firm for two decades. ‘Real Beauty’ built a brand and business; Mold the culture and changed lives”

More info.: Glass winners: The Lion for Change in Cannes Lions 2025