Courage is Beautiful: Dove's Human Focus

When COVID-19 began to truly set in in the US, most of us had a comparatively easy task. The biggest complaint I often heard was the loss of entertainment; eating out and seeing friends was, for the time, not an option. This was not the case for much of America’s medical workforces, however; as nurses and doctors worked long, grueling and scary hours helping patients and battling nearly non-stop to try and curb the pandemic. We often saw this appear on social media when people would thank their local nurses and doctors, or when they would post about their experiences in the hospital. While I knew of the work they were doing, one of the most striking things I saw regarding these workers was when I first saw Dove’s COVID-19 campaign. It made me stop and think for a moment as I watched the 30-second ad fade through a series of faces worn with lines and marks from wearing masks for hours and hours. Normally I don’t pay much heed to ads of any sort but this one stuck out to me well. 

I came across an article by Abby Gardener for Glamour about this topic, wherein she explains the changes in advertising Dove has done as well as some of their stated goals concerning the pandemic. Dove tries to turn the spotlight towards nurses and other medical workers in this time with the headline “Courage is Beautiful.” They state it’s a message of gratitude and that they are trying to “show people who were doing this and also ask people to join us to thank these people who are risking their lives.” 

Dove’s overall value proposition focuses on “real beauty,” which they consider themselves to be the home of. They have been promoting these sorts of campaigns for quite a while now, including projects that focus on self-esteem, “realistic” beauty standards, and diversification in beauty, among other goals. They state that they’ve “been working to make beauty a source of confidence, not anxiety” and pursue the ideal of authenticity, according to their site. They are trying to present themselves as overcoming the “unrealistic” beauty standards of today and try to refocus themselves on real people; the majority of the focus is on women. 

Dove’s campaign has a lot of marketing relevance in this period, especially at the start of the pandemic in the US and Canada. It was striking as it was on everyone’s mind, and the situation is constantly being discussed. They launched this new campaign in a way that really focused people on the human element Dove was trying to stand for, and I believe it was done in a very stirring and interesting way. Another interesting aspect of this campaign that they do differently than other companies is that they never try to directly suggest products or sell you an item in this campaign. Instead, it’s a focus on the people and what Dove wants to do for them; yet I believe that it’s still a good marketing strategy because it helps build fondness and trust for the company in a way that may bring new consumers in. People want to support businesses that do something to make an impact. The only way I would have improved this campaign if I were in their shoes would have been to have a series of video advertisements with clips of nurses talking about their daily lives in the hospital. It would really hone in the human element of this campaign and make people think about what it’s like to be in their shoes. While I do have a lot of inherent cynicism about companies, they’ve created a stirring and heartfelt campaign and this would have really enhanced it if done sincerely.

This piece about Dove has really made me think about the different kinds of ways companies interact with us. Even when they are focusing on a current event such as COVID, they can still sell themselves to us, even if they are reaching out to assist communities and not directly pitching anything to us. Doing things like this really builds up trust and fondness for a company, which I imagine will help pull people to them in the long run.