"Dare to Be Truly You"
Client: Unilever
Agency: Arc Worldwide
From a very young age, girls are bombarded on social media with unrealistic body images and unhealthy advice about dieting, fitness and nutrition. Alarmingly, it is estimated that nine in 10 children are exposed to toxic online beauty content. Mental health experts warn that exposure to such content can lead to risky behavior and conditions, including a wide range of eating disorders and self-harming practices.
Unilever’s global education initiative, Dove Self-Esteem Project, created a platform to engage shoppers on this sensitive topic while boosting sales of Dove personal care brands at Walmart. Previously, Walmart shoppers had mainly purchased body wash products from Dove, and Unilever needed to jumpstart sales throughout the portfolio. This dual incentive led to the creation of Dare to be Truly You, an interactive experience platform based on the Truth or Dare game to encourage more open conversations between parents and girls.
“The Dove Self-Esteem Project equips young people with free, evidence-based tools to help them overcome appearance pressures and stereotypes and improve their body confidence so they can realize their full potential,” says Maxine Williams, shopper marketing manager at Unilever. “Using these tools, we were able to create a fun interactive experience, making it easy for mom to have those hard conversations using our TikTok ‘Dare to be Truly You’ filter. By bringing it to Walmart, we made it accessible to everyone and we were able to make this learning moment more relatable using language our kids can relate to.
Unilever’s strategic insight revealed what had been preventing progress on this issue. “We knew that four out of five girls wanted their parents to talk to them about managing toxic online beauty advice, but we found that our barrier was about managing how these conversations felt,” explains Katrine Ryan, senior strategist at Arc Worldwide. “That barrier was our springboard for possible ways in, and it led to the idea of parents playing a game with their daughters.”
Truth or Dare seemed like a perfect fit. For many, the game harkens back to a sleepover, camp or bus ride — a rite of passage that spans generations. “We felt that by taking something familiar to both parties we could introduce thought-provoking prompts and dares in a way that didn’t create any pressure on either party,” says Ryan.
TikTok users were introduced to a version of the game in which moms and daughters played by tipping their heads right or left to select a truth or dare and shared their recorded answers. A brand engagement page on Walmart.com featured a printable game, educational materials and suggestions for head-to-toe self-care. An in-store endcap showcased deodorant and skin cleansing products to promote basket-building.
In addition, Unilever sent 1,000 Walmart families everything they needed to host a Dare to Be Truly You party with others. Kits included friendship bracelets, props and cards to spark conversations. For families who shopped together, Dove hosted an immersive parking lot event that drove home the importance of self-esteem in everyday life.
Dove reached and impacted thousands of families with the Dare to be Truly You campaign. In terms of awareness and engagement following use of the at-home party kits, 79% of participants said the program was extremely or very effective in raising awareness about self-esteem and body confidence, and 67% said they now have significantly more discussions or conversations with their child or others about those topics.
The campaign also met its business objective of increasing conversions beyond body wash. Deodorant and hair care moved the most units compared to other Dove categories versus the prior year (10% and 9%, respectively). Dove grew multi-category customers by 7.3%, while single-category customers increased by 4.1%.