BRINGING DOVE'S PRODUCT ADS INTO THE REAL WORLD
Concept and Art Direction
The clash
Dove's brand was built on real beauty. But for decades, its product advertising was shot in sterile white studios, visually disconnected from everything the brand stood for.
The work
During my years working with Dove, I helped the brand transition from white studio backgrounds to real-world settings, significantly evolving its visual identity and narrative. Below is the first-ever real-world ad created for the brand. Dove’s Light & Smooth, for the South Asia market.
IMPACT
This visual shift became the foundation for Dove’s 2016 global brand campaign #MyBeautyMySay
THE PERSPECTIVE
Before transitioning to the 'real world', testimonial ads on a white background were the standard. And that's for a reason. The best endorsement any product can get doesn't come from a headline a copywriter wrote. It's what a real woman wrote at 11 pm after using it for the first time. Consumer reviews are unfiltered, specific, and more convincing than anything a brief could produce.
THE WORK
Product ads built entirely around genuine consumer reviews and testimonials. Above—print campaign for Dove Derma Spa using real reviews pulled from eBay, Amazon, and Sephora became the visual and copy language. Below—real women on TV speaking in their own words replaced the usual product claims.