Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty disrupted the ad world with its portrayal of Real Women representing the brand.
Challenge: How do you invite women 45+ to speak honestly about how they experience their changing bodies without reinforcing the very beauty anxieties the campaign sought to challenge?
Approach: We created a direct-mail invitation designed to feel personal, provocative and accessible, using bold typography and concise copy to encourage women to share something deeply personal.
Execution: Thousands of women across Canada responded. Eleven were ultimately selected to participate in Dear Body, directed by Judith Thomson at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre. I also helped extend the experience beyond the theatre through a microsite introducing the women, their stories and the performance to a broader audience.
Impact: The campaign transformed individual responses into a national collection of women’s voices—and extended the Real Beauty proposition from advertising into a live storytelling experience.
