Following on from such feel-good successes as the ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ and the ‘Choose Beautiful’ ad, Dove’s latest offering, which follows three generations of Dove product users from one family, similarly tugs at consumer heartstrings.
Its new ‘Beauty Stories’ campaign, launched in time for Mothers’ Day, reportedly plays on a recent study by the brand which found that 88% of women are more likely to trust beauty advice from people they know than celebrity endorsers.
Telling a tale
The use of a personal, relatable narrative is fast becoming a hot ticket in beauty branding.
“It's critical for brands to shift from messaging to storytelling,” Jonah Sachs, American author, designer and entrepreneur, has said in The Guardian.
“After all, a brand is nothing more than an ongoing story – a set of meaningful emotional experiences – unfolding between itself and its audiences.”
Dove has always been a leading brand in the arena of ‘storytelling marketing’, and a spokesperson confirmed that the latest video deliberately continues that trend.
“We learn what beauty means from the stories and lessons passed down to us, and in turn, influence the women in our lives as well as future generations,” Jennifer Bremner, director of skin cleansing at Unilever, said.
“As a brand, we strive to offer products that give real beauty benefits to real women and are proud that the Dove Beauty Bar has been a part of so many women’s beauty stories.”
Family first
The idea that celebrity endorsement has had its day is one which has been backed up by another recent study too, commissioned by beauty retail giant Feel Unique.
Having a film star or model at the helm of a brand’s campaign isn’t necessarily a a sign of a trustworthy brand for consumers, the study found.
It highlighted the fact that 44% of consumers decide to buy a product when endorsed by a family, friend or colleague - as opposed to just 5% who respond to celebrity endorsers.