Montreal, September 9, 2014 – Against a backdrop of research that reveals only 1 in 10 women are proud to reveal their age, Dove is launching a campaign to encourage women of every age to feel beautiful. The research also found that almost three quarters (73%) of women around the world admit to being concerned about their aging looks.
This year, Dove is turning 50 in Canada and wants women to join in the spirit by celebrating their age, whether they are 30 or 100. Earlier this year, Dove put out an open casting call to find up to 50 Canadian real women. More than 4,000 women from coast-to-coast applied and those selected will be featured in a new campaign showcasing their personal stories about why they feel beautiful at any age.
As part of the campaign, each of the women will be featured in advertising on their respective birthdays over a 50-day period, starting today and ending on October 28.
While the women chosen each have birthdays within the campaign timeframe, they also all share an optimistic attitude and belief that beauty is something to celebrate at any age. As part of the selection process, the women were also asked questions about their relationship to aging and beauty, to ensure they reflected the spirit of the campaign and values of the Dove brand.
Participants from coast-to-coast entered the open casting call, with applicants ranging in age from 30 to 101. Our final cast of 50 women hailed from some of Canada’s largest cities including Vancouver, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, and from towns in-between such as Hamilton, ON, Nanaimo, BC, Kitchener-Waterloo, ON and Blainville, QC.
Brigitte Lafitte, 55, of Saint-Laurent, Québec, who was selected for the campaign, says the campaign has helped validate her belief that real beauty means being different. “At the age of 22 I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and even though it has changed my body, I have accepted these changes as a reminder of my resilience. This experience has been like a gift that has given me even more self-confidence and a chance for the beauty I feel inside to shine through.”
Sharon MacLeod, Vice President, Unilever North America, says this campaign is a way to help women reconsider and redefine what beauty means. “This campaign continues the work of the Dove Self-Esteem Project in encouraging women to think about how they view their own beauty and to see their age as something to celebrate.”
A special film along with additional information on the campaign and women can be found online at www.DoveBeautifulAge.ca/.
Since launching its Campaign for Real Beauty in 2004, Dove has issued a number of casting calls, including a search for a Dove Real Beauty initiative with Elle Magazine in 2011 and a casting call for its Body and Soul Play in 2007. This year, Dove Canada is also celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the Campaign For Real Beauty.
Throughout the 50-day campaign, Dove will also help celebrate with a special high-value incentive where women can buy 3 Dove products and get the third at 50% off.
About Dove and the Dove Self-Esteem Project
Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. The Dove Self-Esteem Project is a global Dove initiative that was first established as part of The Campaign for Real Beauty. Its mission is to educate and encourage the next generation of girls to build a positive relationship with beauty and to help raise self-esteem, enabling them to realize their full potential in life. It is one of the only projects in Canada dedicated to the self-esteem of women and girls. Dove encourages Canadians to be part of the conversation at www.Facebook.com/Dove. For more information visit www.dove.ca and for self-esteem resources visit www.selfesteem.dove.ca.
About Unilever Canada Inc.
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with operations in over 100 countries and sales in 190. Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. In Canada, our portfolio includes brand icons such as: Becel®, Ben & Jerry’s®, Breyers®, Clear®, Degree®, Dove® personal care products, Hellmann’s®, Nexxus®, Q-Tips®, Simple®, St. Ives®, TRESemmé®, Vaseline® and others. All of the preceding brand names are owned or used under license by Unilever Canada Inc.
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For more information, contact:
Marie-Claude Geoffrion
DDMG Communications
514 605-8757
marie-claude@ddmg.ca