Stories behind the ads

Dove: “Real Beauty Sketches”

A forensic artist draws women as they describe themselves, then as strangers describe them.

Brand
Dove
Year
2013
Agency
Ogilvy
Category
Personal care

A forensic sketch artist sits behind a curtain and draws a woman based only on how she describes her own face. Then he draws her again, this time from the description of a stranger who met her briefly. When the two drawings are shown side by side, the stranger's version is always kinder and more beautiful.

Created by Ogilvy Brazil for Dove in 2013, the film ended with the line "You are more beautiful than you think". It was part of the long-running "Real Beauty" campaign that questioned narrow beauty standards.

The video became one of the most-watched ads online of its year and won the Titanium Grand Prix at Cannes. It is a clear example of advertising built on a social experiment and an emotional truth rather than on the product.

Dove — Real Beauty Sketches Watch the full ad on YouTube

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