Unilever and its Dove Self-Esteem Fund continue to delve into unexpected media with the publication of One Girl Can, a book exploring mentorship between women and girls through real-life stories.
In step with the fund’s goal of promoting healthy body images and self esteem among women and girls, the book is a collection of stories from 14 Canadian girls aged 12 to 16, as well as “bonding activities” for girls, mothers and mentors.
Published by Kids Can Press and available nationally at Walmart exclusively, the book follows the production of a Dove-funded play (Body & Soul) and a sleep-over seminar series for moms and daughters as another step beyond traditional media marketing undertaken by the CPG giant.
Dove, which competes in cosmetics and beauty categories, also famously created a handful of online videos that took issue with popular beauty myths, including Onslaught and the Cannes-winning Evolution (both created by Ogilvy‘s Toronto office, which was not directly involved in One Girl Can).
“Dove has always believed in telling the stories of real women and girls,” said Sharon MacLeod, a brand building director on the Dove brand. “Leveraging new [media] like the play, the sleep-over and the One Girl Can book allows us to directly connect with our consumers that bring these stories to life in ways that a traditional 30-second ad can’t. We know that by sharing the triumphs of real Canadian women and girls, others will be inspired to join the movement towards reaching their own full potential in life.”
MacLeod spearheaded the book project with Mandy Au, Unilever shopper marketing manager.
One Girl Can is being promoted in-store with sampling events and point-of-purchase marketing from Integrated Marketing, with media and public relations handled by Harbinger. Online, it’s promoted at Walmart.ca and on Facebook.
Mindshare handled media duties.
