Noticing a trend among some female Twitter users to be self-critical during televised events like awards shows, Dove Canada has launched a new initiative providing them with some positive reinforcement.
Using the hashtag #dovepositivechange, the Unilever brand recently began writing encouraging responses to women posting self-critical remarks during shows like the Miss Universe Pageant and the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show.
During Sunday’s telecast of the Golden Globe Awards, for example, @DoveCanada responded to a woman who posted “Live from Golden Globe red carpet a.k.a. self esteem dropping” with the message “…we think your self esteem should always be high – no matter what you’re watching.”
The #dovepositivechange hashtag was used 153 times during the past weekend, said Sharon MacLeod, Unilever Canada’s vice-president of marketing. The intention, she said, is to start a movement that spreads organically through the social media channel.
“As an active participant in social media, we at Dove have seen an increase in the number of women and girls negatively tweeting about themselves,” said MacLeod in an e-mail interview. “We developed the idea based on this insight, and because it was a campaign that made a lot of sense, it was one that could quickly get off the ground within days.”
MacLeod called the initiative a natural extension of the brand’s ongoing Dove Self Esteem Fund, which works to encourage girls and women to adopt a more positive outlook towards their appearance.
She suggested the Canadian-specific initiative would continue indefinitely. “We will…continue to reach out on Twitter to deliver positive message about beauty,” said MacLeod. “Ultimately, we hope our efforts will inspire a much larger positive, self-sustaining conversation on Twitter and within other social media channels that are supported by women everywhere.”
