Dove® Real Beauty Sketches Becomes The Most Viewed Online Video Ad Of All Time

Campaign Committed to Fostering Self-Esteem Among Women Reaches Billions Around the World

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May 20, 2013, 09:45 ET

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., May 20, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Less than a month after launch, the Dove Real Beauty Sketches film became the number one viewed online video ad of all time. The film, which explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see, has been viewed more than 114 million times to surpass all previously recorded video ads, according to the Viral Video Chart reported globally by Unruly*. In addition, Dove Real Beauty Sketches has garnered another 15 million views in China where it just launched. Not only has the film been viewed in record numbers around the world, it is also the most shared video ad in over a year and the third most shared of all time, although closing the gap. Dove Real Beauty Sketches was uploaded in 25 languages to 33 Dove YouTube Channels and has been viewed in over 110 countries.

The Dove Real Beauty Sketches campaign struck an emotional chord with millions of women who recognize that they are their own worst beauty critic. Dove is committed to a world where beauty is a source of confidence and the film reinforces the brand's commitment to fostering self-esteem in women.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches has garnered widespread attention across all media channels and the brand has been overwhelmed by the positive response from around the world. The phenomenon has been further fueled by celebrities and other brands joining the conversation and sharing the film with others. Additionally, 14 video parodies of the film have been created. To date, the campaign has generated almost four billion PR and blogger media impressions, which continue to increase daily. Global launch coverage highlights include:

121 print features, including leading op-ed pieces
484 major broadcast news and lifestyle segments
Thousands of online articles that have generated hundreds of thousands of comments, likes and shares

The impact made by Dove Real Beauty Sketches in social media has also been significant. The campaign evoked an emotional reaction in millions of people that inspired them to share the positive message with others and join the conversation across the brand's social channels. To date there have been over 3,707,407 shares of the film. (Source: Unruly)

"The moment that the Dove Real Beauty Sketches film was uploaded to the Dove YouTube page, it quickly started to gain traction around the world with men, women, media and even other brands sharing the film," said Fernando Machado, VP Dove Skin. "The campaign evoked an emotional reaction in millions of people that inspired them to share the positive message with others. Beyond just the millions of views and publicity impressions, it is the outpouring of testimonials from around the world that are exciting us."

About the Dove Real Beauty Sketches Campaign
The way women depict themselves is dramatically different from how others perceive them. Over half (54%) of women globally agree that when it comes to how they look, they are their own worst beauty critic, which equates to a staggering 672 million women around the world¹. In response, Dove® conducted a compelling social experiment to illustrate how this problem manifests.

The Real Beauty Sketches film features Gil Zamora, an FBI trained forensic artist who has used his trademark Compositure™ Methodology to draw over 3,000 sketches during his 28-year career. The film documented Zamora creating composite sketches of seven women who were hidden behind a curtain and he used their self-descriptions as the basis of his drawings. Prior to their session with the forensic artist, each of the women were unexpectedly asked to spend a short period of time with a stranger without being told why. Zamora then drafted sketches from the stranger's depictions. Most of the sketches drafted from the stranger's point of view showed a more beautiful, happier and frequently more accurate portrayal of the women and further demonstrates that, when it comes to how they look the biggest beauty pressure is the pressure they put on themselves.

The film documents the women's reactions to their self-image and their realization of how low self-esteem is affecting many other elements of their lives. It inspires the women, and viewers alike, to reassess how they see themselves. Dove believes that when women look and feel their best, they feel happier. The Dove Real Beauty Sketches film can be viewed at dove.us/realbeautysketches, Facebook.com/Dove or join the conversation at #wearebeautiful.

About Dove
Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every three households uses a Dove product¹, which includes beauty bars, body washes, face care, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists, hair care and styling aids. Dove Men+Care™ is the newest range of products from Dove, developed specially for men. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.

About Unilever United States, Inc.
Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries. Our products are present in 7 out of 10 homes globally and are used by over 2 billion people on a daily basis. In the United States the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Ragu, Simple, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, whilst reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals are more than 50 time-based targets. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at http://www.unileverusa.com/sustainable-living/.

Unilever employs more than 10,000 people in the United States – generating over $9 billion in sales in 2012. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.

Contact:
Marissa Florindi/ Edelman
[email protected]
Ph: 212 704 4477

Stacie Bright/Unilever
[email protected]

*Unruly uses proprietary technology to track any video across the globe, which is hosted on major platforms including: YouTube, Dailymotion, Apple Trailers, IGN, Break or Trailer Addict (this does not include Chinese platforms). Unilever tracked key sites in China where the video was uploaded and promoted.

SOURCE Unilever