Dove "#Shows Us" their Integrated Marketing Campaign Message

Cogwheels. Is that what you picture when someone mentions “integration”? Because that is essentially what integrated marketing campaign (IMC) entails – separate parts in a machine that work together to produce results.

The phenomenon of the internet, and the connectedness of social media means that we, as users and as marketers, are encountering marketing messages virtually everywhere. On average, we are consuming approximately 6,000 to 10,000 advertisements per day. For marketers, this shows that first impressions are paramount in garnering public support – which is where IMC comes into play.

According to Media Tool, 72% of consumers want an engaging IMC approach. However, what makes an IMC message engaging? Let’s explore Dove’s #ShowUs campaign through the three C's of the seven steps to create a successful IMC guide.

Launched as a collaboration campaign in 2019, Project #ShowUs sought to challenge the unrealistic standards of women in advertisement through 'a collection of 10,000+ images that offer a more inclusive vision of beauty for all media & advertisers to use'. Dove saw it as their corporate responsibility to empower their audience through their IMC messaging after a study found that '70% of women don't feel represented by ads'.

Communications

The campaign slogan – “#ShowUs a more inclusive vision of beauty” – was simple, effective and consistent with their values. It encourages individuals everywhere, regardless of their differences, to partake in the campaign. The tagline also articulates Dove’s intentions of overseeing systemic change in the media; through showcasing to their target demographic that their campaign messaging is sincere and aligns with the public’s greater interests.

Compelling

The campaign was appealing as rather than employing celebrities, it uses images of everyday people that were relatable to their audience. Additionally, as participants are able to redefine the perception of beauty on their own terms using the tags, the accompaniment of the photos with personalised, inspiring captions (see below) also evokes strong emotion from viewers.

Consistent

Dove’s intent was to grow their reach, without isolating their existing audience through #ShowUs. The campaign was able to achieve this through using a combination of mix-media channels and platforms where the unrealistic standards of beauty were most prevalent. Their incorporation of a hashtag in the campaign title also meant that Dove were able to seamlessly advance their message across multiple marketing channels to wider audiences.

There is a power in reminding your audience of your campaign message through the three C's. Dove took this into consideration when introducing Project #ShowUs, which is what makes it such a successful IMC.

What are your thoughts about Dove’s IMC messaging? Can you think of any other brands which incorporate IMC effectively into their marketing plan?

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13/11/21 edit update: grammar.