Storytelling that Sells Part 5: Dove

Storytelling drives us to take action – whether enrolling in a training program, purchasing an item or investing in book coaching. When a brand tells a meaningful and relatable story, they are more likely to hook the attention and emotion of its reader, ultimately leading to a sale. In this post, we’re going to explore the storytelling campaign done beautifully by Dove.

When much of the world was touching up photos to make models look perfect, Dove took a step back and redefined natural beauty in the eyes of the customer. As early as 2005, Dove used average, relatable women, as part of their advertising and challenged outdated beauty ideals.

One of the most impactful storytelling campaigns, launched for the first time in 2013, was Dove’s Beauty Sketches – a campaign that demonstrated the disparity between how we see ourselves and how others perceive us.

The results were astonishing; you can see the video here.

Beauty Sketches Campaign by Dove

No products were shared as part of the beauty sketches campaign, just a beautiful, impactful message that touched on a very prevalent issue for women (self-confidence and personal appearance).

The campaign was solidified with a simple yet powerful statement:

“you are more beautiful than you think.”

This was just the beginning of a storytelling strategy that Dove would continue to use over the years to come – eventually launching campaigns such as Men Care+ (men and dads), Reverse Selfie and Toxic Influence (young girls and social media influencers) and Under Pressure (young mothers). All of these storytelling campaigns focused on challenging the definition of beauty for specific target groups while sharing their brand’s values.

Even today, if you visit their website, Dove continues to share storytelling campaigns that push the bounds of how we define beauty, advocating to end issues such as hair discrimination, digital distortion, animal testing and more.

In keeping up with the current evolution of the digital space, Dove also has a campaign aimed at bringing real beauty to the virtual world.

Here are some of the ways that you can learn from Dove and share meaningful stories:

Take the time to understand your ideal clients; what are their challenges? Where do they need to be supported?

Share relatable, vulnerable stories and let your clients tell their stories too.

Keep it simple – this includes the colours you use and your slogan and messaging. A few meaningful words can significantly impact more than a long, drawn-out message.

Don’t be afraid to go against the norms – be unique; you don’t have to do what everyone else does.

Be consistent – if you try to advocate for everything, you will confuse your audience. Instead, focus on 1-2 topics you feel most passionate about that reflect your brand values.

Focusing on making an impact through meaningful storytelling rather than just selling allows your audience to see the values behind your business. This drives people to become loyal customers and ultimately recommend your products or services to others.

For more examples of businesses that have successfully used storytelling in their business, check out others posts in this series:

Chapters Indigo, Toms, Amazon, and AirBnb.

Book a coffee chat with me, and I would love to support you in bringing more storytelling to your business.

Use your voice, and make an impact.

Catherine x