Casting Dove’s Cost of Beauty Campaign: A Compelling Case Study

The Challenge

In 2022, GENUINE: The Real People Co. was charged with casting real people for Dove’s “Cost of Beauty” campaign — a deeply compelling call to address the harmful impacts of social media on the mental health of our youth. GENUINE found the real-life survivors featured in the film, along with their families and an overseeing psychologist hired to ensure health and safety throughout the process.

GENUINE’S Proven Approach

Our goal was to strike the delicate balance of not only finding the young voices to be featured in the campaign, but ensuring that they were appropriately supported throughout the process of sharing their very personal stories.

Arguably the most powerful element of the film is its use of UGC (user-generated content.) GENUINE collected family home videos, user phone content, and photos that were woven into footage from live interviews for an undeniably emotional and impactful result.

Since this project focused on the stories of teenage girls whose self-esteem and mental health had been severely impacted by social media, the well-being of the cast was paramount. We employed compassion, active listening, and transparency to build trust with all parties from start to finish.

Our team’s process was marked by a meticulous attention to detail, requiring an extensive and thoughtful search to find individuals whose real stories could effectively create a profound impact, while making certain we remained HIPAA compliant.

The Impact

Since its mid-April launch, the campaign has resonated deeply with audiences worldwide and produced staggering results, with over 19 million views on social media platforms.