Dove Care Conversations
Dove
Brand marketing | Health | Influencer marketing
Men struggle to talk openly. It is widely known across communities in South Africa that men are often told not to cry, be vulnerable or show emotions because it’s “a sign of weakness”. But South African men are dying at an alarming rate – by their own hands.
The Challenge
The World Health Organisation has reported that South Africa has the third highest suicide rate in the whole of Africa. A Health24 study showed that men are four times more likely to commit suicide than women.
Dove Men+Care realised that by facilitating real, emotional conversations among men, they could help lift the stigma around mental illness. Edelman Africa helped extend Dove’s reach to find the people who needed it most.
The Strategy
Dove Men+Care wanted to offer a platform for men to engage in conversations around topics that matter. These light-hearted but in-depth conversations would address important issues that modern men face, helping them with the ultimate goal of positively impacting society.
We understood that the only way to get consumers to tune into the platform and interact was to partner with familiar faces that they recognised and who would speak honestly, openly, and vulnerably about their own personal struggles and how they are actively working to become better men.
The campaign’s emotional anchor was comedian and influencer, Donovan Goliath. We also partnered with clinical psychologist, Anele Siswana, actor Sandile Mahlangu, SA rugby captain Siya Kolisi, and musician Brenden Praise. These men had the influence – and the numbers – we needed to reach the widest, most vulnerable audiences.
We worked with them to share posters about the conversations on their pages and inform their followers about what was coming and encourage them to tune in – amplifying the content manyfold.
The Execution
The chosen platform for the Care Conversations was Instagram, and we worked with our partners to encourage their followers on Instagram to join Instagram lives, interact, and stand a chance to win prizes.
Collectively, our influencers have over a million followers, and we wanted to get as many of those followers to attend. Some of our content partners shared reel videos as a teaser to encourage their followers to join the Instagram lives and receive more information about how they can become the best version of themselves and positively impact the lives of those around them.
We held the first session – which was about prioritising mental health – on Mental Health Awareness Day to ensure the conversation was relevant and top-of-mind. The rest of the sessions around accountability and holistic self care garnered a considerable number of impressions and engagement and overall sentiment was positive.
The Outcome
The online response was overwhelming, with many viewers recognising the brand for the work they were doing in raising awareness around mental health, and the practical steps to assist those suffering.
Results were as follows:
Social Media: • 1.38 million impressions = R 0,3 per person reached (PR)
• 1.44 million profile visits
• 32.2k mentions over 1 million followers
PR Numbers: • 9.9 million reach • R723 801 PR value
• 3 Pieces of coverage
The campaign earned a Certificate of Excellence in the Fashion & Beauty category in the 2023 SABRE Africa awards.
1.38 million
Impressions
9.9 million
Reach
32.3k
Mentions