The Challenge

Dove recognises that garments – and our overall look – can have a deep effect on boosting self-esteem. Dove’s Invisible Dry deodorant – the product that is at the core of the 100 Colours campaign – was introduced to challenge women’s inhibitions. 

Because it leaves no white marks on 100 diverse colours, it invites a spectrum of tones into the wardrobe and encourages women to explore versatile colour schemes with confidence. In light of this, Dove tasked Edelman with finding a new, exciting way to highlight the deodorant, the campaign, and make a serious media impact

The Strategy

Our goal was to bring confidence and moments of joy to women who have been waiting to celebrate being the best version of themselves and live life to its fullest potential. 

That’s why we came up with the Flaunting 100 Colours of Confidence campaign, encouraging people to explore the 100 colours that have been tested by Dove, reinvent their look, and find new confidence in their style. 

Starting with a social media campaign to promote the product, the Durban July, and a fashionable reinvention for our influencer team, the campaign’s apex was during the Durban July itself. 

Through the campaign, we formed key partnerships to bring about awareness of the product, create hype and drive conversations around it. Edelman initiated influencer-led conversations, and secured earned content that cemented the brand’s messaging and drove its fashion strategy.

The Execution

Edelman partnered Dove with award-winning fashion content creator, Yoliswa Mqoco, and fashion designer, Kat Van Duinen, to put together a fashion showcase inspired by Dove Invisible Dry at the Durban July (one of South Africa's major annual social, fashion events and sporting events). The showcase displayed a celebration of colour that embodied Dove 100 Colours. 

Yoliswa shared the stage with multiple women who represent and celebrate South African Real Beauty. The Dove Fashion showcase started with a flash mob with staged paparazzi capturing Yoliswa, Paula, and Thabsie. They proceeded to walk the stage in a burst of colour, with Yoliswa revealing a showstopper garment to enthrall the audience. 

To amplify the activities happening at the Durban July, we had other content creators in attendance sharing content during this bespoke moment – securing media coverage in traditional media and on social channels through our multi-platform penetration strategy.

The Outcome

The campaign was named a finalist in the Consumer Products category in the 2024 SABRE Africa awards.