Campaign of the week: #DetoxYourFeed by Dove

Welcome to Campaign of the Week, where we explore some of the freshest and most exciting campaigns from the brands that are engaging their Gen Z audience and catching our attention every week. Today we’re looking at Dove’s latest campaign, #DetoxYourFeed, part of their Self-Esteem Project. 

This April, Dove launched #DetoxYourFeed, a new campaign for their Self-Esteem Project, aiming to make beauty a ‘source of confidence rather than anxiety.’ Dove started the project in 2004, based on the statistic that 8 out of 10 girls withdraw from certain activities due to insecurity about their appearances.

Partnering with organisations such as Girl Scouts of America and Women’s Dermatologic Society, Dove creates free resources and educational programming to help young people feel confident in how they look. Since then, the project has helped make Dove the largest provider of beauty and confidence education, reaching 82 million young people across 150 countries. So what does #DetoxYourFeed add to Dove’s Project, and what do we love about their work?

What’s the campaign about? 

While The Self Esteem Project focuses on building up positive body image as a whole, this new campaign zeros in on self-esteem in the digital world. Acknowledging that teens are spending an increasing amount of time online and are facing a self-esteem crisis due to toxic beauty advice on the internet, #DetoxYourFeed provides educational guides and videos for young people about how to reclaim power over their feed to promote self-confidence. The resources are free of charge and available on Dove’s website.

Detox Your Feed: The Parents’ Guide

• A three-minute film for parents and caregivers about how to inform young people of the harms of social media 

Dove’s longform campaign film, Toxic Influence

• A candid dialogue between mothers and daughters about harmful beauty, including ‘fitspo’, ‘thinspo’ and elective cosmetic surgery.  

The Confidence Kit

• Dove’s interactive workbook to build self-esteem has added a new section: Detox Your Feed: Talking to Your Kids about Social Media Advice.

Why do we love it?

YMS London speaker and co-founder of InSites consulting Joeri van den Burgh said that Gen Z is experiencing a ‘confidence crisis’, arguing that GenZ is more stressed about their mental health than any previous generation, with around 42% of them reporting mental health as a main stressor in their lives. Because of this newfound pressure on mental health, it’s no surprise that Gen Zers value efforts to demonstrate interest in their wellbeing. Our stats show that 82% of 16-24s like to see posts about mental health on social media, and 51% of the same age group have taken mental health advice from social media.

By sharing resources for ‘detoxifying your feed’ widely around the internet (including their own Instagram page), Dove’s new campaign doesn’t simply advocate for changing beauty standards, it tackles them on the very popular platforms that perpetuate them. With their interactive resources and advertisements that capture what feel to be genuine conversations, Dove has created a campaign that is uniquely outspoken and brave and has made clear that their passion for undoing the harmful effects of social media moves far beyond their mission statement.

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