ABOUT

Very few, if any, agencies can say they have true creative partners as clients. And even fewer can say that creative partnership has lasted 65 years. That is the case with Dove and Ogilvy. From when David Ogilvy wrote the first bar ad in 1957 to the 2022 As Early as Five campaign combatting race-based hair discrimination, the relationship has been a true collaboration, with a blurring of lines between agency and client. The collaboration is successful because we are all in it together and truly want to make a difference in the world. There is a huge amount of respect and trust in the partnership. It is the respect and trust that has led to some of the most successful work of our collaboration. For Sketches in 2013, we had a clear insight, “only 4% of women consider themselves beautiful.” The concept, which led Dove back to the centre of cultural conversations, was greenlighted after a four-page PowerPoint presentation. We suspected we knew what would happen, but there was no way to “know.” Trust and collaboration between us allowed us to move forward, and ultimately, resulted in one of the most successful Dove campaigns ever. Trust and collaboration also drove the development of Courage is Beautiful. At the start of the Covid19 pandemic, we knew we had to do something. We also knew it we would be walking a fine line. In just six days from the initial client discussion we were on air in North America with our television commercial. There wasn’t any testing, endless rounds of discussions and development. If it felt right in our gut, we moved forward at pace. This was all only possible because of our history together as agency and clients. These are just two examples of how intertwined we are as clients and agency. There is a true blurring of the lines. Dove has continued to be at the centre of cultural conversations over the last decade and have made a meaningful impact on society including being the world’s largest provider of self-esteem education, global sales growing from $1bn to $7bn and multiple creative and strategic accolades. Dove and Ogilvy. A 65-year, and counting, relationship.