TAXI DELIVERS KNOCKOUT PUNCH - Strategy

Ogilvy’s standing ovation
Unilever Canada – Dove Pro-Age
The challenge
“They don’t go out, don’t have
fun, never have sex.” These are
some of the stereotypes around
older women that Dove sought
to address via its new Pro-Age
product line. Following directly
on the heels of the global ad
campaign that launched
Pro-Age, Unilever charged
Ogilvy with creating a
meaningful consumer
activation that engaged the
target audience (women over
45), shifted broader cultural
perceptions and changed minds
and hearts, causing people
to reconsider the way they
think about “the second act of
womanhood.”
B!GAWARDSB!GIDEASB!GIMPACT
The insight
In 2006, Unilever, Harvard, the
London School of Economics
and the International Longevity
Centre conducted a global
study of over 1,400 women
in nine countries. The report
showed that women over
50 felt invisible – ignored by
beauty brands and overlooked
by the media.
Ironically, the majority of
women in the study reported
feeling better than ever, living
with new-found confi dence,
physical vitality and economic
power. A full 90% said they’re
happy, while 60% weren’t
concerned about aging and
87% said they’re too young to
be old.
The B!G idea
Ogilvy chose to break new
ground with something no
other marketer or agency had
done before: Body & Soul, a
play in two acts. Created and
spearheaded by Ogilvy, the
project began with an open call
to Canadian women. Thousands
responded by writing letters to
their bodies which they read
on camera. Some even held
audition parties.
The 13 women selected,
none of whom had previous
acting experience, wrote and
performed the play under
the direction of Order of
Canada-winning playwright
Judith Thompson. The script,
developed from the women’s
own life stories, was designed
to smash stereotypes and
challenge and inspire older
women. It was performed
at the Young Centre for the
Performing Arts in Toronto for
one week in May.
With partners PHD, Capital
C and Harbinger PR, Ogilvy
also produced an audition kit
(available either as a boxed
game or as a download from
doveplay.ca), promotional
materials and ads to inform,
entertain and invite.
www.strategymag.com STRATEGY November 2008 69