Dove “Project #ShowUs” Wins Silver Global Effie for Shattering Stereotypical Depictions of Women in Media & Advertising
Razorfish’s breakthrough campaign earns its 40th accolade for creating measurable, systemic change
Today, Dove’s Project #ShowUs was awarded a Silver 2020 Global Effie award for Positive Social Change. Created in partnership with Razorfish, the ongoing collaboration between Dove, Getty Images and Girlgaze aims to shatter stereotypical depictions of women, female-identifying and non-binary individuals in media and advertising worldwide. Since launching in the fall of 2019, Project #ShowUs has earned 40 international accolades, including this Effie award, a Cannes Silver Glass Lion for Social Change and the Silver Jay Chiat award for Global Strategy.
To create a more inclusive vision of beauty, Dove partnered with Getty Images, Girlgaze and women worldwide to create Project #ShowUs—the world’s largest stock photo library populated entirely by self-submitted images. Every tag of each photograph is personally written by the photo subjects themselves, so they can define their images on their own terms.
Today, 70% of women worldwide say they still don’t feel represented in the images they see every day. “Many of us know the mantra 'You can’t be what you can’t see',” says Sophie van Ettinger, Marketing Vice President of Unilever, “yet despite decades of work by Dove to liberate women from limiting stereotypes, many images continue to impose unrealistic beauty standards that present a narrow view of who women are, what they should look like, and what they can achieve."
To date, Project #ShowUs contains more than 12,000 original photos sourced from 39 different countries. Dove and Razorfish created the global campaign as a call-to-arms for women to grow the collection and encourage media and advertisers to use them instead of images that perpetuate outdated stereotypes. Partnerships with media powerhouses ensured that Project #ShowUs images were used all over the world.
Many images continue to impose unrealistic beauty standards that present a narrow view of who women are, what they should look like, and what they can achieve.
Marketing Vice President of Unilever
Partnering for real change
“Real change only happens when you address the core issues that created the problem in the first place—in this case, the unrealistic and exclusionary depictions of women in media & advertising,” said Jennifer Berry, Razorfish Managing Director Northeast Region, and Dove Account Lead. “The response among advertisers has been tremendous. Thousands of companies have embraced these new images and used them in projects around the globe.”
“By working with Dove on Project #ShowUs, we were able to connect with people across the globe on a deep, personal and truly meaningful level,” said Josh Campo, CEO of Razorfish. “We were able to show how effective marketing can contribute to transformative social change for women and non-binary individuals around the world, and we’re privileged to collaborate with Dove on their purpose and story.”
The program engendered real systemic change across markets including:
- 2500+ companies/publications using the images, including AirBnb, The Guardian, Deloitte, Adidas, Apple, Women’s Health, and Stylist
- 55 corporate pledges at Cannes 2019 to support Project #ShowUs, including Mastercard, Danone and Diageo
- 80% (28,000+) images downloaded from 60+ countries
Additionally, women’s perceptions are beginning to change:
- 60% think #ShowUs images challenge stereotypes of how women should look Vs idealized images at 34%
- 63% think these new images show women as more complete than just “what they look like” Vs idealized images at 23%
- 60% think #ShowUs images would help the next generation of women feel more confident Vs idealized images at 24%
About Razorfish:
Razorfish has been leading the digital marketing industry since the start of the internet. But in 2020, we did a full reboot. What’s different? It all comes down to people. Weird, wonderful, complex people—with diverse backgrounds and expertise in strategy, data, creative and technology. We help brands and business grow, by creating unforgettable experiences that connect with people in impactful ways. This starts with a combination of digital innovation, data and cultural insights that help us understand what people want, at every part of the journey. Razorfish is part of Publicis Communications, a division of Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40], a global leader in communication. Learn more at razorfish.com.
Twitter: @wearerazorfish | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook
About Effie:
Effie is a global 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to lead and evolve the forum for marketing effectiveness. Effie leads, inspires and champions the practice and practitioners of marketing effectiveness through education, awards, ever-evolving initiatives and first-class insights into marketing strategies that produce results. The organization recognizes the most effective brands, marketers and agencies globally, regionally and locally through its 50+ award programs across the world and through its coveted effectiveness rankings, the Effie Index. Since 1968, Effie is known as a global symbol of achievement, while serving as a resource to steer the future of marketing success. For more details, visit effie.org.
