Case Brief: "It's A Hard Knock Life" Dove Campaign

Company 

Dove is a personal care company that specializes in products such as soaps, body washes, deodorants, and hair products shampoo and conditioner. Not only are they being a company of products, but they are also a company of advocacy. Dove’s mission is to provide self-care for everybody, to promote embracing who you are, and taking care of yourself. They are involved in social issues such racial equity, body positivity, and positive masculinity. 

Public Relations Issue 

The “Hard Knock Life” campaign is a Dove advertisement that aired during the 2024 Super Bowl. This advertisement is a part of Dove’s Body Confident Sports Program and brings to light the issue of low body confidence among young girls, ultimately leading to them quitting sport by the age 14 (Dove, 2024). The commercial first shows young girls taking falls or tumbles in their sports and then transitions halfway through sharing that many girls quit their sports at a young age due to lack of confidence and pressure to be perfect, not because of playing poorly or losing love for the sport. Dove has engaged in corporate social activism for years, dating back to the start of their Real Beauty campaign back in 2004, and since then has continued to publicly support social issues.  

Dove is owned by the company Unilever, dating back to 1952 when they launched a moisturizing cleansing bar (Unilever, 2023). Dove is now in the top three of Unilever’s brands, making them a key stakeholder in Dove’s success as a company. The most critical group for Dove is their consumers; they appeal to customers who not only love the products on their own but also prioritize the promotion of self-esteem and real beauty. This is not possible without the employees at Dove, specifically members of their marketing team and anyone behind their social advocacy campaigns. They are key in executing Dove’s messaging and shaping Dove’s missions and values. 

SWOT Analysis 

Strength 

A strength of this campaign is the use of an emotional appeal, more specifically geared towards women and young girls. The advertisement draws attention to the struggle young girls face with unrealistic beauty standards. Girls are sexualized starting at a young age and there’s an immense pressure put on outward appearance. Using the song “Hard Knock Life” adds a familiarity of the desire of belongingness, making Dove’s message powerful. 

Weakness 

With any campaign geared towards a social issue or social activism, there is always the risk of coming off as disingenuous as a brand. Online discourse is generally people showing love for the campaign, but others question if these self-esteem initiatives are doing more harm than good. Studies show that using “real women” can still activate a high sense of self-awareness and fear of fatness, and body dissatisfaction due to comparison still being present (Celebre & Denton, 2014). Although the consensus was positive, there comes risk with dealing with a sensitive topic such as body image.  

Opportunity 

Body positivity has been on the rise on social media since around 2012, which has developed into its presence in fashion and digital media. Dove utilizes its core values and spread their messages in their advertisements using “real women,” a diverse range of ages, ethnicities, and sizes. This gives them the opportunity to branch out with influencer marketing and find influencers that exemplify this cause. Dove has partnered with media personality Kylie Kelce, wife to NFL player Jason Kelce, for their #KeepHerConfident cause, highlighting the importance of promoting confidence in young girls to continue pursuing their sports.  

Threat 

Dove’s parent company, Unilever also owns Axe, and the company Fair and Lovely. Axe’s advertisements have long been criticized for their objectification of women. Fair and Lovely, a line of skin-whitening cream sold in the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia, runs racist commercials, featuring socially rejected darker skinned men and women transformed into popular people due to the use of the skin lightening cream (Rossini, 2013). Being owned by a company that represents brands sending a hateful message could eventually result in Dove being “canceled” if this knowledge becomes more widely known due to the sentiment that Dove could have inconsistent core values.  

Action Strategies and Tactical Tools 

Dove utilized their storytelling skills through the use of emotional appeal. The advertisement focused on portraying the real life struggles that women deal daily and throughout their whole lives, starting in childhood. This portrays a sense of authenticity and will resonate with women of all ages because older women will put themselves in the shoes of the young girls in the ad. The ad offers a relatability to the humility of making a mistake in sports, and quitting sports at a young age due to struggles with confidence.  

Dove used the 2024 Super Bowl to showcase their thirty second commercial for their “It’s a Hard Knock Life” campaign. The Super Bowl is notorious for being a staple day for commercials that have been talked about for ages. Often, companies will do something extravagant or include many public figures to gain attention for their brand or cause. Time is limited for each advertisement based on cost and availability, so it is vital to make the time count. Using the Super Bowl guarantees that viewership will be high, which promotes brand visibility. 

Public Relations Principles  

The “It’s a Hard Knock Life” campaign exemplifies the professional ethical view of advocacy in public relations. Advocacy is serving the public interest as a responsible advocate for the people, brand, or company being represented (Public Relations Society of America, n.d.). In public relations, promoting corporate social responsibility or corporate social activism focuses on advocacy for the cause. This promotes integrity and prioritizes transparency and accountability. Dove is committed to working with like-minded organizations to build body confidence in young girls and keep the conversation of body positivity going (Dove, 2024).  

Dove’s commitment to the promotion of strong self-esteem and body confidence has struck loyalty with their customers. Loyalty in public relations involves being faithful to clients while honoring an obligation to serve the public interest (Public Relations Society of America, n.d.). The basis of having a strong relationship with a client evolves through gaining trust, respect and loyalty. Dove’s dedication to the social causes they choose to represent exhibits a strong sense of loyalty and honesty to their clients.