Dove’s full-funnel approach reaches 140 million customers with purpose-driven message

Dove and WPP executives discuss Dove’s full-funnel campaign

Goals

For too many young women, being active in sports is a part of their past, not their present. Specifically, the Women’s Sports Foundation estimates that 45% of young women in sports will quit by age 14, primarily due to body image concerns—double the dropout rate of boys.

With a storied history of changing perspectives on how the beauty industry defines beauty standards, and a wildly successful 20-year mission of highlighting “Real Beauty,” Dove wanted to shine a light specifically on the falloff of young women in youth sports. After an award-winning 2024 campaign highlighting the “Real Beauty” mission, Dove wanted to utilize their 2025 football season presence and create a platform to spark meaningful change. “Supporting girls in sports is another way we're fighting against the barriers that body image concerns create,” says Kathryn Fernandez, Head of Dove Skin Cleansing Market Deployment US, Demand Generation US and Dove Purpose North America. “We want to help build confidence both on and off the field.”

Through deep audience research, Amazon Ads discovered untapped potential for the Dove brand. While 8.5 million customers purchased Dove products over the last twelve months, supporting Dove’s ongoing initiatives supporting girls in sports, there were still over 150 million potential customers who browse relevant categories on Amazon, like deodorant and hair care, that hadn’t yet shopped Dove. With a portion of proceeds from Dove products going to Dove’s Body Confident Sport initiative, Dove worked with Amazon Ads to develop a full-funnel campaign that aimed to increase brand awareness, by reaching customers in authentic, relevant ways, from the Amazon store to major sporting events.

“Amazon Ads approach started with deep audience insights that revealed untapped potential,” said Dominick Pace, Executive Director, Investment, WPP Unite. “These insights shaped an innovative strategy that spanned Amazon's canvas, showcasing Dove's commitment to girls in sports from the first touchpoint directly to the point of purchase, giving shoppers a meaningful reason to choose Dove.”

Approach

The campaign launched during the Thursday Night Football Wild Card game in January, extending across premium entertainment experiences on Prime Video, Streaming TV, and Fire TV. “Our campaign launch was truly incredible because we had a first of its kind opportunity to leverage the Thursday Night Football Wild Card game, which really allowed us to interact with consumers and our audience early on so that we can continue to retarget and create these meaningful touches for them throughout the campaign,” says Fernandez. Each touchpoint was designed to inspire audiences and champion their purpose-driven messaging while providing a seamless shopping experience. The campaign featured culturally relevant sports figures like Kylie Kelce and Venus Williams.

Finding that perfect moment at the intersection of purpose and sports is a strategic choice as well. According to Amazon Ads "Beyond the Buy" research, 72% of global respondents have taken consideration actions while engaging with entertainment content, from mentally bookmarking brands and products for later to adding items directly to their wish lists and shopping carts.

“We have strict guidelines about how we use talent and messaging,” says Fernandez. “Our purpose-driven ambassadors like Kylie Kelce and Venus Williams are dedicated solely to our mission work. When Amazon Ads approached us, they understood this sensitivity and helped us find ways to connect purpose and product authentically.”

Starting with Dove's presence in the Thursday Night Football Wild Card game, the campaign then expanded across Prime Video ads, streaming TV, online video ads, and more, including a Fire TV screensaver that featured a shoppable Dove product carousel experience for customers. The campaign also utilized display ads to maintain presence across the Amazon store and open internet. Coordinated Stores support on the beauty and skin care homepages and Dove's first-ever homepage takeover the day after Super Bowl also amplified the campaign’s reach. This comprehensive strategy included innovative shopping experiences across multiple touchpoints, leveraging trillions of signals that allowed Dove to reach audiences at scale, throughout their daily lives, promoting Dove’s message while also driving customer engagement.

Results

The campaign demonstrated the powerful connection between purpose and impact, reaching 140 million unique customers with over a third of campaign-attributed Amazon purchases coming from first-time Dove buyers.¹ “We weren't just reaching existing Dove supporters—we were connecting with new audiences who resonated with Dove's mission,” says Fernandez. The campaign's message championing girls’ body confidence in sports resonated powerfully.

“We're seeing that when we stay true to our mission while embracing new technology and formats, we can create even more meaningful connections with our audience,” adds Fernandez. “The possibilities for measuring and understanding our impact keep growing, which helps us better serve our community and mission.”

With powerful results and a strong social message, one thing is very clear: combining purpose with performance creates lasting impact beyond the numbers.

Source

¹ Amazon Internal, US, 2025.