Looking to make more strides towards real beauty representation–particularly in the face of artificial intelligence–Dove has unveiled “The Dove Code” to mark 20 years of the campaign for “Real Beauty.” “The Code” was created by Brazilian independent agency Soko to challenge and transform the portrayal of women on AI-generated content.
“We are honored to lead the global campaign creative marking the 20 years of Dove advocating for Real Beauty. The prevailing trend within AI-generated imagery showcases a homogenized beauty standard—-mainly featuring blonde hair and depicting white, tanned skin—mirroring societal biases. When Soko tested prompts for women’s imagery adding ‘according to Dove real beauty campaign,’ we realized the results were dramatically more diverse, inclusive and real. That’s a code Dove embedded on AI forever because of 20 years of campaigns for real real beauty. Dove changes AI, because the brand has been actually changing beauty,” said Brisa Vicente, partner and co-CEO of creative agency Soko.
These AI searches–showing the difference Dove’s code makes–are front and center in this campaign film directed by Juliana Curi via production house Saigon in partnership with The Mill, Diprod, Big Sync Music and Hefty. The film plays to the classic “Pure Imagination” song performed exclusively for the campaign by rising singer Victoria Canal.
By showcasing the embedded Dove’s principles into AI, the campaign seeks to redefine what beauty looks like in the digital age, keeping it real and diverse. The Real State of Beauty, a global report by Dove, revealed the impact of AI on body confidence, with 1 in 3 women feeling pressure to alter their appearance because of what they see online, even when they know it’s fake or AI generated. At the heart of the campaign Dove commits to never using AI to replace real women in its ads.
