Dove found a way to beat a beauty filter that nobody could switch off for everyone else. It asked women to turn around. TikTok’s Bold Glamour filter needs a face to reshape, so creators posted videos of themselves turning their backs to the camera under the hashtag #TurnYourBack.
The Filter Everyone Was Using
Bold Glamour arrived on TikTok in early 2023 and spread fast. It did more than smooth skin. It sharpened jawlines, lifted cheekbones and reshaped faces so convincingly that the edit was hard to spot, and it held up even when users moved or touched their faces.
Within weeks it had been used more than 15 million times. “The Bold Glamour filter has now been used over 15 million times, and its popularity certainly doesn’t seem to be waning,” said body confidence advocate Alex Light, one of the creators who joined the campaign.
Dove’s own research showed what was at stake. According to the Dove Self-Esteem Project, 80% of girls have used a filter or retouching app by the age of 13. Girls who regularly alter their photos are twice as likely to report low body esteem.
A Protest Anyone Could Copy
The answer had to spread as fast as the filter did. Dove and its agencies kept it to one physical gesture. Creators used the filter, talked about how it made them feel, then turned their backs to the camera and walked away from it.
The format worked like a dance challenge. It took seconds to film and needed no special skills, so anyone could join in. Actor Gabrielle Union posted one of the first videos, showing her face through the filter before turning around.
Built in Days
The idea came from a “Borderless Brief” sent across Ogilvy’s global network, which produced more than 250 ideas. The final work was developed by Ogilvy UK and DAVID Madrid, with production by DAVID São Paulo and media from Mindshare London.
The campaign launched with 68 influencer partners and grew from there.
A Promise Dove Made in 2018
#TurnYourBack sits under a commitment Dove made years earlier. In 2018, the brand introduced its No Digital Distortion mark, a label showing that images of women in its advertising had not been digitally altered. By 2019, it was meant to appear on all of Dove’s static images of women across print, digital and social media.
At the time, Dove’s research found that 77% of women believed every image in the media had been airbrushed, and 69% said advertising pressure to meet unrealistic beauty standards made them anxious about how they looked.
Firdaous El Honsali, Dove’s global vice president of external communications, said the brand was “committed to #NoDigitalDistortion in any of our marketing and advertising.”
What It Delivered
According to WPP, the campaign generated 54 million video views and more than 567,000 engagements, with 94% positive sentiment in key markets. It earned 174 pieces of press coverage, including Women’s Health, WWD and Vanity Fair Italia.
At Cannes Lions 2023, #TurnYourBack won the Media Grand Prix for Corporate Purpose and Social Responsibility, plus Gold in Media for consumer goods. In 2024, it added a Gold Lion for Creative Effectiveness.
“#TurnYourBack is a perfect example of how we can be part of the solution,” said Rahul Titus, global head of influence at Ogilvy.
A filter built to perfect faces had nothing to work with once the face was gone. Dove turned that weakness into a protest anyone could join.
Campaign Name: #TurnYourBack (part of Dove’s #NoDigitalDistortion commitment)
Agency Name: Ogilvy UK and DAVID Madrid (production by DAVID São Paulo, media by Mindshare London)
Brand Name: Dove (Unilever)
Location: Global, led from the UK and Spain (March 2023)
