A Dove-sponsored Oscar-winning short film is the inspiration for the brand's new product line for children with naturally curly hair, rolling into Walmart.com and Walmart stores.
 

Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis.

The Dove Kids Hair Love line was inspired by Cherry's 2019 film “Hair Love," about a father who valiantly dives into the challenge of doing his daughter's hair. The Unilever brand had backed the film in a decidedly hands-off sponsorship, donating money in the middle of a Kickstarter campaign.

The "Hair Love" product collaboration marks “the first time we’ve officially come together in service of [a] shared mission” to widen beauty definitions and ensure representation of girls with natural hair, said Esi Eggleston Bracey, executive VP and chief operating officer of Unilever Personal Care-North America, in a statement.

Register for Ad Age Next: CMO at AdAge.com/NextCMO.

“When Dove began planning our new range of products for kids with curls, coils and waves, we knew that Matthew was the perfect partner to help bring it to life,” Bracey said, particularly given his longtime support of the Crown Act, a law to end discrimination against people based on their hairstyles that Dove has backed in states and cities nationwide.

Dove Kids Hair Love aims to help “Black children build necessary self-esteem through on-pack affirmations and playful hair inspiration from Zuri,” the central character in the film, Bracey added.

Subscribe to Ad Age now for the latest industry news and analysis.

The hair-care line is launching on Walmart.com this month and rolling into Walmart stores in January, after which Unilever will assess moving to other outlets, Bracey said. Unilever is backing the launch, she said, by engaging “the Hair Love community,” which is substantial given the nearly 90 million views of the film on YouTube alone. The push will leverage earned social media, influencer engagement and PR efforts led by Edelman.