Ogilvy UK and David Madrid won the Media Grand Prix at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity on Wednesday for their joint work on Dove’s “#TurnYourBack” campaign to confront harmful video filters on social media.

The two agencies developed the “#TurnYourBack” social media push within just 72 hours of TikTok’s release of the “Bold Glamour” video filter, which significantly alters users’ facial features with heavy makeup, poreless skin and plump lips, among other changes. When Ogilvy called on creative agencies around the globe to submit potential campaign ideas to challenge the potentially-negative impacts of the “Bold Glamour” filter, the agency collected 250 different pitches in under 24 hours.

Ogilvy ultimately chose #TurnYourBack,” put forth by Ogilvy UK and David Madrid as a way to urge influencers, celebrities and everyday people to literally turn their back toward their phone cameras in a rejection of the impossible beauty standards promoted by the video filter.

The campaign kicked off in March on TikTok, where the agencies tapped into Unilever-owned Dove’s influencer community. The team partnered with more than 70 TikTok creators, tasking them with sharing statistics about the consequences that social media filters can have on girls’ self-confidence before turning away from the camera and urging viewers to do the same.

The #TurnYourBack hashtag, which has since garnered nearly 60 million TikTok views, also moved beyond phone screens at the Academy Awards ceremony, where actress Gabrielle Union and Entertainment Tonight co-host Nischelle Turner turned away from the cameras at the event. The campaign also jumped from social media feeds to print and billboards. Mindshare served as the media agency for the campaign.

“Influencers create culture, and as an influencer industry we have a duty of care to the millions of people that tune into the content we put out,” said Rahul Titus, global head of influence at Ogilvy, at the campaign’s launch. “#TurnYourBack is a perfect example of how we can be part of the solution.”

Gold winners

Nine campaigns won Gold Lions in Media: 

• “The Last Performance” for Partners Life by Special Auckland
• “Interface Interruption” for Tubi by Mischief @ No Fixed Address 
• “Dreamcaster” for Michelob Ultra by FCB New York
• “Guarded Bus Stop” for Eletromidia by AlmapBBDO São Paulo
• “Ability Signs” for Decathlon Canada by Rethink, Toronto 
• “World Cup Delivery” for PedidosYa by Gut Buenos Aires 
• “Oreo Cheat Cookies” for Mondelēz Europe by Saatchi & Saatchi Dusseldorf
• “Blockbuster: Until the Bitter End” for Blockbuster by Atlantic New York
• “Phone It In” for Skinny by PHD Auckland