Dove made a billboard out of syringes to warn of more teen girls using cosmetic injectables
The striking ad in a Toronto mall is the marketer’s latest illustration of the impact of toxic beauty standards

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Some 50,000 Canadian teens 14-17 have had injectables for cosmetic purposes. Also, 74% of Canadian girls 14-17 want to change at least one thing about their appearance, and 62% wish they were more beautiful.
These troubling statistics led Dove to its latest advertising installation—a billboard made almost entirely of syringes, created by David Miami and Ogilvy Toronto. The syringes are colored on the end facing the viewer; in a kind of pointillist style, the syringes together create an image of a teenage girl along with a variation on the first stat mentioned above.
The effort, which went up in the Square One shopping center, is part of the Dove Self-Esteem Project’s (DSEP) mission to improve youth self-esteem and body image. Part of that mission involves exposing the harmful nature of beauty ideals and its negative impact on youth. The goal is to reach 250 million kids with self-esteem education by 2030.
There is more information about the syringe campaign at dove.ca/injectablebillboard.
Credits
- Date
- Apr 05, 2023
- Client :
- Dove
- Client :
- Unilever Canada
- Agency :
- DAVID Miami
- Agency :
- Ogilvy-Toronto
- Group CEO :
- Arthur Fleischmann
- CCO :
- Francesco Grandi
- Account Management :
- Marie-Lise Campeau
- Managing Director :
- Anchie Contractor
- Group Account Director :
- Karishma Goomer
- Account Supervisor :
- Princia Dsouza
- Account Executive :
- James Elmhirst
- Managing Director Strategy :
- Mike Wiles
- Strategy Director :
- Michael McDonald Beraskow
- Senior Strategist :
- Kate Safarian
- Head of Production :
- Cas Binnington
- Senior Producer :
- Jaclyn Garflinkle
- Studio Support :
- Engel Garcia
- Chief Communication Officer :
- David Ford
- Global CCO & Partner :
- Pancho Cassis
- Global COO :
- Sylvia Panico
- Managing Director :
- Ricardo Honegger
- CCO :
- Rafael Donato
- Associate Creative Director :
- Sarah Dembkowski
- Associate Creative Director :
- Georgia Taylor
- Copywriter :
- Sarah Dembkowski
- Art Director :
- Georgia Taylor
- Operations Manager :
- Larissa Cocchiaro
- Head of Innovation and Technology :
- Toni Ferreira
- Head of Account :
- Carolina Vieira
- Project Management :
- Pedro Fragata
- Project Management :
- Max Montaldo
- Project Management :
- Regina Sanquintin
- Global Chief Strategy Officer :
- Paula Vampre
- Senior Strategist :
- Vanessa Amaral
- Global PR Director :
- Sandra Azedo
- Vice President :
- Leandro Barreto
- Head of Brand :
- Melissa Grevstad
- Head of Personal Care :
- Rishabh Gandhi
- Brand Purpose Lead :
- Laura Douglas
- Digital Marketing and Commerce Lead :
- Cathleen Rafeiro
- Earned Media :
- Edelman
- EVP :
- Jennifer Meehan
- Head of Canada Influencer :
- Sara Rezaee
- Account Director :
- Danielle Bozinoff
- Account Manager :
- Louise Hugot
- Account Executive :
- Caelan McMichael
- Account Executive Influencer Marketing :
- Ornella Duval
- Paid Media :
- PHD
- Director of Planning :
- Marissa Robinson
- Senior Manager Social :
- Nishi Patel
- Senior Manager Planning :
- Janhavi Jadhav
- Assistant Planning :
- Anna Kovaleva
- Production Company :
- Parade
- Producer :
- Guillaume Dubois
- Director :
- Anthony Ayotte
- DP :
- Gabriela Osio Vanden
- Photographer :
- Maxyme G Delisle
- Photography Producer :
- Eliane Sauvé
Need a credit fix? Contact the Creativity Editors
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