According to the 2023 CROWN Research Study, co-commissioned with Dove, Black women's hair is 2.5 times more likely to be perceived as unprofessional. Thus, the target demographic for this effort were Black women between the ages of 18 to 49 as well as women who identify as allies between the same age range.
Dove needed to spark powerful conversations about the prevalence and impact of hair discrimination and bias against natural Black hairstyles while raising awareness that Dove is working towards ending it nationwide with the CROWN Act.
Dove's CROWN Act was established in 2019 to help fight against hair discrimination of Black natural hair within the school and workplace environment. While Dove has made strides in passing the bill across the United States, the brand had the desire to shift focus on addressing the systemic bias around natural hair and the definition of professionalism amongst consumers.
After four years of amplifying the CROWN act petition with Black Women and allies, Dove felt there was a need to create a groundswell of consumers taking actions within their own communities and ensuring that women see themselves reflected and celebrated.
Dove's goal was twofold — to invite Black Women to advocate for themselves and self-define what "professional" means to them, while also informing their allies of the CROWN Act and encouraging consumers to learn more/be involved.
Further, Dove wanted to encourage Black professionals to be proud of their "CROWN" and redefine what professional hair is — updating LinkedIn profile photos and sharing testimonials.
In addition, Dove sought to reach allies who are attuned to inclusivity initiatives and can help advocate for equitable workplace environments, signing the CROWN Act petition. On LinkedIn, inclusivity specific courses and building equitable workplace environments were accessible to the public, bypassing the paid LI premium subscription.
Dove activated branded assets with real quotes from Black professionals on the challenges they have faced in their career. On TikTok and Meta, Dove shared influencer's personal stories targeted to Black women and allies.
Digital OOH placements were secured in New York City office buildings, serving Dove's message where hair discrimination is experienced.
Within Cosmopolitan magazine, Dove launched a custom advertorial with beauty editor Julee Wilson, a trusted Black beauty authority to educate readers on why hair-based discrimination should be eradicated.
Dove also partnered with one of the largest tentpoles of the year for Black consumers — the BET Awards, Essence Festival, and XONecole.
For the 2023 BET Awards, Dove recruited Tai Beauchamp (Black Girl Jane chief brand officer) alongside four BET executives to talk about the recent 2023 Dove x LinkedIn research around the experiences and sentiments Black Women face with hair discrimination.
Dove's research found that Black women are 80 percent more likely than white women to agree with the statement: "I have to change my hair from its natural state to fit in at the office." So, in 2019, Dove created the CROWN Act and CROWN Coalition to end race-based hair discrimination in the workplace and public schools.
Dove saw a 10-point lift in ad recall and a 7-point lift in top-of-mind awareness among both Black Women and allies (non-Black consumers).
The campaign gained more than 150 media mentions, including articles in Black Enterprise, Hypebae, and Glamour, reaching more than 1 billion people.
Further, Black Women rallied behind Dove's message and shared personal stories and updated their profile photos where they have a natural hairstyle.
The campaign pushed Dove over its goal of 500,000 CROWN Act petition signatures. The hashtag itself gained more than 7 million views within the first two weeks.
Dove was able to educate over 1 million hiring managers and workplace professionals on how to create a more inclusive workplace, with a spike in belonging and community among Black members on LinkedIn — the highest increase they've seen with Black professionals in two years.
