The Dove Real Beauty Sketches video that went viral on YouTube just one month ago has now become the most popular video ad of all time, Dove announced Monday.
If any of you who missed it, the remarkable clip by Dove teaches a vital lesson about how we view ourselves compared to how others see us.
In the video, a former forensic artist for the San Jose police department meets a series of women without actually seeing them. There is a curtain kept between him and each new woman he interacts with. He then asks each to describe the way they look. He prompted them to detail everything: hair length, facial structure, their most prominent features. Based on the description provided by the women about themselves he created a sketch of each of them.
There’s an interesting thing that happens later. Each woman was asked before the study to get to know one of the other participants. The forensic artist then prompted each woman to describe the other's face.
At the end of the video, the artist reveals two sketches that he created with the help of—the participant itself, one from their partner. The differences are remarkable.
You need to see the video to see and feel for yourself. However there’s an eye opening comment shared by Dove that was posted below the video:
"Women are their own worst beauty critics," Dove says. "Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful ... we decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women view their own beauty in contrast to what others see."
To give a glimpse into the figures and the video’s popularity, this three-minute ad — which has also become the third most shared ad of all time has been viewed more than 114 million times and was uploaded in 25 languages to 33 of the brand's YouTube Channels.
Dove said the Real Beauty Sketches campaign surpassed the previous record holder- the Evian Roller Babies (111 million views) — for most viewed online ad.
"The moment that the Dove Real Beauty Sketches film was uploaded to the Dove YouTube page, it quickly started to gain traction around the world with men, women, media and even other brands sharing the film," said Fernando Machado, VP of Dove Skin, in a statement. "The campaign evoked an emotional reaction in millions of people that inspired them to share the positive message with others. Beyond just the millions of views and publicity impressions, it is the outpouring of testimonials from around the world that are exciting us."
Take a look at the video below: