LOLA MullenLowe and Dove Partner on Inclusivity in Casting

07 April 2021

Companies

Dove partnered with LOLA MullenLowe Madrid to develop a ground-breaking international initiative, “It’s on Us,” working with several independent casting agencies to challenge inclusivity in casting.

Dove has infiltrated international casting calls with real beauty models and a message to encourage inclusion, and has pledged that if a brand chooses one of their models, they will pay to cover the cost of the appearance fee.

“It’s on Us” follows Dove’s 2019 #ShowUs partnership with Getty Images, which addressed the need for more inclusion in stock photo collections. While that particular movement has grown over the years, recent studies show that as of 2021, 70% of women still do not feel represented in media and advertising.

“This project really drove home how difficult it is to promote real beauty in advertising, Even when offering Dove’s real beauty women to brands at no cost at all,” commented Tomas Ostiglia, Executive Creative Director, LOLA MullenLowe Madrid. “Hopefully this campaign will encourage many more to genuinely do something about this problem,” he noted.

“For over 60 years, Dove has been taking action to represent real beauty – working to shatter stereotypes, “noted Sophie van Ettinger, Global Vice President at Dove. ”We know from research that if women don’t feel represented, it can hold them back from reaching their full potential. The effects are vast, negatively impacting health, career and relationships. As an actionist brand that continuously challenges narrow beauty ideals, it is our duty to help others to represent all beauty in their advertising. By giving brands and companies the tools to show a more diverse representation of beauty, we are helping to change the way women are represented, which is proven to have a positive impact on how confident women feel in their appearance,” she continued.