Film created by the Dove Self-Esteem Fund to encourage debate and
discussion around unrealistic view of beauty
TORONTO and CANNES, FRANCE, June 23 /CNW/ - Evolution, a viral film created in Canada for the Dove Self-Esteem Fund by Ogilvy and Mather Toronto has won the Film Grand Prix at the Cannes Advertising awards today in France. Canadians can watch the film at - www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca and discuss their opinions via an online forum. Dove, Unilever Canada (Dove's parent company) and Ogilvy and Mather were the only Canadian representatives in the category, demonstrating leadership and innovation in brand communication. This spot has also earned the Cyber Grand Prix earlier this week, making it the first time ever both awards have been won by one spot.
With millions of views on Campaign for Real Beauty.ca and other sites around the world, the film was created to demonstrate how images are altered to present what society knows as "beautiful," ideally encouraging girls and women to challenge this false representation and embrace their own, personal beauty. The Canadian arm of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund created the film in the fall of 2006 to encourage visits to Campaign for Real Beauty -www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca - where they could learn more about the resources and tools offered by the Fund to improve self-esteem. The Dove Self-Esteem Fund currently offers an in-school program called the Real Beauty School Program; True You, an activity guide for girls and their female mentors and several other online tools. More resources will be introduced this fall for girls and women. The Fund also donates funds to the National Eating Disorder Information Centre and ANEB in Quebec.
"We are thrilled that Evolution has been recognized as it will hopefully encourage even more people, especially young girls and women, to watch the film and get involved with our various resources that promote positive self-esteem," said Alison Leung of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund in Canada. "We hope this film inspires and educates people to voice their opinions on beauty and body image in the culture that surrounds them. Girls and women can stand up and challenge the idea that beauty only comes in one, narrow form and have a healthy view of themselves."
Evolution depicts the drastic changes that take place to an image of a woman before it is used on a billboard. Common practices such as air-brushing and digital alteration such as stretching of the neck and eyes take place before the image is published. It is a fictional depiction of a frequently used technique in advertising and other forms of visual media.
For further information: To obtain a beta copy of Evolution, contact: Harbinger (Maggie Waymark; Erin Stewart; Megan Mathews; Sofia Hondrogiannis), (416) 960-5100 OR mwaymark@harbingerideas.com; Mobile number on the weekend if information/interviews needed: (416) 274-5681
© CNW Group
