Ad of the Week: Always - #LikeAGirl

It feels like one of the best Dove campaigns we’ve seen in recent years. In fact, watching it the first time, I thought it was. But the advertiser bringing us this powerful emotional piece on girl’s self image isn’t Dove, but Always. And yes, that means two weeks in a row I’ve given Ad of the Week nods to a feminine hygine product. But you couldn’t get farther apart in campaigns. Last week we looked at HelloFlo’s hilarious video where a parent embarasses her daughter for lying. This week, we have a powerful and emotional video about raising girls self esteem and self image.

Much like the Dove Real Beauty Sketches campaign that had women describing themselves and then someone else describing them – to contrast the difference, this video opens by having a director on set asking various people to show what it looks like to “run like a girl” or “throw like a girl” and so on. All of the people of both sexes do goofy running, bad throwing, etc… Then they bring in pre-adolecent girls and ask them the same questions. Their version of run like a girl or throw like a girl or fight like a girl – is to go all out.

We see the contrast between age groups and we see a super that tells us “a girls confidence plummets during puberty.” and that “Always wants to change that.” The director talks to those who did the silly “like a girl” renditions and asks if they mean to insult girls. Then more girls talk about how they can run, play, fight as hard as anyone. Even the music feels like the Dove campaign. That doesn’t detract though, it adds. Take a look for yourself.

Always – Like A Girl

In the end, it’s part of a bigger campaign using the hashtag #LikeAGirl to put an end to the derogitory use of the term. It’s a powerful message, well done. It even got some airtime on ABC News. And I, for one, have now stricken that phrase from my vocabulary. How about you? Did it have the same effect on you?

Thanks to Kathy Johnson for bringing this ad to my attention. If you have an Ad of the Week nominie, just let me know!

Mike McClure – getting a little misty eyed, #LikeAMan