Dove’s mission is to make every woman feel more beautiful, but a study done with the London School of Economics revealed that only 4% of women describe themselves as beautiful.

Our insight: women’s insecurities are reinforced by millions of negative banner ads that use keywords to target their anxieties. Our solution: the Ad Makeover, a campaign that empowers women to displace negative banners on Facebook with positive messages.

First, we ignited the debate about negative banners online and in traditional media outlets.

We invited women to use The Ad Makeover application to displace negative ads. It uses Facebook’s ad auction API, and bids double the suggested amount for keywords used to target women’s insecurities, ensuring that positive messages win and run instead.

The campaign earned 253 million media impressions in the first week. Users displaced 171 million banners. Over 50% who visited the app created a message. 82 % of ads seen came from a friend, making it uniquely social. Global talk about Dove on Facebook increased 41%.

The Ad Makeover also created an international media debate that fundamentally challenged the use of online advertising.

Most importantly, 71% of women polled said they feel more beautiful after seeing the campaign.