In a Shift for Influencer Marketing, Dove Hair is Sponsoring Honesty Over Praise

Feb. 20, 2026

In a world full of paid praise and sponsored positivity, it’s increasingly difficult to know who and what to trust. Dove has long stood for what’s real, and continuing that commitment, the brand is putting its reputation directly in the hands of some of the toughest—and most honest—critics on the internet: Reddit. The campaign was created by DAVID London alongside AKQA Paris and WPP Media.

So confident in the performance of its most-awarded hair mask of 2025, Dove invited this online community to review the Dove Intensive Repair 10-in-1 Serum Mask, promising to publish their feedback unfiltered and unscripted—even if it was negative. A subreddit post asking for reviews quickly garnered hundreds of comments and upvotes, revealing both praise and critique, including comments like: “Please don’t ever change this product!!!!!” and “I hate the smell, it’s like an old lady.”

Dove Hair then built an entire campaign from these reviews, taking them out of Reddit and onto the streets and social media. From guerrilla out-of-home placements across the most honest city of all - New York - and digital OOH, to testimonial-style films in which Redditors read their reviews verbatim, the campaign brings real voices to life at scale.

Aptly named "r/eal reviews," the campaign is inspired by Reddit’s subreddit display format and stays true to the platform’s community-driven environment. Each Redditor’s customized Snoovatar is used across campaign assets to uphold anonymity while remaining unmistakably authentic.

Designed to cut through the noise of overly polished beauty testimonials, Dove is challenging conventional beauty marketing. The campaign empowers creators and influencers to share their honest, transparent experiences - whether positive or critical -  in sponsored content. Something other brands haven’t dared to do. 

Genevieve Gransden, Executive Creative Director at DAVID London said:

"The Reddit universe plays by its own rules, so being able to work directly with Redditors and drop the usual scripts and guardrails for a brand as iconic as Dove was incredibly exciting."

 

Fellow Executive Creative Director Selma Ahmed added:

"Entering the comments section is always a risk, but for our first work with DAVID London, we wanted to do something that didn’t play it safe."

 

Berengere Loubatier, Senior Global Brand VP for Dove Hair & Skin Care said:

"We wanted to build on Dove’s heritage of real women’s testimonials—but reinvent what a testimonial means today. That meant grounding the campaign in real community voices, not scripted endorsements. Choosing unfiltered feedback from some of the internet’s most honest critics wasn’t the easiest choice, but it was the most authentic one. Not only because we truly believe in our 10‑in‑1 Hair Mask, but also because real is what Dove stands for—and real earns trust."

 

Courtney Pappas, Industry Manager, CPG, Reddit said:

“It’s rare to see a brand take Redditors’ words and use them verbatim, without edits or filters, as part of a national campaign. We’re proud to provide users with an honest and authentic platform to share feedback, and we’re excited by how the r/eal Reviews campaign has energized our community to engage with Dove in a way they don’t normally with brands.”

 

Making its stance known online through campaign films and influencer engagement, r/eal reviews comes to life in New York City with guerrilla and digital OOH, with additional campaign timing and channels to be announced.