Beauty is said to be in the eye of the beholder. But for women in Thailand, there’s a twist: Three out of four are afraid of making themselves more beautiful, expecting ridicule. Beauty brand Olay wanted to inspire Thai women to break free from this fear and adjust views of beauty for a modern world – defined by looking your best through your own eyes.
The campaign, “Your Best Beautiful,” hosted a beauty-judging session, which became a stage for a press conference to announce results. Journalists and bloggers served as judges, and the event highlighted the built-in prejudices women face in trying to express themselves through appearance. Other efforts included study infographics on Facebook, and women were encouraged to post their own videos and photos, coming together through #BestBeautiful. Olay used a series of YouTube videos – including celebrities weighing in with support and inspiration – to further dramatize the issue.
The campaign generated 2 million video views; 500,000-plus likes, shares and comments on Facebook; and reached nearly 250,000 people on Instagram. In addition, Olay Thailand’s Facebook page reached No. 1 in engagement globally. But the shift in conversation was the strongest result, summed up by the many quotes from those who embraced Olay’s efforts, including, “All compliments are meaningless when you can’t even tell yourself you’re beautiful.”