In this episode of SMARTIES Studio, Rohit Dadwal speaks with Henry Glo, Bea Cerda and Shantel Gruenberg about Dove’s Beat the Invisible Game, a campaign that brought attention to the body insecurities affecting female athletes in the Philippines and the wider issue of girls quitting sport because of how they feel about their bodies.
The campaign was built around a powerful insight: female athletes aren’t only competing against an opponent. They can also be fighting an “invisible game” inside their heads, shaped by anxiety about their appearance and how others perceive them.
Backed by Global Dove research showing that body insecurity is the number one reason girls quit sports, the campaign sought to move beyond awareness. It created a platform for athletes to share their own experiences, co-created stories with them, developed educational resources for coaches, parents and mentors, and took the conversation into sports communities through a sports caravan.
The results demonstrated the power of combining cultural insight, authenticity, community action and business impact. The campaign generated around 540 million impressions, achieved engagement levels significantly above benchmarks, and contributed to a 14% sales increase while taking market share from the market leader.
