120: Getting professional
[Before] Kudos to DOVE for its Real Beauty Prompt Playbook
Hats off to the team at Unilever Dove for saying the absolute right thing at the right time. Campaign site here. (Spot via Brazilian independent agency Soko.)
And while the spot is glorious in that 20 year tradition of, “Dove makes gloriously insightful and carefully crafted spots,” I’m much more excited they authored a Real Beauty Prompt Playbook (PDF download link). It’s 72 pages long. It’s thoughtful. This was the right thing to do given where we are in the timeline of GenAI cultural adoption and technical experience. If you’re still new (less than 10 hours using GenAI tools), the first 25 pages will be useful. If you’ve spent more time across the platforms, jump to page 27 and continue.
This is exactly the sort of resource marketers should be and will be authoring. It’s not just the instruction, it’s the cultural perspective and the brand’s point of view which matters here. Call this the age of Brand Style Guide 2.0. We’ve moved beyond rules for logo clear-space, colors and typography, to acknowledgments and encouragement on how to leverage GenAI effectively for a brand’s given direction.
If I was running a brand team, I’d block a few hours to walk through this page by page and discuss how the insights and direction relate to the work we all need to accomplish.
One of the challenges humans have faced with the onset of GenAI has been the pace of this technology. We’re used to software and updates in years-long cycles. That pace affects how we plan, how we react. GenAI has been moving in weeks and sometimes days. We come by our befuddlement honestly—which makes it easier to dismiss its application in our own work.
Guides like this from Dove mark a new phase. They’re now suggesting GenAI use across a global org can be rigorous, careful, and applied with craft. It’s also a shot across the bow for anyone working at work or with Unilever—pay attention! It’s time to take things seriously.
We’ll be going through Dove’s guide in class tomorrow, as well as exploring how important it is to keep things weird.