Moms and daughters are slipping into their pajamas next month and tuning into W Network to participate in the second annual Dove Sleepover for Self-Esteem – a movie night that has commercials replaced by hosted segments to get viewers to share their experiences on the topic.
The program, which targets girls between the ages of 8 and 14, along with their mothers and female mentors, consists of media partnerships with Corus (English Canada) and Astral (French Canada), with each network airing programming – including movies like Ella Enchanted and 13 Going on 30 – featuring Dove-branded ‘self-esteem breaks’ in lieu of commercials. The Corus sleepover will run on W Network and YTV on May 2. The Astral sleepover will run on Vrak-TV and Canal Vie on June 6.
Throughout the evening, self-esteem expert Jessica Weiner and Candice Olson from W Network’s Divine Design will lead discussions with viewers at home about the issues that characters are facing in the movie.
In the promo lead-up to the sleepover, at retail, Dove is once again offering free PJ pants with the purchase of any two Dove products.
‘The sleepover allows us to communicate with our audience at a time and through a channel that is relevant to girls,’ Sharon MacLeod, brand building director, Dove Canada, tells MiC, adding, ‘86% of Canadian moms believe that sleepovers have the power to affect their daughter’s self-esteem.’
‘In an era of instant communication, the Dove Sleepover for Self-Esteem allows us to capture the attention of this audience over several hours, giving us a real opportunity to make an impact on the self-esteem of girls across Canada,’ explains MacLeod.
In addition to the TV partnerships and the in-store campaign, the program is being supported by a website and PR.
The website, created by Capital C of Toronto, contains info on hosting self-esteem friendly sleepovers and online self-esteem activities girls can complete, either before, during or after their sleepovers.
A public relations campaign by Toronto-based Harbinger is also supporting the program with Dove Self-Esteem Fund expert Lisa Naylor visiting several cities across Canada to share tips on hosting self-esteem friendly sleepovers.
Last year, more than 5,000 sleepovers were registered across Canada.
