Creating positive change has always been Dove Men+Care’s mission, and it’s even more important than ever right now. Research shows that misrepresentation of Black men in media/culture contributes to negative stereotypes that fuels racism in the USA. Black men are 150% more likely to be described as criminal and 60% more likely to be described as threatening, compared to white men*. We recognized the acute need to dismantle barriers that prevent Black men from experiencing care.

We witnessed a seminal moment in 2020 whereby athletes across all sports were using their platforms to drive change. Following the racial unrest that has gripped the U.S. after the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and others, as the NBA season resumed, 300 players donned messages of social justice on their jerseys in place of their names. Words/phrases included Black Lives Matter, Equality, Love Us, Peace, Say Her Name, and more.

We witnessed a seminal moment in 2020 whereby athletes across all sports were using their platforms to drive change. Dove Men+Care and National Basketball Players Association announced a landmark partnership, Commit to C.A.R.E. (Care About Racial Equity), to help create a society where Black men are cared for, respected, supported, and protected. The initiative amplifies voices of some of the most recognizable and revered Black athletes today.

We partnered with 11 basketball stars, showing that even the most high-profile sport stars of all time are subject to negative stereotypes. Our content series explored how racial injustice impacts them, affects their families, and fuels their passion for activism.

Commit to C.A.R.E not only honors and celebrates the humanity of Black men, but also addresses important issues facing the U.S today, such as issues like public safety, access to safe and fair voting, community engagement, and much more.

We influenced the mass audience, to reach maximum impact. With 11 NBA athletes, we produced deep-dive videos which told their personal stories: how injustices like the murder of George Floyd impacted their families, what growing up Black meant for them, and which causes they’re most passionate about in their communities.

From there, the program moved from voices to action. Dove and NBPA hosted voter registration drives, supported legislation like the George Floyd Justice Policing Act, hosted a Men’s Summit to debunk myths surrounding Black men, and more. To empower the next generation to counter negative stereotypes, we created a series of “Tech and Talk” virtual camps, in partnership with our player’s charities.

The videos, stories, and calls to action were hosted on a dedicated microsite, www.committocarenow.com and content was distributed through paid media. We drove people to take the Commit to C.A.R.E pledge, to join the fight to end racism.

The player’s stories debuted within highly anticipated tentpole sporting programs such as the NBA Finals and Monday Night Football (one of the highest rated TV shows among men, on ESPN).

But we knew we had to go beyond sports outlets, to avoid boxing in these men as athletes only. We supported Black media properties with our ad dollars, and dedicated inventory to resonate with the Black community, making them aware of Dove Men+Care’s purpose and commitment. These placements were in relevant environments such as Peacock, OWN, iOneDigital, Essence, Complex, and The Shade Room.

We reached people where #BlackLivesMatter protests were happening, through the Cincinnati Enquirer, a local newspaper which has the highest circulation of any print publication in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The message also came to life within Social Justice in America, a dedicated magazine, that tackled racial inequalities and injustices and has a distribution of approximately 10 million.

Dove Men+Care’s Commit to C.A.R.E. proves that doing good is good business.

The campaign showing significant increases in association of Dove Men+Care changing the way the world sees and treats Black men (+26%), advocating for racial equity (+24%), and celebrating Black men (+28%).

This in turn increased brand awareness (+4%), perception (+13%), and consideration (+12%). Dove Men+Care Masterbrand grew +4.9% in point-of-sale dollars.**

We also were able to generate action with thousands of pledge and petition sign-ups to date. Lastly, the campaign garnered over 100 million impressions.

As NBA star Jaylen Brown puts it: “You can’t be a fan of me if you are racist…you’re no fan of Jaylen Brown if you don’t think Black people deserve to be treated fairly.”

Payne Brown, President, THINK450: “When you think about the notion of committing to care about Black men, that’s a revolutionary statement.”