Here’s How Dove Successfully Went On Tour With Charli XCX

Event marketing has become a cornerstone for brands looking to make a splash. Concerts, in particular, provide an opportunity for brands to reach a guaranteed crowd while benefiting from the star power of the artists involved. 

These benefits are significant: a large, engaged audience means heightened visibility, while a celebrity endorsement can bring an added layer of credibility. Over the years, brands have harnessed the energy of advertising through live tour marketing to bolster their own campaigns. 

For instance, Pepsi’s long history of artist collaborations, like Beyoncé, has been exemplary in merging brand identity with popular culture. Now, Dove, a brand known for its clean scents and body positivity marketing, has joint event marketing with an unlikely partnership with the pop sensation Charli XCX.

But whose idea was the crossover? And could it be a strategy to cover up something bigger? Does event marketing distract from other key messaging? Read on to learn more.

@beyhiveroom

Watched this too many times🤣 #beyonce

♬ original sound – BeyhiveRoom

Body Image in Marketing 

Marketing has seen a profound shift toward inclusivity since the early 2000s, with brands increasingly adopting body positivity campaigns as a way to resonate with consumers. 

Earlier marketing strategies, particularly in the beauty and fashion industries, were dominated by narrow ideals of beauty that often promoted thinness, fair skin, and flawless appearances as the ultimate standards. 

This one-size-fits-all approach gradually came under scrutiny, sparking a demand for diverse representation and authentic depictions of beauty that reflect the true diversity of consumers.

@vsfsmodels1

This commercial is superior#modeling #models #vsfs #victoriassecret #jasmintookes #sarasampaio

♬ som original – lari

Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty 

Dove was one of the pioneers in this shift with its 2004 ‘Campaign for Real Beauty,’ which featured “real women” with different body types, ages, and skin tones—a significant departure from traditional beauty ads. 

Dove’s message celebrated the idea that beauty is not defined by a single look but exists in every individual. This campaign resonated strongly, inspiring other brands to follow suit. The impact was so powerful that it started to shape new expectations: consumers began to seek brands that celebrated beauty in all its forms and rejected unrealistic standards.

Since then, Dove has consistently positioned itself as a champion for self-acceptance, fostering a strong connection with consumers who value authenticity. This, combined with event marketing gives brands a way to bring this messaging to life.   

@joshdelane

All women are beautiful, and dove proved it with this ad campaign. Watch till the end to see how you can apply the principle to your own business #doverealbeauty #adcampaign

♬ original sound – Aptum Marketing Consultants

Who is Charli XCX

So how does this relate to Charli XCX? 

Well first, it is important to understand who Charli XCX is and what she represents for so many of her fans. 

Charli XCX made a powerful comeback to the music scene in 2024 with her Grammy-nominated Album of the Year, Brat. The album title itself became a cultural phenomenon, sparking a viral movement over the summer and transforming Brat into a symbol of empowerment and self-expression. The term captured the spirit of rebellion and confidence, resonating with fans who embraced it as a bold, unapologetic badge of individuality.

Some may say Charli would be the perfect person to collaborate with for an event marketing campaign…

@

♬ –

Sweat Tour 

Charli XCX’s 2024 Sweat tour launched just as Dove’s full-body deodorant spray hit the shelves, making it the ideal on-the-go product to keep fans feeling fresh and confident. With its easy spray application, Dove’s deodorant became the perfect hygienic essential to share with friends and stay smelling great throughout the tour’s high-energy atmosphere.

@leadfootmusic

#charlixcx #sweattour #fyp #chicago

♬ original sound – Leadfoot

Dove is Brat 

Anyone who has ever been to a live event knows you always take your pictures first, because it won’t be long until you look, and smell, like you just ran a marathon… and the Sweat Tour was no exception.

@gageyayaya

ROMANTIC 💚 #sweattour

♬ Everything is romantic featuring caroline polachek – Charli xcx & Caroline Polachek

It wasn’t long before Dana Paolucci, Dove’s Head of PR and Influence, noticed videos like the one above flooding her feed. With social listening data showing 46,000 TikTok views pairing “Sweat Tour” with “deodorant,” it became clear that a crossover was needed. 

Embracing an organic, platform-native strategy, Dove sent five creators to Charli XCX’s Sweat Tour, equipping them with microphones to interview fans post-show. They asked playful questions like, “Are you a sweaty girl?” before introducing Dove’s easy-to-apply deodorant spray as the perfect solution for freshening up on the go.

@drewafualo

me 🤝 talking about sweating and not smelling at the @sweattour w @Dove Beauty & Personal Care !!! period tbh!!! #dovepartner #sweattour #sweatconfidently #dovebodydeo

♬ original sound – Drew Afualo

This is event marketing at its finest—a seamless blend of product and artist, both inspiring followers to embrace their best selves. So, what could possibly go wrong?

Greenpeace Comes for Dove 

On the surface Dove seems like the perfect company that celebrates people’s differences. However, as with any big corporation is there something that they are trying to cover up? 

Greenpeace is a global environmental organization dedicated to promoting ecological sustainability, fighting climate change, and protecting natural habitats. It is known for its bold activism, peaceful protests and advocacy to drive awareness and push for policy changes on critical environmental issues.

Recently, Greenpeace has called out Dove as their “toxic influence,” launching an investigation into Dove’s environmental practices. Its criticism centers on claims that Dove causes more harm than good by dumping billions of pounds of single-use plastic in ocean and rivers in places like India, Indonesia, and the Philippines.

In this light, some consumers and activists are left questioning whether Dove is guilty of hypocrisy, as its environmental impact may be undermining its message of empowerment for women and girls, especially when its pollution contributes to global harm.

Are event marketing campaigns like the Sweat Tour attempts to distract from these larger issues? 

@venetialamanna

minutes after filming this, @Mikaela Loach and i were detained and were stopped and searched by the police. we’re ok and safe now – will share more updates soon. Dove don’t care about “real beauty”, they’re fuelling an environmental disaster in the Global South that disproportionately harms the young women and girls they claim to champion. #DoveRealHarm #CleanBeauty #ClimateCrisis #PlasticPollution

♬ original sound – Venetia La Manna 🍉

Is Dove Really Brat?

In the end, the Dove x Sweat Tour highlights both the strengths and potential pitfalls of event marketing. Dove’s ability to create a memorable, culturally relevant campaign with Charli XCX demonstrates how event advertising can be a powerful tool in brand-building. However, in an era where consumers are increasingly eco-conscious, brands like Dove must consider how their actions and partnerships align with their larger values. 

For now, consumers are left to decide whether Dove’s innovative campaigns are enough to keep them loyal or if they should join Greenpeace in holding Dove accountable.

Written by: Maya Mehlman

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@sociallypowerful