ÉquiLibre: Creating a Culture of Positive Body Image

For over 35 years, ÉquiLibre, a Quebec-based non-profit organization, has built globally recognized expertise in body image, body diversity, and weight-bias prevention. Each year, the organization launches several awareness campaigns aimed at challenging harmful beauty standards and promoting healthier relationships with one’s body image and weight.

In the fall of 2023, ÉquiLibre hired Capital-Image to increase the visibility of its campaigns, maximize the effectiveness of its communications investments, and strengthen its integrated communications approach. The mandate included developing communications strategies for six major initiatives: Le poids? Sans commentaire! (Weight? No comment!), the annual Léger public opinion survey, the Prix ÉquiLibre (The ÉquiLibre Award), Semaine sans diète (The week without dieting), Être au-delà du paraître (Beyond appearances) and La grossophobie, ça suffit! (Enough with fatphobia!).

At the outset of the mandate, Capital-Image conducted a comprehensive assessment of website analytics, media coverage, the positioning of comparable organizations, and findings from the research L’effet ÉquiLibre (The ÉquiLibre Effect). This analysis revealed several key opportunities:

• the need to reach audiences beyond those already familiar with the polarizing topic of body image
• the importance of diversifying both the choice of spokespersons available and communications platforms
• and lastly, to adopt a more integrated approach combining media relations efforts, digital content, the use of ambassadors, strategic partners and influencers.

A tailored communications strategy was then developed for each annual campaign, with measurable objectives related to visibility, audience engagement, and public awareness across Quebec. Capital-Image provided its expertise to ÉquiLibre in developing new campaign narratives, maximizing the impact of the Léger survey findings, leveraging even more the organization’s spokespersons and ambassadors, and introducing new platforms and partnerships to engage broader and more diverse audiences while fostering meaningful public conversations.

Beyond public relations campaigns, the mandate gradually expanded to include stakeholder engagement initiatives, events, partnerships, and digital, SEO, and GEO consulting as part of the organization’s website redesign. Capital-Image also supported ÉquiLibre in transforming the Prix ÉquiLibre (The ÉquiLibre Award) into its new Dixversité (Diversity) initiative by providing strategic positioning and communications support throughout the transition.

Between November 2023 and October 2025, ÉquiLibre’s campaigns and initiatives generated more than 67 million earned media impressions across Quebec and over 12 million social media impressions through a combination of media relations, content creator collaborations, editorial partnerships, and digital amplification. During the same period, the organization’s spokespersons and ambassadors participated in 52 media interviews, further establishing ÉquiLibre as a trusted voice on body image, diet culture, and weight bias.

Digital performance also improved significantly, with an engagement rate of 41.85%, an average engagement time of more than one minute per user, and substantial growth in traffic to campaign webpages. According to findings from the study L’effet ÉquiLibre (The ÉquiLibre Effect), individuals exposed to campaign content also reported greater satisfaction with their appearance, along with measurable reductions in certain weight-related stereotypes and weight bias.

Through this integrated communications approach, ÉquiLibre further strengthened its position as Quebec’s leading authority on body image, body diversity, and weight bias prevention, while significantly expanding the reach and impact of its campaigns among diverse audiences.