October 3, 2007Dove is at it again....from evolution to onslaught
Filed Under: Long Form Content
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Take a gander, nod your head and say, AMEN. This is the follow-up to the incredible Evolution. Is the sequel as good as the first movie? Not sure that's the question. However, perhaps it's the answer to what Dove did next en route to their goal of reaching 5 millions girls by 2010 as part of the Self-Esteem Fund.
What interests me is how the rest of the "beauty" industry must feel about these very authentic ideas, which hit home on the travesty of misrepresentation, misdirection and borderline indoctrination and propaganda that is the "30-second spot"
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Comments
"What interests me is how the rest of the "beauty" industry must feel about these very authentic ideas"
I think it's equally interesting who Dove is building a brand by separating itself from the beauty industry, which it is (in product if not in marketing) part of.
Posted by: Bill Snyder
I think this is a wonderful piece for the beauty industry. Currently, society and media overwhelm the public with ads and new products to make everyone look better and live longer. It's created thin models, rise in plastic surgury and billions of dollars of investment. This ad is another stand against the norm and a message in self-esteem awareness. Go Dove!
Posted by: Carolina
Last time I checked, Joe, Unilever, the company that manufactures Dove, was one of the major players in the beauty industry.
I'm sure they're glad that Dove found a niche for people who are turned off by the messaging they themselves put out.
Posted by: Tangerine Toad
I'm at the Webby Connect conference in CA right now. This AM we heard from Unilever's U.S. Director of Mktg. He talked about this campaign and how it has entered the cultural consciousness. It seems the keys to it's apparent success are its genuineness and tight targeting. They really know their audience. Axe is another example he touted. Again, tight target and genuine conversations. Oh, and plenty o'$$$. The question he couldn't (or wouldn't) answer was the ROI. It's clear, however, that the campaign has entered the public consciousness. There are mashups popping up all over the place. The interesting thing would be to study campaigns like Real Beauty to see if you can create a formula for how many YouTube views or how much buzz it takes to become part of the cultural fabric. Or in other words, "how many licks does it take to get to the center of the community Tootsie Pop?"
Posted by: gfellman
@gfellman: Did anyone ask him how Unilever could simultaneously promote these unrealistic images of beauty with some of their brands (e.g. skin-whitening cream in India) while mocking them via Dove?
Be curious as to what his take on that was.
Posted by: tangerine Toad
Toad: No one asked that question. One could have asked the same question in reference to how they hold real women up in reverence with the dove campaign yet reduce women to sex objects in the axe campaign. I'm not judging. I'm just saying.
Posted by: gfellman
This new spot is one of the most hypocritical, presumptuous and patronizing "spots" I've ever seen. I fucking hate it.
I agree with Tangerine Toad. A mega-corporation that is just as responsible as anyone for the "beauty myth" assuming the role of educator, for our kids?! Ridiculous.
And Joseph, why single out the 30-second spot? Why not posters, billboards, music videos, the list goes on. Did you actually watch the piece?
Posted by: Dino
Dino, I used the 30-second spot as a metaphor, but yes you are right.
And in terms of being hypocritical, here's the thing...Dove have gone down a path that I think there is no return from. For better or for worse. They're stuck, but hopefully their heart is in it and they actually believe what they're saying.
Head say no way. Heart says hell yeah.
Posted by: jJ
Just a thought but, remembering that a content creator has no rights whatsoever once they post their content on YouTube, what happens when YouTube introduces an ad model, and a competing soap, say Lux, post an ad with like "yeah, we really think the whole advertising thing is a scam to, we're cool and hip to the scene just like Dove". Could they have that ad run wherever this video is shown?
Posted by: Mike McGrath
Posted by: Marie-Hélène Lafrance
"hopefully their heart is in it and they actually believe what they're saying"
what????
it's unilever! they don't have a heart. they have a bottom line. that's what they believe in.
Posted by: veedub
