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Dove's True Colors: beautiful or bad?Here's the thing: I use Dove. I like Dove. I happen to think they make nice soap. And if they also happen to put out some nice television ads, well, all the better. But recently the brand and its Campaign for Real Beauty have come under fire by critics who have cried hypocrisy because Dove is owned by the same company that puts out, among many other things, Axe body spray. On the one hand, positive messages telling young girls about having good body image; on the other, sleazy messages telling young boys about bagging hot chicks. Oh, the conundrum.
Dove’s latest ad, called “Onslaught,” is interesting for many reasons. In the clip, an adorable red-haired girl smiles innocently into the camera, only to be bombarded with a montage of images urging her to look “younger, smaller, lighter, firmer, tighter, thinner, softer.” Now, I think that spot is kind of genius. And it’s also pretty ballsy, considering Dove’s message basically bites the hand of the body it belongs to, namely the beauty industry. Of course, this isn’t the first time Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign has taken on the beauty myth. Its last ad, “Evolution,” was a time-lapsed look at what it takes to become billboard-perfect. Hint: It’s not just diet and exercise. And then, of course, there was the ad that started it all. The ad that had me crying into my bean dip during the Super Bowl in 2006. Also, did anyone else catch Tina Fey’s reference to the spot on last week’s 30 Rock? “It’s like those Dove commercials never happened!” Priceless. As you dab away your own tears, consider this, Dove’s parent company Unilever also owns Axe (also called Lynx, depending on the country). The body spray’s none-too-subtle ad campaign features commercials with bikini-clad Amazonian models running like wild animals on the hunt, drawn to the scent of some schmuck spraying himself — and all with the tagline “Spray More, Get More.” Classy, really classy. So, the question is this: Is all the good done by Dove cancelled out by the very bad done by Axe? My take on is that, no, one does not negate the other. Those Dove spots, while still ultimately trying to get you to buy more soap, have a message that is undeniably positive. At least they are addressing the problems inherent in the beauty industry and actively trying to make a difference.
Also, I don’t think you can necessarily hold one company responsible for the actions of another company under its parent corporation’s umbrella. Unilever owns more than 400 brands, ranging from Dove to Axe, Ben & Jerry’s to Slim-Fast and Lipton Ice Tea to Sunlight dish soap. If one must protest, protest to Unilever itself for having such a wacky combination of companies. Or, better yet, to Axe for making such a stinky — in every sense of the word — product. Submitted by on October 16, 2007 - 2:03pm. |
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News, Reviews & Commentary on Lesbian and Bisexual women in Entertainment and the Media
i don't think one negates
i don't think one negates the other, because the dove ads have such an impact. so even if they would negate each other, dove would still .. i don't know how to say what i want to say, but.. well the dove ads still have a bigger effect.
after seeing all of the clips, i have to say it's a shame that here in germany, we only got to see the second one. the newest one and the first ad ever we never got to see. and i think they say soo much more. especially because they have the little innocent girls in them.
and btw, i hate axe and it's stupid ads..
ads in Germany
Love Dove
Definitely Agree
The first thing I noticed about the Cavemen Cribs commercial was that all of the cavemen were dancing with regular Homo sapiens. It seemed to undermine the whole message regarding discrimination, appearance, and stereotypes.
If I want to keep my sanity, I should really avoid most message boards. I might see some disparity between what is considered attractive in men and women in regular life. However, on the internet, especially sites like Fark, I have learned that if a woman's features are two millimeters different from an ideal, she is considered "unhittable," a "horse-face," or a "butter-face." In comparison, a man would have to look like Quasimodo or The Penguin to get similar criticisms.
Oddly Enough
On the more serious side
I didn't expect to, but I actually did start crying during the Dove commercial with the little girls, because I remember so well how easy it was to have one's self-esteem destroyed on a daily basis if you didn't look, dress, or sound like the girls on TV. And I guess because I never really bought into it, I was even more acutely aware of how ridiculous it had gotten--and then it got even worse. Sometimes, I'll see a 10-year-old walk past me wearing a mini-skirt that barely covers her butt, or a 16-year-old will walk into where I work, barely being able to walk because she's about 80 pounds, and I almost want to run up and shake them back to their senses.
That's why I'm glad SOMEONE is publicly recognizing and supporting the need to nurture young girls' self-esteem; not only will having high self-esteem make them confident and, probably, happier, but it will also help these young girls to know what is right for them and what is not, and to know what they deserve and what they do not. And the consequences of that--not being pressured into sex, not being abused, doing better in school--are endless.
Does anyone know how I could get involved?
"Out of the box is where I live." -Starbuck
Here's how you can help.
Visit any of the links on the this site. Then join the fund.
"Brains grow love."--H. H. the Dalai Lama
Blog update! http://blog.myspace.com/ysubassoon
I LOVE the Axe ads!
"The body spray’s none-too-subtle ad campaign features commercials with bikini-clad Amazonian models running like wild animals on the hunt"
Nuff said.
On the one hand, the
On the one hand, the commercials put out a great message.
On the other hand, they're a clever branding ploy by Dove to create the image of a female- and age-friendly company. At their website, they still advertise products that "revive," "rejuvenate" and reveal "softer, firmer skin." I think they're still treading the line between healthy skin care products and actual "beauty" products.
That said, the branding has certainly worked. I'm more willing to buy Dove products, even when other products offer better prices. Well played, Dove.
Oh please!
"At least they are addressing the problems inherent in the beauty industry and actively trying to make a difference."
Which is to say that their PR firm identified an as yet untapped market segment that would connect with the "real beauty" campaign.
In the same way that some other PR firm realized that sleazy ads will continue to be effective in getting 13-17 year old douchebags to buy... well, just about anything; even made-up products (seriously, "body spray"? what the hell is "body spray"?)
In the end, the soap campaign is no less calculated than the "body spray" campaign.
Huh
good point. :)i too notice
good point. :)
i too notice the doggin' on cultures for being dogs... and yet within this uhh sort of e-homage to the entertainment of a culture there is so much similar behavior
and im glad you pointed it out
never seen any of these ads
never seen any of these ads except (unfortunately) a few axe ones.
i think unilever in general is lame, and that includes all of their products.
i mean, generally speaking, local is better... and i live in maui and can get our version of every household/hygiene product for a few more dollars. or free. or the plants they came from if i want a few. from my friends and their jobs and their families. i know it's smaller here but somehow i doubt maui is the only place that this is possible. it may require less shopping cart time-saving action and a little more exploring -- farmer's markets, online retailers, etc...
anyway, i think the visibility of beauty issues is a good thing, but fuck dove, DEFINITELY fuck axe [ugh my ex roommate's friend used to drench himself in that and i'd have to leave the whole house cause it would waft into every room and choke me] .... and fuck unilever. i bet they test on animals for more than 50% of their products anyway. just a guess.
...i just went to their official site and they say they are eliminating animal testing as much as possible and use it only when required to by various countries' regulations. i dunno why they'd be held to a different set of regulations than the many large umbrella companies who do not, at all, rely on animal testing for product safety.
here is the official unilever statement regarding 'advertising and marketing' :
http://www.unilever.com/ourvalues/environment-society/sus-dev-report/consumers/advertising-and-marketing.asp?linkid=navigation
an excerpt from the above link:
"Marketing food & beverages to children
Our Food and Beverage Marketing Principles contain additional principles for marketing foods and beverages directed at children. They require that our marketing practices:
interesting. at least the 'consumer' section of the site is user-friendly!
axe and dove sitting in a tree.
Both the axe and dove campaigns are absolutely brilliant, high quality, innovative work. I bow down to the geniuses that came up with either of them. Pure art.
On that note, social responsibility, is just that, social responsibility, as in it is OURS to fulfill, and not just a debt to society held by the big nasty advertisers and companies, inc. that " made us go bad and ruined our self-image and even our planet and probably are even guilty of the insomnia keeping me up long enough to type this"...There is no shame in selling a product, nobody is being held at gun point here, it is MEDIA, and if you don't like the commercial, well then grab the remote control and change the channel...ah, how great this free will thing,huh?One is not being socially responsible when we only deconstruct,discuss,and complain about these companies and their advertising strategies, putting on a balance the negative and positive of marketing ploys from a moral ground we later disregard when throwing products into a shopping cart. Social responsibility is grabbing the remote control, closing the magazine, and showing those around you that we must not, in any case, play the part of victims in the consumer game, because if we do, losing is inevitable.There are options, and one of them is watching television, but another, one that many seem to forget, is reading, or drawing or even having sex for god's sake. So yeah, do not expect or look towards advertising for empowerment or social responsibility, look for it, if anywhere, in your own trigger finger on the TV remote clicking it off (or just, as I've said, changing the channel). Eco-friendly, socially responsible, age-friendly, etc.etc.etc. these are all just marketing trends , sure behind any of these there is a scary reality, but we cannot hold advertising responsible nor praise them for the changes in paradigm that in any case, we ourselves as a society are and should be making.
anyway, that's what I think.
http://iwoulddosupermanifhewouldletme.blogspot.com project/art blog (english)
http://comadotcom.blogspot.com
Dead On Espe
Go Dove!
I don't care if Dove is playing the hypocrisy card (which they probably are) because in the end it doesn't really matter that the ads helped Dove save more bottles, what matters is that maybe a little girl here and a little girl there and some not so little girls here are going to see the ads and feel good about themselves... If after that they go shopping for some Dove product (which is less than certain) then I say good job to the marketing department...
So go Dove because there are never too much beautiful ads that make us feel appropriate...
"I'm gonna give you all a nice, fun, normal evening even if I have to kill every person on the face of the Earth to do it"
Totally irrelevant to the argument but...
Axe is the worst product ever. I hate the commercials too, not because of the eye-candy, I am all about eye-candy. But the real mini-rant here is: axe smells terrible.
I forgot to put on deoderant when I went to a concert in Boston once, so before the show, my friend and I ducked into a CVS so I could preemtively deal with the sweat the show was going to produce. The only spray deoderant was axe and it would have been gross of me to "sample" a non-spray deoderant, so I used it. We burned my shirt after the show. Seriously. I came home in my bra, said "don't ask" to my mum and vowed to never be anywhere near an axe product again.
The axe commercials could take place in Narnia starring lemurs fluent in French and be more believebale than any girl, never mind a horde of them, finding the axe smell so enticing.
Ok I'm done.
More power to Dove despite their unsavory affiliations.
one more point
I happen to really like Dove products, and I would say that the advertisement really had no impact on me buying the product over another. I think when it comes down to it people usually choose beauty products or at least bathroom products based on the actual impact on their body ie: if a certain soap gives you a rash I bet your not going to be running out to the store to buy it again when you see a fab commercial they put on tv. I also think the Dove commercials are really good, sure for selling products, but like many people where saying, as a statement to society, It's scary to think about how much the media has impacted young people, even old people into thinking they have to have the 'perfect' body...etc. And yes I think that Dove is being completely hypocritical by selling products like axe (but really how many people know that? and who really cares?) Dove is targeting women as their majority audience (which is my guess) and what better way then to target a women's sensitive, emotional side, also the fact that they discuss body image which is an area that probably 90% of women worry about. Axe on the other hand is targeting men, you have to be hypocritical! what the hell are they going to sell with an axe commercial that tells guys to love their bodies and that they are beautiful? The advertisers are smart they target the majority of the population with the things they think will matter most and hopfully make some money out of it. Sex sells to guys, so they use it....what do they care it women think the ads are cheesy/disrespectful...etc.....they don't give a fuck your not their consumers!
ok my rant is done
I love Dove!
I can see why Axe commercials are the way they are cause they are marketing to men. I do love dove products as well. I also like the fact that their models look like women I would see everyday and that they aren't marketing the products out like they will make you look like a supermodel afterwards.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."-Helen Keller
Axe Schmax
Hypocrisy, much?
'scuse me for raining on your parade, but did this site or did it not recently increase its audience/advertising revenue massively with a much publicised Top 100 "Hotties" list? I don't remember too many freckly, geeky gals with glasses and integrity on that list, particularly not in the top end. I thought at the time that it was a disappointing result for a lesbian/bi site to have so few queers considered by other queers to be "hot" - let alone women of real achievement and talent. In fact, some of us tried to start up an alternative list in the AE Forum, naming only dykes and bi's. It didn't get very far, but the different perspective was still interesting.
And, without wanting to ignite past controversies, what about the AE silhouette default avatar - slim, busty, impossibly shaped...
Me, I go for the brain, everytime.
And sometimes the boobs. (Hey, nobody's perfect.)
Not Only But Also