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.
