Dove's follow up has been released



Dove has recently released their follow up to their campaign of Real Beauty's 'Evolution' tv spot.
Instead of going through the commercial, you can watch it and make judgements for yourself.
This new commercial continue to build the Dove brand and portrays their commitment to the Self Esteem Fund.
Say what you will about Unilever, an equal producer of Sunsilk, but when you segregate Dove as a beauty brand, it has effectively and positively educated young girls and young women about the truths and false pretences of the beauty industry.
To take a step in changing the way the beauty industry communicates to this category challenges other beauty brands, creating a competitive market for the consumer and ultimately sheds light on what we are truly being sold in all other beauty categories.
An ideal of perfection.

Also, what this commercial does differently than its previous contendors is call upon the mothers and caregivers to speak to their daughters about what it means to be beautiful. Too often children are taught and lectured about what to and not to do. Don't do drugs, don't talk to strangers, stay in school, have good manners, don't talk back, don't have sex (or be safe), etc.
What the brand does effectively is call upon those to educate the young about the value and importance of the self.
Something that is all too often overlooked what with all the outer distractions.

7 comments:

LeeVos said...

I was about to blog about this new ad and I figured someone would probably have beat me to it. As gripping as the new ad is I feel it is riding a bit on the coat tails of "Evolution". As with all Dove ads and the campaign the message is good they are continuing to build their support for Real Beauty and the Self Esteem Fund.
Although the ads are getting more graphic I think this is necessary to really get through to people. It's all fine to say look at the photoshopping that goes on but the after effects of the media is was the real problem is. I think this was the right direction for Dove to go in as a follow up to 'Evolution'. Not to mention the perfection of the soundtrack they chose.

Sabrina V said...

I think it's cool how a soap company wants people to "wash off" their perceptions of beauty and to adopt a healthier "cleaner" view of what's beautiful.

That being said I think the ad is almost shocking as it's so graphic, (I cringed during the part about injecting crap into someones face) but it's stunningly effective. I'm glad someone is leading the way to give girls a higher self esteem.

mcortese said...

I'm going to have to agree with the post / previous comments on this one. Dove products MAY be a Unilever line, and Unilever MAY have other agendas, but in the end this Campaign is saying a lot more (and saying it louder and more effectively) than Sunsilk's Blonds VS Brunettes campaign or the overall message that Slimfast is sending. Point is, whether the message is sincere or not, its still making a positive impact on current beauty conceptions and misconceptions.

Hannah said...
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Hannah said...

What I love about the Dove campaign is the genuine investment the company has placed in its affiliated foundation, The Campaign for Real Beauty. Not just any soap or beauty product can stand up and say the what the Dove campaign is saying and be taken seriously by the public as more then a money grabber. Before the campaign took off, Dove invested two years into proving their commitment to the cause and lost a lot of money in the process. Their ads at that time featured only their "real beauty" stance, and none of their products.

It has of course "payed off" in the end. Dove is now #1 in its market and has caused an industry saturated with unrealistic portrayals of "beauty" to question that very notion once and for all.

Arnaud Brassard said...
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Arnaud Brassard said...

Number one:

It is slightly presumptuous to think that parents are not talking to their own children about this. If parents need Dove's advice to raise their children, we're in dire straits.

Number two:

It hurts me to see the innocence of a child be taken away by this kind of societal construct which is usually forced upon them at such a young age. Also, that cosmetic companies (not Dove) will go to extremes to create a fantasy of ultimate beauty and eventually destroy the lives of many in this way (anorexia, plastic surgery etc)
In this circumstance, I believe Dove is making an impact and is giving some breathing room for those opposed to these false ideals of beauty.

Number 3: Dove should try to emphasize that anyone and everyone can use their soap. Don't get me wrong, but these commercials only have people that are already deemed beautiful. Real beauty is about what the person is "inside and out", I'd think. So why not try to show that REALITY. Here's a great ad, capturing everyone in the a subway car smiling individually. There's some real beauty in that and wow, they can easily all go home and enjoy a nice fresh bar of Dove soap.