The brand Dove is part of the English-Dutch group Unilever. It accounts for 3% of Unilever's turnover. In 1957, Dove created soaps that contained 1/4th moisturizing cream, especially for sensitive skins (50% of women). Since then, Dove has always known how to appear different from its competitors, keeping a strong link with health experts, and becoming one of the major body care brand all over the world. Dove started with soaps and then its range of products became ever wider with several liquid soaps, moisturizing creams for all kinds of skins, deodorants and eventually shampoos and hair conditioners. Today, Dove goes beyond its mere image of peace and sweetness and aims at helping every single woman to be aware of their "real beauties", and so to go beyond stereotypes. Thus, in 2005, Dove launched the "Campaign for Real Beauty" in the USA, in Canada and in Europe, showing that there is more than one strict definition of beauty. This campaign has already been rewarded all over Europe.
[...] Dove decided to focus on reality rather than on dream because the company felt that people were tired of too artificial pictures or characters. As we can see, it helped Dove to have a great success, since women recognize themselves in this advertisement. Moreover, nowadays, women want to change the concept of beauty and, therefore, accept themselves as they are, feel that they can be beautiful without being a top model. IV. Criticisms A Paradox? Concerning the latest Dove Beauty Campaign, some questions beg to be asked. [...]
[...] Actually, whereas the first ad only showed slightly overweighed girls, the new one proposes much more examples of physical flaws than can be disturbing: a visible space between front teeth, an old (but beautiful) woman, one with red hair and freckles, and so on In other words, the evolution of the campaign goes hand in hand with more and more ad targets. As Dove advocates broader criteria of beauty, today everyone is concerned by Dove's ads and can identify themselves in one model. [...]
[...] Background Analysis Dove Ad Campaigns were based on scientific research, more precisely on a study called Real Truth about Beauty: A Global Report” conducted between February and March 2004, and which results were published in September 2004. This study, commissioned by Dove, was realized by StrategyOne - an applied research firm based in New York. Dr Nancy Etcoff from Harvard University and Dr. Susie Orbach from the London School of Economics also participated in the research. The official and main goal of this study was explore what beauty means to women today and why that The second one was to incite people to start a discussion about beauty in general, in order to make its definition more authentic. [...]
[...] What is more, she thinks that 8-14 years old is far too young on a psychological point of view but that it is the right age for marketing to create a future consumer of the brand. Don't you think that it's hypocritical to try to convince women that they are beautiful as they are while recommending them to use beauty products? CMFP thinks that, on the contrary, this is coherent. A woman may think that she is beautiful but yet she might want to remain that way or enhance her beauty and therefore use beauty product. [...]
[...] By launching a program for little girls of 8 years old, Dove's aim was not to give them a psychological comfort, but simply to create future consumers. Dove's programs were made to create dependence towards their brand, not to free people from their complexes. To conclude, Dove embodies the dilemma of a brand which strives to survive, and tries to have an original positioning, making the most of nowadays mentalities. Nevertheless, its programs are inseparable from its commercial goals. Bibliography Websites o www.unilever.be, Unilever, September o www.effie.fr, Secodip, BRICARD Charlotte for CB News, September o www.lepetitjournal.com, MAYEMBO Aurélie, Pub-sublimes grosses ou vieilles April o www.infoshop.org, Le collectif contre le publisexisme, Action Anti- Pub mai 2005 o www.dove.co.uk, Dove official website, September o Dove Self Esteem Fund o Contributing Experts o Supported Programmes o Inside the Campaign o In the News o www.senioractu.com, GUERIN Serge, France- Dove innove dans les discours publicitaires, May o www.pubstv.com, DHORDAIN Marion, Dove ou l'ère de la publicité réaliste, January o www.femmesensante.ca, Dove, Seulement des femmes se trouvent belles, October o www.lameute.fr/prix/2005.php3?pub=dove, La Meute contre la publicité sexiste, Publicités de 2004 sélectionnées pour le prix Femino 2005. [...]
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