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Yeah, I agree that's what we do as advertising pros. And we do it by targeting women's seemingly unending wells of insecurity. After all, I'm sure that Dove used insights gathered from primary research to drive this strategy. My frustration is that the dog is chasing its tail. I'm not sure how many of you guys get in debates with your non-advertising pals about the sins and evils of advertisers. I'm constantly explaining that advertising is about giving people what they want... and women are telling Dove that they want something to firm their thighs. Many people don't realize that ad strategies are derived directly from consumers' expressed needs and desires. They just think that evil corporate execs sit around conference rooms and ask the question, "how can we make women feel fat so they'll buy our products?" Instead, women are telling marketers that they wish they had a cure for their fat thighs. But hey, what fun would advertising be if we weren't all villified?
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Well put, Jennifer. But isn't that what we do for a living ... make people feel better about buying our beer and our shampoo and our perfumes, make them think they are supporting a cause and/or identifying with a certain group of people? Dove is forming a cult of people upset with the popular image of unattainable beauty. People need to buy soap and clean themselves, and Dove may have a chance at debunking higher-end products with simplicity. Who sees Dove as the "enemy?" It's practically a commodity, but now is offering woman a reason to pick it up in the store.
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Here here Jennifer! No woman should think that some beauty company can make her feel better. That being said, I'm merely commenting on how Dove has chosen to market its new beauty products in this way. It's like they understand this plight. They want to be on our side but they still hock the very products of the "enemy", as it were. Unique, I'd say. Right or wrong? Certainly not for me to decide.
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It's the "authenticity" positioning played out in the skin care arena. Marketers position Marlboro and Harley-Davidsons as authentic expressions of the American mystique. Now Dove positions itself as an authentic expression of real womanhood. It's interesting how an otherwise textbook marketing strategy has caused such a reaction... It speaks more about our taboos than anything. It's not okay to break the code of female beauty. Because if women accepted themselves as they are, they'd stop consuming so many products! Low self-esteem is the engine of female consumerism. In the end, Dove is still hawking a product that firms flabby skin... It's still telling you that fat is the problem, and Dove is the solution. This is not a feminist revolution ad, it's the same old thing with an intrusive creative execution. I'm amazed at how many women look at that ad and feel empowered.
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Nike's jumping on the bandwagon too. Their new ads celebrate "big butts, thunder thighs, and tomboy knees." I think this is great, because instead of focusing on a highly idealized, often unattainable image on how women should be, the trend is moving toward being comfortable in your own skin, which is a way more positive image.
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Weight is synonymous for beauty. Simple as that.
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Wednesday, August 10, 2005. 07:43AM
by
Kim S
What the heck is all this "weight" talk about??? I thought Dove was a skincare product??? I don't give a rats a$$ about curves, I do however care about wrinkles... ;P
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I'm the opposite: I enjoy black bras and panties! ;)
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I don't think a negative counter campaign will fly. Only folks truly paranoid by their looks will jump on that bandwagon. And who really wants to appeal with the mentally oppressed markets? And weight? Models have gotten slimmer because the rest of America is eating the fast food meant for them! :D
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I'm wondering if a competitor will find a way to position themselves contrary to this way of thinking. Like "Sure, use Dove if you want to look like...that."
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I'm glad to see them - it took me a while to notice what the ads really were -- then I was surprised to hear that these girls are supposed to have 'curves' -- they are thin too! But then again, the whole heroine look of Calvin Klein is also really old -- so maybe that's why we find it refreshing - even daring ... I dare say that those girls look like models to me...
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You guys like them, eh? While the idea behind it is undeniably one that needs to be presented, do you think the execution is too? I dunno, maybe I'm just mad I didn't think of it first. :-) But seriously, a little too stereotyp-ey?
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I have a white bra and panty fetish (of which my wife rarely wares), so any woman dressed that way, traditionally hot or not, gets me going.
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Rachelle, have models gotten thinner, has everyone else gotten fatter, or both? I know Marilyn Monroe would probably have to try Atkins today. But combined with the obesity epidemic it seems like both sides should try to meet in the middle?
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What they're doing is great and daring but I wonder if it will be effective considering that most cosmetic ads play on insecurity, rather than saying "you're ok the way you are, except maybe you could have smoother skin."
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I find the Dove ads refreshing too, and I'm a devotee their sensitive skin lotion. :) although I wonder how long these will last. it seems every few years there is some sort of beauty/fashion campaign focusing on body acceptance but it fizzles out after a year or so. I can't think of a single major brand in the industry that has built its name on such an idea unless it's tailored to a specific consumer (Just My Size, African-American products e.g.). also, if you consider the 'obesity epidemic,' it does make total sense that today's models weigh 23% less than the avg. woman. so maybe they weigh about the same as 50 years ago. I think figure preferences have changed from curvy to a more androgynous shape because of the way designers make their clothes now. was body image less of an issue today than it was for the avg. 50's woman? probably not - if you consider all the social consequences of living in an extremely male-dominated, repressive world.
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If only the plethora of fashion magazines would follow suit, then I'd really be happy. I think this campaign is a step in the right direction.
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