Dove Pummels Young Girl With Sexual Imagery in 'Onslaught'
After watching Dove's new Ogilvy-created commercial Onslaught, a follow up to Evolution, you might become a bit sickened you work in an industry that forces impossible ideals down the throats of innocent children. Now if you think that's overstating things a bit, just watch the new commercial. You know it's true. You know there are far too may "bigger, better, more beautiful, clearer, slimmer, fuller, trimmer" ads out there incessantly bombarding people with messages that basically say you're too fat, ugly, flat, dowdy, slobby for your own good and you simply must rush out and buy product after product after product that promise to turn you into a super model but will do nothing but drain your purse.
Called Onslaught, the commercial lives up to its name by illustrating what young girls see in the advertising we create. While we, as adults, may love to see images of beautiful people, we, as adults, know those images are unrealistic, unrepresentative and have likely, as Evolution illustrated, been heavily manipulated from their original state. Most young kids don't now know this...unless their parents tell them which it's exactly the message Onslaught delivers. Its powerful. Watch it and then think about it.
And yea, yea, yea. One could look at this as entirely hypocritical. After all, Dove sells some of the very products and notions it slams in this commercial. But we don't see it that way. It's sort of like sex. At some point, everyone's going to do it. They just better be well educated about every positive and negative thing that goes along with it.
Comments
Although Evolution was for dove it came from Toronto... did this as well?
There's a UK url at the end of this... I'm curious.
Your headline et al is a leading misleading if it didn't.
The Canadian version is at:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca
The Canadian version is at:
http://www.campaignforrealbeauty.ca
i wish they'd do something instead of pretending they're concerned about the effects of beauty product advertising while advertising beauty products. we all know they don't REALLY care. and "talk to your daughter about the beauty industry"? if only it were that simple.
North America has a very serious obesity problem. Being even slightly over weight is unhealthy. But hey, let's be fat. Take that advertising! Haha, now I cant walk up a staircase, but you didn't get to me!
It's got people talking, it's got people thinking. Sure it's also got people buying Dove products. But is that such a bad way to use their advertising dollars?? It's driving their sales, but at least it's also doing some good. Just imagine if all advertising supported some greater good. I think anyone would be hard pressed to say that traditional beauty ads are better.
it got media and advertising people talking. how is creating propaganda-style videos doing anyone any actual good? it's just a marketing ploy by a huge beauty products conglomerate - the old "let's do the anti-category" approach. they'll do ANYTHING to sell their wares and boost the stock price. coming from the body shop back in the day it might have had some credibility. but Unilever???
it got media and advertising people talking. how is creating propaganda-style videos doing anyone any actual good? it's just a marketing ploy by a huge beauty products conglomerate - the old "let's do the anti-category" approach. they'll do ANYTHING to sell their wares and boost the stock price. coming from the body shop back in the day it might have had some credibility. but Unilever???
dove is a huge advocate for women. their brand has turned into a proverbial megaphone that announces to all women that they should feel good about who they are, regardless of their saddlebags. Dove has opened clinics and donated money to womens rights agencies. this is not about burning bras anymore this is talking to the to largest buying power group with some respect. Does Dove really care, you ask Veedub, well I say YES!! Their "doing ANYTHING" is truly getting involved with the psyche of this group and promoting true brand integrity. I am sure if you ask the "king" he will agree with me!
dove is a huge advocate for dove first and foremost. let's not get too carried away here decrisp em. they're only in it for the money.
it's good they're giving money to women's causes though. no question. i just don't like being preached to by unilever about how i should raise my daughter. simplistic solutions like "talk to your daughter about x" only work in adland.
and most gallingly, if unilever stopped demeaning and objectifying women in their AXE ads they might have a leg to stand on. they can't have it both ways.