I’ve commented before about Unilever’s schizophrenia when it comes to women’s “image” issues. But for some reason, a prime example eluded me. Exhibit A: Unilever’s “Dove” brand runs a “Self-Esteem Fund” and is sponsoring a June 7 “Sleepover for Self-Esteem” event in Canada.
Exhibit B: Unilever’s “Ave” brand offers the “VIXENS” (Very Interactive Xtremely Entertaining Naughty Supermodels) software for download.
I’m not making this up.
Even before you install the software (which I had to do, um, just so I would know what I was talking about), the website give you a choice between a French Maid, a Bo-Peep model, and a Playboy bunny to hypnotize you into buying a certain manly-smelling body spray. The French maid drops a spatula on the ground, bends over, says “I’ve been bad — I deserve spanking,” and then, well, you get the idea.
The software itself introduces you to a charming hostess named Naomi, who asks you to figure out what her name spells if you read it backward.
Yeah, she’s got loads of self-esteem.
Memo to Unilever: You’re not helping.
Bonus points: The Axe “Naughty to Nice” promotion, about “squeaky clean nice girls who turn into naughty, lust-crazed vixens” after catching a whiff of a guy’s bottled stank.
So you can download software on the internet that’ll allow you to look at naughty pictures?! I’ll be darned.
glad you see the light. i wish consumers would be more educated of their choices.marketing ads deliver the goods and they play with our emotions. These companies lust for profit, not world peace. they are not there to make women feel better, they want to sell soap.
For some reason, I got a lot smarter about these things once I had a daughter. Go figure!
I love how in the graphic, doves are literally flying out of her ass.
Sex sells. All companies “lust for profit”. Probably even the ones that everyone that visits here works for. You know to buy food, shelter, etc.
Entirely intentional. My personal paean to Mike Myers in “Wayne’s Worrld.” Glad someone noticed.
I knew the Dove campaign was shaddy and only meant business.
what you don’t understand is that Unilever is a MASSIVE brand.
its sells various things, from soap, to margarine to drinks.
each section has a different marketing agency and will sell there items accordingly.
so there is no link between the two groups except for the main brand,
get over it.
theres alot worse things happening in the world.
appreciate the good message dove sends to women, its been a long time since and advert like this was broadcast.
and if you dont like the others, dont watch it or download it you pervert (:
they can tell women to appreciate themselves without attaching the word DOVE in every commercial. they told us before that we they can make skin smoother so we can be more beautiful and confident. now they are telling us that we should be careful of their implied messages.
Unilever tests on animals too. They’re are “empowering” women by telling us what we need to buy their stuff to feel good about ourselves.
They test on animals? Me too. Bake, broil, fry, I’ll try ‘em all. Wanna “empower” yourself? Buy whatever you want, and worry about yourselves.
how is unliever going to get that message across without using it in some sort of marketing for a product?
theres alot more demeaning things that adverts show..
dove shows a good messgae to audiences, it shows that beauty is not just the stereotype and that everyone is beautiful in their own way.
all advertising “tells us what we need to buy their stuff to feel good about ourselves.”
if they said that using the product would have no effect on you then no one would buy it!
get over it.. media manipulates everyone.
if you dont like it dont buy it, and if your going to complain about the marketing process then why not remove your computer, mobile phone, TV and any magazines or newspapers you may have so you dont see it.
if not, realise that this is part of life now and get on with it..
Unilever also sells skin-lightening creams overseas, which have been known to cause cancer.
Advert Guru, do you work for Unilever or one of its subsidiaries?
Nope,
i’m a media studies and advertising student at university.
i’m in my last year and studied unliever in detail for my last year term paper.
the biggest fizzy drink company in the world company uses sweeteners which have been banned every where else in the world, known to cause brain tumours.
its also been told that a major crisp brand use fats in which are linked to cancer.
even a well-known brand of tissues with balm on them have been associated with severe headaches and even fits.
yet are these claims actually true?
and the people that have this so called knowledge, do you not think that they work for a organistation against it.
nothing is without its risks.
if you lived like that you’d do nothing.
as i said if you don’t like it, don’t buy it.
don’t watch the adverts but don’t complain about what they are saying.
its the way the world is now, media controls you.
sh*t happens…
move on.