Dove's new advertising campaign
 

There's been a lot of talk about it in the papers and such so I was curious to hear everyone's opinions. What do you think? Good idea or bad?

(If you aren't aware of it, it's the one with the regular women - not models - in underwear and the slogans are things like "As tested on real curves." You can see more about it here.)

I love it! I think it's clever, ballsy, unusual, and definitely effective. While I don't think that things like extreme obesity (which can be overcome, although admittedly with difficulty) should be showcased as the "anti-model", showing real women with healthy bodies, who aren't afraid to show them off, is inspiring.

It is so disgusting and ruins my mornings.

-Rudey

I think it's great, but doubt it will change anything. :(

What will be great is when women who are built like that don't have to go on campaigns to declare their beauty. When we can have a size 8 or 10 actress/model on magazine covers without stories of how she's "voloptuous and doesn't care what Hollywood thinks".

I also think it's not right to say "real women have curves" because it does imply that thin, uncurvy women aren't "real" women - and many of those women are naturally like that. And yes, I'm curvy, but I have plenty of friends who aren't and they are definitely real women! :D

It was realtively successful up here so I guess that's why they are trying it in the US now (Canada gets to be a test market a lot of the time).... I just think it's interesting that the marketing team that dreamed up the AXE commericals is the same team that dreamed up this Dove campaign...

Anyways I have to applaud the use of "real" people in tge ads, which is a nice change from the nominally "perfect" images we are bombarded with...

Jossip isn't very kind but neither are the people who wrote on the ads here in NYC....

http://www.gawker.com/news/doveads.jpg

They put out a ton of these in Chicago that are huge. Every bus stop has them practically. They are on large billboards. I feel like they're going to come alive and attack the city.

At least put some of that Lane Bryant clothing on them.

-Rudey

I kind of like the ones they did in the magazines with that woman covered in freckles and the really old woman. They were definitely a departure from the typical model. I think the campaign is a good idea, and everyone (even the guys at work) seems to know as soon as they see one of those models that it's an ad for Dove :)

The ads are cool, but Dove is made by Unilever, which tests on animals, so I won't buy it.

aren't there lists somewhere of things that are tested on animals and things that aren't?

I had no idea Dove was tested on animals. Although I guess maybe it's not. I doubt they've done much to change it lately.

PETA has a list and so does the National Anti-Vivisection Society, which shows Unilever here.

I'm really annoyed because when I checked PETA earlier to verify that Dove is tested on animals, I saw that Loreal/Lancome does too. I thought they didn't -- maybe they changed. Grrrr.

ETA: That link doesn't work. You can go to the NAVS site and search.

lol at "Vivisection"... not a word you see often. Made me think of the Divine Sisters of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood!

Ah, crap.

Don't worry. It's cute when rabbits wear lipstick.

-Rudey

Unless things have radically changed at Unilever since I worked with them, the vast majority of products that are listed as "animal tested" involve in-vitro as opposed to in-vivo testing (though some in-vivo testing still takes place).

Browsing the web I noticed that they are still using the global statement crafted by the Unilever Canada Consumer Affairs department:
http://www.physiosport.com/ourvalues...al_testing.asp

Personally I hope that the computer, mathematical, and bio-chemical modeling programs that they have been working on/with pan out, and totally eliminate the need for any animal testing.