Dove's Spreads Real Beauty

http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/11841.asp

Dove's Evolution of Beauty Campaign

For the past year, Dove has been breaking ground showing models out of the typical 5'8 and above, 100 pounds or less body type in their advertisements. Now they are taking it a step further, providing a video, as seen above, of the reality of how exactly the media makes people believe these models are "perfect."

Studies have shown the unrealistic and unhealthy images of women portrayed in the media have been increasingly stealing self-esteem and a healthy lifestyle from females across the globe. Dove took action with their Campaign for Real Beauty, and according to Dove marketing director Kathy O'Brien, the company wants the ads to "change the way society views beauty," and "provoke discussion and debate." An article on MSNBC.com notes the campaign has also caused controversy and offending some because they view it as unattractive or because they believe it is not the right way to define "beauty."

The new video is posted on YouTube, with nearly a million views, and the campaign's Web site. Rohit Bhargava, Vice President for Interactive Marketing at Ogilvy & Mather, says:

"It's the ultimate in video distribution, where you can spend your energy on the creative development of something that stands out, and use relatively cheap online channels to spread the message rather than purchasing expensive TV network time. This is the new wave of advertising - one where ad agencies maintain their niche for developing creative video advertising, but media buying groups are the ones left out."

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