Saw this pageant on Truemors. No, it’s not a joke and I’m not posting it to make fun of it whatsoever. All I’m saying is that maybe next time Dove wants to pretend it’s doing something SO ‘courageous’ by turning the camera on itself and the beauty industry, it might want to feature real people, physical limitations and all. (Just as Ford is doing Tags: Miss Landmine Angola
7 comments:
The cynisism is overwhelming here. The Dove campaign is a brillliant execution because it delivers the message without hitting anyone over the head. It leaves the viewer with something to think about, and in a non-preaching tone. This is a commercial people will WANT to watch again and again.
Having a Miss Landmine will bring awareness, but once again uses an exploitative venue. It could just as easily have been Miss Obese or Miss Burn Victim. There is nothing that unique to position it in the mind of the viewer. Haven't other causes used the beauty pagent before? Also, who will want to watch this more than once? The creator only has one chance to bring awareness to the viewer whereas Dove gets to do it over and over. The messages are similar -- "real beauty". I think a better point of view would have been to show how these women cope with everyday life. That is truly inspirational and a lot more honest.
To quote Al Ries and Jack Trout, we live in an "overcommunicated" society. This means that we are bombarded by messages of all kinds -- even those which are graphic or hard to watch. We learn to filter and put up walls. The Dove commercials are unique in that they gra
“The cynisism is overwhelming here.”
Thanks. People accuse me sometimes of not getting to the point.
Dove's campaign does nothing for the discussion other than make a brand feel like it's doing something, yet they perpetuate the very same things they highlight in that campaign. Not buying it.
One problem with the Dove work is that it didn’t go back far enough. The influence of media starts long before our teen years, from the kids that try and emulate their parents habits and mannerisms to the toys sold to them. They don’t just wake up one day and suddenly become exposed to 10,000 images.
If Dove wants to do something, maybe they need to redefine what it is that constitutes beauty instead of blaming the industry. Great, they've highlighted an issue–temporarily–but offered no solution. Leaving a consumer hanging, what an ad sin.
You knock the landmine campaign in that it could've been any cause, and sure. It could have. But if Dove's ad ‘starts a conversation’ then so does this. Does it have all the answers in one shot? No, but it's 100x more real than Dove.
For starters, why not go a year and use non-model talent in their print and TV? Every so-called average woman Dove uses is a model without make-up. Wow. Cutting-edge. Why not instead get someone off the street, or a housewife. Why not use someone physically impaired? Campaign might actually ring truer and I'd shut up.
From a design POV though, it's cool eye candy, no doubt. Gonna win some awards even, maybe the coveted Lion, oooh. But the only real discussion taking place is among people like us in the media.
Consumers know it's hype.
Agreed, the awards do not benefit the greater good. However, one cannot deny the message. "The perceived beauty in mass media is twisted, contorted, and less than genuine".
Dove's campaign does nothing for the discussion other than make a brand feel like it's doing something, yet they perpetuate the very same things they highlight in that campaign
I disagree. I think this is a strong statement from an industry insider. I also think this campaign reflects a great insight. People know that models are airbrushed, and the media we see everyday is less than genuine. The first Dove commercial illustrated the process by which this transformation takes place. They revealed the "tricks on the eye" that happen in one of these campaigns.
Watching the Dove spot takes the viewer on this track:
1. Wow, she is a plane Jane. That could be me, my wife / girlfriend / daughter.
2. Look at all the attention to detail, makeup, and hair. (The time lapse is a good technique for this)
3. Photoshoot, very typical
4. The computer animtaion of photoshop.
5. Jesus, did you see that! They cut her head off can lengthened her neck!
6. They spend the next 30 seconds manipulating her features.
At the end there is a billboard of a plane Jane turned into model. We see the process of "beautification" and how artificial it can be.
Because Dove brings attention to this makes it very relevant. Maybe they want to change the way products are marketed. To join your cynicism, I am sure making this spot cost less than hiring a super model to be the spokesperson.
In the end, advertising is a necessary component of a free market. Most people hate it, but there are some great agencies doing great work for the grater good. Look at Crispin's Truth campaign. I think Dove's campaign can be just as powerful, effective, and beneficial -- especially if it can get people to change their perception of beauty to something more realistic.
Dove does go to the early years, and they offer a solution:
Second commercial in Dove real beauty campaign
Would you agree that girl is about 6 years old?
I don't think they are blaming anyone. They are simply putting an honest light on it.
Moving on:
You knock the landmine campaign in that it could've been any cause, and sure. It could have. But if Dove's ad ‘starts a conversation’ then so does this. Does it have all the answers in one shot? No, but it's 100x more real than Dove.
I don't know if it is "more real". The land mine is part if a larger trend in the "fashionable" art world of "shocking art". This is a project of a Norwegian Artist, correct? Sure, he raised $80,000 and brought attention to an issue. But does he not receive accolades and recognition? The land mine thing seems exploitative and rings of a freak show.
To quote from this link:
Link Here
Critics deemed the project an unethical exposition of physical disabilities for the benefit of a voyeuristic public. Traavik was accused of presenting stereotypes of Africa at the expense of naïve and disenfranchised contestants, who were payed to participate. On the other side, supporters of the project applauded it’s positive way of depicting landmine victims – because it shakes our preconceptions of beauty and of Africa.
Some interesting points.
“I think this is a strong statement from an industry insider.”
I’m not denying the message, they just need to keep going though. Why do they get to come in, point the finger at the industry and everyone else, but then return to their previous ways of doing things? The next ad I saw from them had the typical models and amazing product shots again. That just undermines it the previous efforts, no? I’m just saying while it may have started a discussion, there's a responsibility to finish it.
I think a brand that does that loses cred for failing to walk the talk like that. I asked my older teen daughter just in case I was missing something, but she reacted the same way. She knows what's up and the messages put out there. While eye-catching, this rang as self-serving to her.
You mention that perception should be something more realistic. Yes. That's my point, but why not make it far more real than they have it by continuing the effort. There may be a fear on their part that they'll lose customers. I think they' gain more actually. Brands that don't lie to their customers will build larger audiences.
(I agree with Truth, I've mentioned them a few times here, but there’s a difference between PSAs and general consumer work in this case. While the goal of influencing behaviour is the same, the agendas behind each are different. Truth didn’t want your money, just your awareness.)
“Would you agree that girl is about 6 years old?”
Probably, but what I'm saying is that kids start copying what they see far earlier than this, and if parents want to do something, maybe they shouldn't encourage their daughters to play with mom's make-up and jewelry, let alone enter beauty pageants for kids.
To me the Dove campaign is not a total crock, but it isn't without flaws. I don't think anyone denies that it's a pleasant path to be taken but I don't think anyone buys that Dove doesn't have an agenda with their consumers.
To me the campaign is a great first step but I can't help but want more of "real". If that last phrase sounds a bit weird it's because it is. It's weird for someone to insist on seeing more real people in advertising. My main gripe with cosmetics and fashion industries alike is that they push for unrealistic levels of porcelain beauty.
I have way too many female friends with issues with their self image, eating disorders and a general sense of frustration that's just as frustrating for someone on the outside. I saw Dove benefit from this but would love for it to be contagious and to not stop at point 1.
There's a point to be made and it's that these are still models and I can't help but agree to want to see more 'real'. Who knows, maybe I'm full of it and am just nitpicking or maybe I just want companies to commit themselves to a cause rather than just benefit from the positive PR. Kudos to Dove for the first step.... now what?
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