DOVE – CAMPAIGNING FOR REAL BEAUTY

Dove’s new promotional campaign tried to break away from the stereotype images of beauty portrayed by the media and advertisements. The campaign titled ‘Campaign for real beauty’ caught the attention of the public. The caselet deals with the challenges the company had to face while implementing the promotional campaign.
Issues:
» The role played by advertising companies and the media in portraying images of beauty

» How companies are trying to be authentic in their promotional campaigns

» Influence of peer groups and reference groups in influencing beliefs of people
Introduction
Dove, a leading cleansing brand from Unilever, has been criticized for coming out with campaigns portraying stereotypic definitions of beauty which promoted the idea that looking great meant being thin.”People feel under pressure to improve their appearance, even at times such as childhood, pregnancy and later in life, when, traditionally, it was OK not to bother,” said Tamar Kasriel, Head – Knowledge Venturing, Henley Center, a marketing consultancy…

Questions for Discussion:

Assess the challenges the “Campaign for real beauty” campaign faced and will face in the future.
In which ways were “Campaign for real beauty” unique as compared to promotional campaigns of beauty companies?