I See Old Naked People
Last night around 10 pm, I am minding my old business catching up on some email with the TV on in the background. I see a Dove commercial come on. If you are new to my blog, I have written several posts on Dove and their interesting online/offline ad campaigns. Dove’s latest commercial which I caught last night consisted of a number of fast cut shots that had what looked like to be naked people. The interesting thing about this commercial was that it was a teaser telling the viewer that if you want to see the actual video, you have to go to Dove’s Pro Age web site.
Now I thought this was great. There are not many large advertisers out there that would spend the money on a 30 second spot with a single goal of enticing a viewer to go to their computer and type in their URL. I gave a silent prop to Dove and Unilever the owner of Dove brand and did actually what they asked, I went to their URL. And what did I find there?
OLD NAKED PEOPLE
Dove has a new product which of course is targeted for older people and their skin. And of course, they have a video of older folks naked with I guess good skin. Can you tell they have good skin from these shots?
Does it seem to you that as the population is getting older and the baby boomers, who are the folks with the cash, are hitting retirement age, we are starting to see truth in advertising? At one time, if you were selling anything from clothing, makeup and skin care to cars and electronics, all you saw were beautiful folks. Is Madison Avenue starting to realize that if you want to reach users, you are going to have to show them and communicate to them in way that will strike a chord with them?
What do you think? Will showing “real” people like Dove is doing here have more of an impact and increase sales or does fantasy still sell best?
Technorati Tags: Dove, naked people, Unilever
IMO it’ll be successful because it is different. I suspect there’s some sort of halo effect going on here too. Because they are offering images closer to the truth of what real people look like, it is easy to jump to the conclusion that everything else they say is true.
Dave, interesting point. I again give huge props to Dove who seem to continually look to push the envelope in both their online and offline marketing.
Great question. It’s going to be on the targeted segment. Fantasy appeals typically work when a person has a huge gap between their self-image and ideal self. In general, people who are older seem to be a little more comfortable with themselves physically, so fantasy appeals wouldn’t be as effective. Showing a “typical” or “real” person would seem to better appeal to these type of people. If the targeted segment was younger (e.g. teens, adolescents) I think Dove would have to play on the fantasy aspect more, since people in those age cohorts tend to be less confident with their appearance. My 2 cents.
Clay, great thoughts and insight. The part I found most interesting was their TV commercial pretty much teasing users to go to the web site to actually see the video. It might anger people that they have to go to a web site to see a video that they feel could be played on the commercial itself.
That’s a great point – that could generate a little bit of resentment. There definitely needs to be more offered once a person gets to the website, especially to enhance the experience of Dove. It’s that whole reciprocation thing – if the viewer is going to make an effort, then Dove needs to give a similar effort. As a side note, and I’m 99% sure you’ve commented about this before (sort new at the blogging thing) – I checked out the Dove website – have they completely forgotten about the male market ?
Clay,
I have commented on it before and I think the issue with Dove is they want to try new and different marketing techniques, but they still want to maintain a level of control. They just need to come to the realization that in the online world they have limited control and go with it.
disclaimer: I have worked on and off on the digital strategy for Dove, but was not involved in this initiative.
I think the biggest problem Dove faces is they don’t have a solid strategy for building community online.
I applaud the Cause Related Marketing effort and it’s been paying Dove back in spades. They went from being a mainly commoditized brand to being strongly differentiated and the sales that go along with it.
But why another micro-site?
Why isn’t this just Dove?
Why it’s it about ALL women, regardless of age, size, etc…
Anyway… enough of my ranting.
I understand that Oprah Winfrey’s popularity rises or falls with her weight. The fatter she is, the more popular she is.
I think women of a certain age, and men too, perhaps, don’t want to be reminded by an image of perfection how imperfect their own bodies are.
I think middle-aged women will feel comfortable with these Dove images of less-than-perfect bodies. I know I feel more friendly to a middle-aged face that’s got a few wrinkles, than one that looks unnaturally preserved.
Could network TV even show these nude bodies legally? (I don’t watch much television of any kind).
If they can’t, it’s an indication of how warped this society’s attitude is toward the naked human body.
Sean,
First off, rantings is are always welcome here and sometimes encouraged. I could not agree with your point more in regard to Dove. They seem to skip the foundation to grow the community and instead are focused on building these small groups and then immediately ripping them down when the campaign is done.
I think this stems from what I have discussed regarding them in a previous post. Even though they have embraced social marketing, they are still unwilling to relinquish total control. They still want to hold on to their messages. Hopefully, they will come to the realization that they have already lost control and embrace that.
Thanks Sean for your always great comments.
Cord.
You nailed it a T. Wait. There is no T in nailed. um…
I can say that my experience would indeed say control remains an issue. To their credit, its an issue every brand is facing.
Well said.
I just recently found this website and would like to comment on the ad. A similar ad was placed in Better Homes and Gardens and it was nasty. I found that obese, older women, are not attractive and do not inspire me in any way to purchase dove’s products. I found the Dove ad to have a negative impact on my view of their products and their look on older people.
Hey Curtis, welcome to the site and thanks for the comment. I hear what you are saying, I guess we will see how everything works out with Dove. Thanks again and come back and comment often.