“When did you stop thinking you’re beautiful?”
That’s the newest question Dove is posing for women in their new ad, "Camera Shy." (below) The first section features women trying desperately to escape the camera, while the second section features little girls dancing and gazing happily at their reflection. The ad challenges women to confront the reasons they hide behind their hands, books, blankets, and pillows. Since the Real Beauty campaign launched in 2004, Dove has forced us to rethink the definition of beauty.
It's really no surprise that the campaign has been wildly successful. (The "Real Beauty Sketches" Youtube video has over 55 million hits.) Dove has capitalized on two things. First, they're challenging traditional beauty standards and moving the advertising industry in a positive direction. They're asking women why they accept these standards as a realistic view of beauty. By placing people with real beauty in their ads, they are sending subliminal messages about beauty to the entire world. It may sound too easy, but over time, those messages will sink in and start to become truth. Everyone is beautiful. That's a pretty awesome message.
Second, Dove is giving the public what they want, in the best way possible. Most women are sick of being told they are too fat, too skinny, too wrinkly, too pale, too dark, too tall, or too short to be beautiful. We're tired of seeing unnaturally skinny and beautiful women on shampoo bottles, magazine covers, and department store posters. So, of course, people can't get enough of these ads. It makes the rest of us, (women who aren't perfectly toned, tan, and gorgeous) feel beautiful. Apart from making a positive social change, the Real Beauty campaign is totally brilliant marketing.
So whether you think it's just a ploy or that they really care about improving the body image of millions of women, there's no arguing that Dove has changed the advertising game. As a woman, I couldn't be happier.
Written by Maura Stewart from Rebecca Adele PR & Events
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