Don't kill the messenger - the tobacco companies are also educating about the dangers of cigarette smoking, etc etc---those of us who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones - NOBODY has it all together - BUT any attempt to speak the truth is better then nothing to combat the lies in the media. Get off your high horse>
A potential oversight: Unilever buys already existing companies--the people who design these ad campaigns are completely independent from each other. It is not fundamental hypocrisy of Unilever. Dove and Axe work independently.
I see a lot of people saying, "Dove is targeting women, Axe is targeting men, what's the problem?" but isn't important to portray women positively to both sexes? It's not fair to "empower" women and then go behind their back and give a message to men that says women aren't worthwhile unless they fit into a certain cultural mold of attractiveness - and even then, of course, they're only good for sex.
1. What you say is simply ideology. That kind of ideas can only exist in a fluffy perfect world where the sun has a big smile. It doesn't occur in reality. The Axe commercials aren't telling woman how to look like. It never says they're only good for sex, ever.
2. It might support "real" beauty, but it's still a REAL business, and business is strictly to make money, and not to bring sunshine to the world.
We always talk about the way the world should be, but we ourselves wont ever do it.
Well, I'm an idealist, and I'm not speaking of things the way they are, but rather, the way they should be. Sure, reality sucks. I know that. And of course Axe ads don't explicitly tell women what to look like. It's all implicit. I've never seen an overweight woman in an Axe ad.
I talk about the way the world should be, yes. And I also don't buy any Unilever products, among other things. I also know other people who boycott these products. So you're not speaking for everybody when you say 'we'.
No, I didn't mean the whole world when I said we. But Dove is a multi-millioin dollar company which makes more money a second than most people make in a year.
I'm not an idealist..i would love the world to be the way you described..I'm a realist..and in reality..main stream is always going to pressure girls into looking thin...
and it's perfectly normal for woman to want to look like that..
we cannot expect them to be happy with themselves because..how many people ever are? Sadly, not many.
PariahX9, as a student in a Business Ethics class the perception and role of business has changed significantly from being based on profits for owners to being based on Stakeholder awareness and Profits. So actually, your jaded opnion is wrong about business today in general.
If Axe continues to do what they are doing and if the general public and other shareholders do not approve, they will have to adapt or die.
Dove is appealing to women's insecurities and Axe to men's desire to just attract women by spraying cheap body spray. Judging from all the cheap stinky men and bitchy women... I'd say it works.
You seem to think that only women are marketed to based on Insecurity. Most ads for hygeine are based on some kind of insecurity. To sell products advertisers create an illusion of a need and then play on the insecurities that arise from a percieved need.
Perhaps Axes plays on male insecurity when it comes to attracting "desirable" women. If you even want to call the ones in those commercials women.
We're not debating whether it works or not, they're talking about unintended side affects.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
dove is marketed towards women. Axe towards men. Are we really supposed to be shocked that they appeal to different agendas? The corporation that owns these properties exists to make profit.
As an aside I believe its incorrect to state that the AXE commercial portrays women as sex objects. I think if you look at it objectively its actually the other way around. Its the man that is hunted in this commercial. Its only because of our cultural double standard that we ignore the him being an object.
You are aware that Axe is a different sect of Unilever than dove is, right? As in, two separate groups that have completely different motives and ideas.
And secondly, the Dove and Axe adverts would be also displayed in different programming times, for example Axe during a Football game and Dove during a show which women watch more often than men for example Oprah!
Axe ads play during shows that me and my boyfriend used to like to watch when we had cable, like adult swim.
I don't watch Oprah. I don't watch lifetime. Women have diverse interests and many who will feel offended by this blatant womanizing are going to see this.
Me and my boyfriend boycott Axe because of their insensitive, perverse advertising schemes.
Dove and Axe are just two labels of the MANY under the Unilever Parent. Just because they are both owned by the same parent company does not mean that they are in any way affiliated. So i do not know why it is such a big deal!
i have always boycotted AXE (being a girl, i don't buy it myself, but i forbid it in my household and strongly urged my guyfriends to purchase a different brand). but this is interesting and sad. regardless of their two faced, money hungry, pig headed, marketing. the Dove commercials still bring truth in them. Good can come bad. while i don't really buy much dove products, i appreciate their commercials.
regardless of their two faced, money hungry, pig headed, marketing. the Dove commercials still bring truth in them. Good can come bad.
should read:
Regardless of their two faced, money hungry, pig headed, marketing department, the Dove commercials still have truth in them. some Good can come out of something bad.
(i apologize for my incompetence in typing and grammar)
You're no filmmaker... couldn't you get that message across without the 50 intertitles? it's a visual medium, use the image like they did to rebuff their message, don't lecture us, you're worse than them.
Kieran, I don't know if you haven't noticed yet, but this is Youtube. Its a place where ameteurs can upload videos for whatever reason they want.
Were you expecting everyone who has a message to have professional multimedia software? Get real! I don't need pretty pictures to understand a message and poor format won't affect my evaluation of that message.
Thank you for your elitism and superficiality, have a nice day.
Los de Dove ganando los millones y nosotros aqui discutiendo...
A ellos lo unico que les interesa es vender y ganar dinero. No les interesa si eres gorda, flaca, joven o vieja. Ni tampoco les interesan los hombres acomplejados que creen que por usar axe ya van a tener el sequito de mujeres a sus pies. Es mera cuestion de mercadotecnia y publicidad.
Thank you for posting this! I knew about Axe and Dove a long time ago (and have boycotted the product ever since), and I get so annoyed by people praising them. The bottom line is that they are a company and they are trying to sell a product. They do NOT give a S### about a woman's image....although it would have been nice if it did not say "unrealistic proportions" -.-
exactly. dove is marketed toward women. axe is marketed toward men. i think both teams have figured out ads that are effective in their target audience. yay for them. personally, i'm glad dove is using "healthy women" imagery to sell products. it's more interesting.
I disagree. Just because the promotion of dove and axe is run by different people it's 'a ok'. Axe ads have always repulsed me. They're no better than those 'Bud: Skanks in short shorts camp' advertisements and it's important for people to know that the self-esteem fund is run by a company (unilever) that is responsible for the axe ads (if only by approving them).
I'd be wary of any company's foundation if the cause went against the corporate goal: Increase profits. If Dove were to actually do anything significant to improve self-esteem in females (which most women can relate to)it would substantially lower their profit margin. However, if they came up with a marketing facade appearing to attempt to negate the effects of the beauty industry, without doing much more than promoting self esteem sleepovers. Then, dove seems angelic and voila profits increase.
While I agree with the fact this is hypocritical. It makes me angry,"Unrealistically proportioned"? Those women are real. No not everyone is going to look like that. But please, as a girl who has 35 hips, a 25 inch waist, and a 30E(32DD)cup. This hurts a lot more than you might notice.
By 'unrealistically proportioned' people just mean that the adverts use women of a shape that is unattainable by the majority of women. It doesn't mean you're a freak, in fact it means you're probably above average attractiveness. However, that doesn't change the fact that promoting that sort of figure as the norm is irresponsible and puts a lot of women in danger.
I knew that Dove wouldn't be the 'solution' just because they were making a moral-looking advert - They're big business and I don't trust them anymore than any other - They're all the same: They're all out to make money and they don't care at what cost their customers are making.
No, the man is not the sex object, he's the subject.
The subject looks; the object receives the look.
The women in their skimpy bikinis are meant to be looked at, and thus are the objects... Just as women have been ever since ancient history. So much for progress.
That's an excellent point, although it's arguable that he's the sex-object as well to the heterosexual female and homosexual male audience at home looking at him. Both genders are subjects and sex-objects in this advert.
Captainangie, it's not true that women have always been the most objectified; the Greeks used to appreciate the male form much more then the female form.
even if the guy is the "sex object" in the axe ads, its not the point of this video--the video is demonstrating that the dove ads are being contradicted by the way women are portrayed in the axe ads...
That completely misses the point. The axe campaign is a focus on the guy being a sex object....like the coke ads - the only difference being that the women are fully dressed..
If we're going to call brands on their activity, we could at least make a fair and logical comparison.
Well, they still have product to sell. Yeah, I hate those axe advertisements, but you can't really expect them to go out of business on principle alone. If they are going to do bad, they may as well do some good as well. It's not all black and white. Hypocrisy? Yeah, the world is full of it. Get used to it.
Great video. I like the idea of what the Dove commercials are doing, but I find it hypocritical that they're an advertisement in itself...trying to sell their beauty product. And now this video just proves what I was thinking even more. Still, I think the whole campaign thing Dove is doing is refreshing.
I love how everyone tries to brush aside the issues raised by this video by saying "Axe is aimed at men, Dove at women." Since when has television become gender segregated? Don't we all have an equal chance of seeing either set of commercials, regardless of our gender?
I would love to see you people defending a commercial with people in blackface by saying, "Oh, that's aimed at white people, so it's chill..."
I knew they were from the same company but thanks for making a great video to show people.Dawnrobins even if those girls were real only two percent of women in the world naturally look like that. (the women in the Axe commercial are rare). And why should women have to compare themselves to a woman who is in the 98th percentile of the way women look in the world. Many people don't compare how much monay they have to the people on the forbs 500 list, why should women do basically the same.
LOL anyone could figure out that they are both put out by the same brand (Unilever that also owns hundred of other brands)...they don't exactly hide it. Axe has its own advertising and so does Dove. PEOPLE don't believe everything you read without researching it first....
LOL, the women in the Axe ad aren't 'unrealistically proportioned'. 'Unrealistic' would mean that they had ALL been altered in some way. They looked pretty damn real to me. Perhaps some fake boobs here and there, but looking like that is completely realistic and achievable. In still-photos that are completely retouched using photoshop, stretched and morphed into something else completely, THAT is 'unrealistic'.
I think the point a lot of people here are trying to make is that despite dove's positive intentions and ideas, people see their commercials as a farce. If they were truly commited to social change their parent company would demand the same advertising standards with all their other products. Alas, they are a company trying to make money. It is us, the public and the consumers that have to demand change.
"definitely not a feminist" keeps deleting my comment so somebody else answer this one PLEASE:
Non-feminists LIKE having a wage gap? Non-feminists neither know nor care that the US is NOT one of the top 10 countries in which to be a woman? I'm sorry, this is like having a black woman tell me she is definitely not anti-rascist -- because racism is not a problem! And then she keeps deleting my comments :(
How the hell am I deleting your comments?? And by saying"definitely not a feminist," I am merely implying that I believe gender discrimination is no longer a huge problem. It's annoying when people constantly look for discrimination where there is none. Don't create an issue where there isn't one. If you are getting paid less, there MIGHT be another reason than your gender. It's like playing the race card too much. AN EXCUSE. People don't like annoying combative people of either gender.
Yes you are absolutely right and I'm just combative -- women all over the world have it good but just don't know it :( - if women are still getting flogged and stoned or left to fend for themselves as they die of AIDS in other parts of the world besides your little white bread corner, it must be their own damn fault :( If little girls get molested or woman are still considered property of their fathers or husbands, they must deserve it somehow.
You think I'm some frumpy underpaid man-hater? Who's being smug and judgemental? I'm a mother with daughters, who wants a better world for ALL children. Still think everything A-OK? Try reading the paper or something and not just watching W tv.
BTW unilever is an equal opportunity offender with their Fair and Lovely skin lightener ads, prob the most classless mix or racism and sexism you could hope to find, aimed squarely at disadvantaged people in developing countries.
You speak of the lovely skin lightener ads, I hope that you are also against the skin darkening ads promonant througout the West. You must also me against tanning. (I hope so, because if you aren't, that would make you a hipocrite)
... at least ads for self-tanner don't promise to get you a better job :(
And I'm not antagonistic, just disgusted with the sleazy marketing techniques of multinational companies. And the mindless drive to consume PRODUCT without ever stopping to question its origin or even its necessity. Particularly offensive are those relatively affluent people so wrapped up in themselves that they collectively spend billions in "self-improvement" when they could make a real difference instead :(
You know what? I completely agree with you. Well developed countries ARE based on consumerizim, the whole damn country runs off of it. But everyone has a part in it, even you. If you buy Kleenex, shampoo (of ANY company), fricken toilet paper, or ANY product (even necessities) for that matter, you are contributing to this industry that you hate so much.
The only way to avoid taking any blame, is to become a hermit and live off of the fat of the land.
Actually - hippies aren't really dead, just grateful roflmao
But we each have a multiplicity of choices to make a difference. Or not. We can choose to take an interest in the condition and well-being of our environs and our fellow travellers. Or not. We can vote with our dollars. We can choose to do work that is beneficial for all.
"Choose wisely" ... I do too wipe my ass but did spend 6 yrs planting trees and now I try to use recycled paper ;)
It's true that a lot of women might use the "sexual discrimination" card a little too much when in priveleged positions, however, for the most part; men still have it better than women. It's a fact. I don't have the statistics at hand, but globally they are astounding. Extreme feminism is annoying, yes, but feminism itself is a worthy cause, even today. Personally, I prefer more to think of myself as an "equalitist," if men are being discriminated against then I am just as inclined to speak up.
This is Marketing 101. Women won't buy something just because you show them some boobs.
So Dove is feeding on our chronic low self-esteem to suggest that, merely by purchasing the product, I could instantly become a trend-setting natural beauty, rebelling against a world of sexist expectations. Whatever.
HOW ABOUT A QUALITY PRODUCT INSTEAD???? I buy paraben-free cruelty-free products personally and if you delete this comment again, then I will just repost it.
i think the dove campaign is a load of crap i understand what they are doing is to make young women feel better about they way they look and expressing that beauty is more then skin deep. they say embrace your fair skin yet they push you to buy there fake tan???? where is the sense in that and again they say wobbly bits make u u (cellulite) yeat they push u to buy skin firming cream to reduce cellulite. this campaign is just a giant marketing schem. its an absolute load of crap!!
Axe is targeted towards men, not women. What Dove is talking about is commercials and ads targeted at women and girls telling them what they should look like. (Ads about perfect women, coming from "perfect women") They are telling you that you should be like them, and if you are not that you better "fix" it.
A Very insigtful video. thank you. I have one pooint to make on this topic and that is that i aggree with some posts here. That yes dove is owned by the same brand, but PR campainists do what they can to make money regardless of hypocrisy.
Well live in a consumist world, where people take what they can get. The media has created a false image in order to sell things and htis is no new concept. So whatever other unilever companies are doing. As said before. Kudos to dove.
WOW. Could this BE any more ironic? I'm definitely not a feminist, but AXE and its commercials have always disgusted me, that hideously cheap sketchy smell, and those unbelievably misogynistic commercials. But kudos to Dove for trying at least...can't blame them for the roid fuel that drives their fellow subsidiary.
I like the fact that Dove has opened the line of communication about this topic. Yes Unilever sells Axe (which BTW is not geared towards female consumers but male consumers). It is not Dove's fault for being owned by Unilever, and Dove's marketing agent does not represent Axe. Axe has their own marketing agency...
We shouldn't be so mindless about commercials, Dove is trying to break away from the "norm", we should applaud it, not criticize it!!!
Wow. I loved the onslaught commercial, standing alone. But I believe Dove is hypocritical, at the same time. Won't go into why, but I didn't know about this connection. Very well done and informative. Thanks for sharing!
I think Dove commercials are good... However, I've never believed they do it for our good, only to show themselves as a "decent", "honest" "understanding" and "reliable" company. (off course, it's not the only company doing so).
Look, whether what you`re saying is true or not doesn`t really matter. Okay, so the company isn`t perfect, but atleast they made the effort to make a commercial like that!! And its true as well! The idea of beauty these days is just awful. Bratz dolls and Barbies are just male fantasies of what they think girls should be like. Errrr, WRONG! I support Dove on this one.
... if unilever was REALLY concerned about my well-being they would eliminate the use of carcinogenic chemicals - such as paraben and sodium lauryl sulfate - not try to supply one pathetic stereotype with another : "natural beauty = sedentary flab in an athletic bra"
... right up there with the hypocrisy of Monsanto-sponsored Pink Ribbon Campaign: "feel good fundraising for cancer caused by our toxic chemicals" - please wake up ladies!
And not only that, Unilever also owns fair and lovely, the company that makes skin-lightening creams that hane a wide market in in Aisa, parcticularly south Asia.
The same company that tells girls in Asia that dark skin is ugly.
I've been to the Philippines several times and drug stores and malls over there are infested with skin whitening products. Even Filipino and Filipina celebrities and even news anchors are mostly light-skinned. Guys seem to have less pressure on them--it's seen as okay if a guy has darker skin, but it's seen as ugly for a girl.
While it's true Dove is owned by Unilever, they are not controlled by Unilever, and do not control the other companies owned and/or operated by Unilever. Dove is an independent company, promoting a little bit of self-esteem, regardless of who legally owns them.
But the point of Dove's (Unilever) ad was to raise self beauty awareness. Axe (also Unilever)is not saying that women arent beautiful or are just playthings, but truly and honestly aimed at different consumer markets.
I think the Axe commercial was meant to be somewhat of a joke. I mean, who seriously believes Axe will have that effect. It's like a commercial for a woman's perfume where it starts raining men the moment she puts it on. Still, the juxtaposition of the two themes is rather ironic, isn't it?
That's it, I'm going hippy. No more TV, no more products with a bar code, no more mind control! No more Internet! No more the pr0ns? No more Intrenet flame w4rz? No more illegal MP3s and ads for 4 hour boners? And I have to wear a tinfoil hat? *shrug* That didn't last long, at least.
Yeah, but men have bizarre fantasy lives that lead them to believe they look like George Clooney when they look like a boozed up Rowan Atkinson. Living under this delusion, they believe they deserve and can get women that look like the ones in this ad. If they are, by some quirk of genetic happenstance NOT one of those men, then they are not stupid enough to buy Axe body spray. Meanwhile, normal to gorgeous women still have to look better than good in order to advance in their careers.
SO thats all great and all and for all i know it's truth. But, here's the thing, what dove did was also tell the truth about ads and media. whether hypocritical or not, truth is truth and all the tens who watched that video probably weren't thinking "hmm.. I think I'll go buy some SOAP now". They were made aware of the lies that are being put in theri heads everytime they buy a magaziene or look at a billboard or turn on the televioson.
Sorry but I think this argument against Dove is flawed. Axe is a man's product and their advertising is not trying to make viewers believe the product will make women more beautiful or give them better skin.
I completely agree that I don't like to see Axe using women in their advertising in this way!
i think this video is hilariouse this is one of the best things i have ever seen. It has actualy led me to start marketing my beverage brand in a similare way. Drink my produtc and you will be rich famouse smart healthy happy. Garenteeded slight sideaffects may ensue
We live in a time when only a handful of companies own everything, from news networks, TV shows, clothing lines, music industries, beauty products, etc. So it is not surprising that Dove would be owned by the same company that owns Axe, just as it wouldn't be surprising if they were both owned by the same company that markets Trojan condoms(hypothetically). It doesn't detract from the message.
It doesn't detract from the message? If you think it doesn't matter that Unilever's ultimately saying this, you're kidding yourself.
Simple example. Certainly we all should be honest, right? But would the call to be honest sound more authentic coming out of Richard Nixon or Jimmy Carter's mouth?
as you are both talking about the age we live in your comparison is rather out of date as a member of the new generation i have no idea who your talking about.
that's like asking your master to beat you with a softer whip. or to, "not leave any marks."
after such an astute visual critique, how can you possibly go out like that?
Unilever ( check the *name* - "universal lever(age) ) is a MACHINE. it cannot be appealed to or argued with. it can only be broken, sabotaged or walked away from.
until we make our own soap and stop eating the processed foods that make us reek...
I think it has something to do with the fact that Axe is specificly targeted at men and teenaged boys, and not girls. The Axe ads basicly are a guy's wetdream of sorts, a hope that the Axe products will cause that effect to women. They don't intend on it to be a example for women.
You really think Axe's marketing doesn't have an effect on women? Women already get pounded with the message that they need to be like the women in the commercial in other places. This stuff just perpetuates the problem.
Intention and effect are two entirely different things; and that's assuming the intention is pure, which I highly doubt in this case
Well if girls had a higher image of themselves, maybe they would think they look better than the girls in advertisements.I have girlfriends that think this way. And who's to say that looks are everything?
I agree with you there. Both Dove and Axe products are trying to sell self confidence, and use different methods depending on their target audience. However, the Axe commercials don't really do much positive, since they just perpetuate this unrealistic image of a woman, and basically say, "Buy this because it will make women that look like THIS go after you. And women that look like THIS are what you really want, right?"
They are really not underestimating anyone. They couldn't care less about peoples' IQs unless your attorney is taking them to court. It is a company which is trying to do its job, and it is apparently doing it the best it can. You should concentrate your views more on society, which really influence the appeals the company makes.
AXE is targeting a certain margin of BOYS here- real MEN would laugh at this ad. Boys will learn what really interests women later. Even though the same company makes DOVE products, I think it's great that they are making positive currents on girls' self esteem- girls will learn to laugh at this video too b/c it is SO ridiculous. AND they will realize if I guy really wants to smell good, he won't buy a grocery store spray.
That's not entirely true, I know adults who use Axe bodysprays. And, if it's targetted at boys, isn't that just making it worse, because they are teaching boys at a young age how women should be viewed?
well, you must remember, even though the company has a part in the influence as well, it's really the person who determines where anything goes. If there is really any problem with anything here, it is society, not the companies, who usually try to appeal to society's IDEALS. nuff said.
Even more interesting...Dove is owned by Unilever which owns a40% share in the Fair and Lovely company that promotes bleaching and whitening creams in India and the East.
If the fact that this conflicting agenda doesnt shout out to a person that we are being used, laughed at, made money off of while being patronized....well, whatever, it is sad. And it is exactly what decades of dumbing and numbing down by television has accomplished.
The Onslaught commercial is directed towards the onslaught women face in the media in general: constantly being bombarded with images of hypersexualized women. Its not like women suddenly go blind when a commercial for mens deoderant comes on.
I think the reason they do this and think they can get away with it, is because they underestimate the common viewers intelligence. They think we are too stupid and mesmerized by television to notice or care. Which is mainly true.
If its mainly true, then how are they underestimating common intelligence.? the general public is generally stupid. its sad how any stupid person can go on a website and spark a stupid debate over hype they don't have the facts and concept of to support it.
I just saw this on CNN and they said that dove and axe or unilever have the same ad staff. they also said that unilever says the ax ads are a "spoof" or joke. so if it is a "spoof" is it fair to say the dove ads about real beauty is a "spoof" aswell. I think the message is good but not when pared with the sexist axe ads. practice what you preach unilever!!
Hypocrisy is real. It should serve to discredit the messenger. What if PETA funded slaughterhouses? What if a Christian organization funded violent films and pornography? What if the NAACP funded the KKK? What if your local government funded criminals? Isn't it a problem when an organization supports two diametrically opposed ideas?
that's true. but what this video is basicaly saying is that the onslaught video has no message, just because it is funded by the same company that axe belongs too. but like dreamsofoddity says, the dove campaign and axe probably have an entirely different marketing staff. the onslaught video has a really good message for young girls. i don't think it should be ignored just for the sake of discrediting.
As you say, Dove's actual aim is to sell products. Therefore, one would have to be naive to think that it is "making amends," rather this is a PR move with the calculated intent to sell more products. Nothing more. And nothing worthy of praise, except perhaps as a "smart business decision."
If a crack dealer donated some of his profits to rehab clinics, would you have words of praise for him, too?
You say they're owned by the same company, but I doubt they have the same marketing people for Dove and Axe lol. I'm sure Dove are doing all they can to put pressure on Axe and vice versa.
Dove and Axe are owned by the same parent corporation--Unilever--and it is financially beneficial for each of them to claim distinct "niches" in the market. Dove can pretend to be sensitive while Axe exploits sexuality, and they each make money while not directly competing against one another.
so what are you saying? That Dove should also stick to making sexist commercials that portray women as being sex objects? At least they are making an effort in calling on the view that women shouldn't lower them self to look like how the media wants them to. Which is more then i can say for many other companies. Besides Axe and Dove have no real connection other then they are owned by the same company. And that has no relevancy to the message that DOVE is trying to spread with this campaign.
so what are you saying ireytha? surely youre not so stupid that you cant decide how to portray yourself to the public. do you really need dove to let you know you are free to dress how you want to? and btw, being owned by the same company is a very big connection, and other "real connections" as you put them, arent really necessary.
Please, since you're obviously such an expert on the topic of business, could you enlighten us on the "very big connection" that exists by virtue of these companies having the same owner? I would be FASCINATED to hear of the "very big connections" that exist between the 400+ brands that are all owned by Unilever. I mean, SURELY all of these companies must be personally overseen by the same small group of executives, right??
first of all, get a life and stop checking posts you replied at for responses. second of all, yes, they are directing their advertising in both ways because most people dont know that they are owned by the same company, are to lazy to check, and they get more customers this way. are you such a dip shit that you think either one has a personal interest in anything except money?
It's more than obvious that both companies are ultimately motivated by profit, and I'd appreciate if you didn't put words in my mouth. Now I'm still waiting to hear about these "very big connections" between Axe and Dove, and about this evil capitalist conspiracy to trick everyone into buying Unilever's products. Although I guess I shouldn't expect an answer - after all, you're much too cool to "check posts you replied at for responses," right? No sir, you would never do that...
im emailed to check, but that was a response to someone else. cut the hostilities, ive nothing against you. and besides, the commercial is showing that a company is advertising two opposing and contradicting things, things that contradict what the company itself said, damaging its validity. and all advertising wants to trick you into thinking you need their product if they dont already. doesnt need to be connotated negatively
so what are you saying? That Dove should also stick to making sexist videos that portray a womens body as a play thing? At least Dove is making an effort to call on the view that women shouldn't have to change them self to what media wants them to be. Which is a lot more then i can say for many other companies.
the cynic in me is not surprised - they are marketers and they will tell us what they think we want to hear. i think that as consumers if you disagree or are conflicted that they (Unilever) are trying to "suck and blow" at the same time then put them in the penalty box. Don't buy the product and tell others to do the same.
sociopathic behavior uses peoples passions emotions what not to get them buy do whatever, all the big CEOs, heads of businesses, well, alot of em are sociopathic.
I think this video makes an interesting point. While I think that at least Dove are making a statement with Onslaught and Evolution, the discrepancies between those ads and Axe's show that there is a long, long way to go.
lol sorry theres a big difference on doves and axe, main subject of dove is to support teens, axe its just a commercial that haves nothing to do with dove campain
What's the point of this video? So they're owned by the same company. So what? Does that mean some evil capitalist smoking a fat cigar sat behind his big desk and personally ordered both sets of commercials? Get real, dipshit. The two companies have no meaningful connection to each other beyond a common corporate owner.
To add on, just that Unilever owns both companies does not mean Axe and Dove are working hand in hand. They're still competing for more profits. While Dove may have this pro-natural direction, Axe has another. Unilever does not (i believe) play a pivotal role in their company direction.
So all this video highlights is the difference between the two companies. It does not mean Dove is being hypocritical.
Dove is surprisingly silent about the fact that Oprah had Cathie Black as her guest last week. Cathie heads up both the O magazine and Cosmo...along with 17 other publications worldwide.
All you people defending the Dove campaign... Your chance to buy another illusion has arrived.. Dove's New Firming Cream.
Its interesting, but even if they are being hypocritical, at least they're doing something about trying to build teenagers/women's self-esteem. And a little can go a long way, even if its just educating that the women in their other adverts are fake.
This comment has received too many negative votesshow
Seems to me, that who ever spent their time putting this together should spend a little more time in the real world, maybe do something useful, or even helpful rather than panning an advert/ viral whatever it is, which actually speaks some sense!
Ramble, I think the Dove ads also assume that women are stupid the same way the Axe ad does. Women turning bulimic while looking at CK ads is just like saying black people are gonna be illiterate because of L'il Jon. I'm sure 51% of the population (girls) realize the buffer or caveat that the thing they see on the TV or computer screen should stay there and not in the real world.
I think the advert actually addresses some of the issues girls of today face -- just look at the magazine they read! it doesn't really matter who is giving out the message, the point is parents should be talking to their daughters before the media does, on every thing!
Unilever also makes Fair and Lovely and Ponds' "White Beauty" skin lightening creams, which are largely sold in India. The marketing for those products is based on the assertion that darker skin is a flaw that needs to be corrected.
Isn't every beauty product marketed to correct a flaw, real or perceived? Unilever makes self-tanning creams, too; one could say the marketing for those products is based on the assertion that LIGHTER skin is a flaw that needs to be corrected. Should Unilever choose one and say "We've decided that it's okay to want darker skin, but wanting lighter skin is wrong"?
I don't denigrate my white friends for craving/obtaining darker skin through spray tans and creams.
I wasn't denigrating dark-skinned people who use skin lighteners. I was criticizing million-dollare marketing campaigns that brainwash people into thinking light skin is "better" than dark skin.
I hope you have equal disdain for Mystic Tan spray-tan salons and the like, because that industry is far more widespread yet somehow more socially acceptable than wanting lighter skin. Where's your concern for those poor white folk people brainwashed into thinking dark skin is "better" than light skin?
whats the name of the song played?
channel4736 3 months ago
Don't kill the messenger - the tobacco companies are also educating about the dangers of cigarette smoking, etc etc---those of us who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones - NOBODY has it all together - BUT any attempt to speak the truth is better then nothing to combat the lies in the media. Get off your high horse>
eahvideo57 1 year ago
A potential oversight: Unilever buys already existing companies--the people who design these ad campaigns are completely independent from each other. It is not fundamental hypocrisy of Unilever. Dove and Axe work independently.
juliarosestephen 1 year ago
Were all sex objects lets party!
BASSAROVER 1 year ago
I see a lot of people saying, "Dove is targeting women, Axe is targeting men, what's the problem?" but isn't important to portray women positively to both sexes? It's not fair to "empower" women and then go behind their back and give a message to men that says women aren't worthwhile unless they fit into a certain cultural mold of attractiveness - and even then, of course, they're only good for sex.
sukeybeth 2 years ago
1. What you say is simply ideology. That kind of ideas can only exist in a fluffy perfect world where the sun has a big smile. It doesn't occur in reality. The Axe commercials aren't telling woman how to look like. It never says they're only good for sex, ever.
2. It might support "real" beauty, but it's still a REAL business, and business is strictly to make money, and not to bring sunshine to the world.
We always talk about the way the world should be, but we ourselves wont ever do it.
Pariahx9 2 years ago
Well, I'm an idealist, and I'm not speaking of things the way they are, but rather, the way they should be. Sure, reality sucks. I know that. And of course Axe ads don't explicitly tell women what to look like. It's all implicit. I've never seen an overweight woman in an Axe ad.
I talk about the way the world should be, yes. And I also don't buy any Unilever products, among other things. I also know other people who boycott these products. So you're not speaking for everybody when you say 'we'.
sukeybeth 2 years ago 2
No, I didn't mean the whole world when I said we. But Dove is a multi-millioin dollar company which makes more money a second than most people make in a year.
I'm not an idealist..i would love the world to be the way you described..I'm a realist..and in reality..main stream is always going to pressure girls into looking thin...
and it's perfectly normal for woman to want to look like that..
we cannot expect them to be happy with themselves because..how many people ever are? Sadly, not many.
Pariahx9 2 years ago
PariahX9, as a student in a Business Ethics class the perception and role of business has changed significantly from being based on profits for owners to being based on Stakeholder awareness and Profits. So actually, your jaded opnion is wrong about business today in general.
If Axe continues to do what they are doing and if the general public and other shareholders do not approve, they will have to adapt or die.
sheerterror77 2 years ago
Dove is appealing to women's insecurities and Axe to men's desire to just attract women by spraying cheap body spray. Judging from all the cheap stinky men and bitchy women... I'd say it works.
TinaWund 2 years ago
You seem to think that only women are marketed to based on Insecurity. Most ads for hygeine are based on some kind of insecurity. To sell products advertisers create an illusion of a need and then play on the insecurities that arise from a percieved need.
Perhaps Axes plays on male insecurity when it comes to attracting "desirable" women. If you even want to call the ones in those commercials women.
We're not debating whether it works or not, they're talking about unintended side affects.
sheerterror77 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
dove is marketed towards women. Axe towards men. Are we really supposed to be shocked that they appeal to different agendas? The corporation that owns these properties exists to make profit.
As an aside I believe its incorrect to state that the AXE commercial portrays women as sex objects. I think if you look at it objectively its actually the other way around. Its the man that is hunted in this commercial. Its only because of our cultural double standard that we ignore the him being an object.
wellyes 3 years ago
I dunno what's worse, the fact that the company is doing this, or that everyone is taking a commercial a too seriously.
And on that note, I have a bridge for sale, contact me if interested.
klewis511 3 years ago
You are aware that Axe is a different sect of Unilever than dove is, right? As in, two separate groups that have completely different motives and ideas.
Yeah, real good job there.
IdiocyKills 3 years ago
And secondly, the Dove and Axe adverts would be also displayed in different programming times, for example Axe during a Football game and Dove during a show which women watch more often than men for example Oprah!
343flightattendant 3 years ago
Axe ads play during shows that me and my boyfriend used to like to watch when we had cable, like adult swim.
I don't watch Oprah. I don't watch lifetime. Women have diverse interests and many who will feel offended by this blatant womanizing are going to see this.
Me and my boyfriend boycott Axe because of their insensitive, perverse advertising schemes.
sheerterror77 2 years ago
Dove and Axe are just two labels of the MANY under the Unilever Parent. Just because they are both owned by the same parent company does not mean that they are in any way affiliated. So i do not know why it is such a big deal!
343flightattendant 3 years ago
over here in the UK, AXE is called LYNX and i actually saw a billboard advert the other day for it that merely said "WEAR LYNX - GET WOMEN"
so you can easily see the type of men the product is aimed for.
pinkally1986 3 years ago 2
if this is true, i am extremely ticked off.
mklovestetras 3 years ago 5
i have always boycotted AXE (being a girl, i don't buy it myself, but i forbid it in my household and strongly urged my guyfriends to purchase a different brand). but this is interesting and sad. regardless of their two faced, money hungry, pig headed, marketing. the Dove commercials still bring truth in them. Good can come bad. while i don't really buy much dove products, i appreciate their commercials.
Peachesandsushi 3 years ago 3
regardless of their two faced, money hungry, pig headed, marketing. the Dove commercials still bring truth in them. Good can come bad.
should read:
Regardless of their two faced, money hungry, pig headed, marketing department, the Dove commercials still have truth in them. some Good can come out of something bad.
(i apologize for my incompetence in typing and grammar)
Peachesandsushi 3 years ago 3
You're no filmmaker... couldn't you get that message across without the 50 intertitles? it's a visual medium, use the image like they did to rebuff their message, don't lecture us, you're worse than them.
kieranaway 3 years ago
Kieran, I don't know if you haven't noticed yet, but this is Youtube. Its a place where ameteurs can upload videos for whatever reason they want.
Were you expecting everyone who has a message to have professional multimedia software? Get real! I don't need pretty pictures to understand a message and poor format won't affect my evaluation of that message.
Thank you for your elitism and superficiality, have a nice day.
sheerterror77 2 years ago
MONEY TALKS.
dynastychick3 3 years ago
Los de Dove ganando los millones y nosotros aqui discutiendo...
A ellos lo unico que les interesa es vender y ganar dinero. No les interesa si eres gorda, flaca, joven o vieja. Ni tampoco les interesan los hombres acomplejados que creen que por usar axe ya van a tener el sequito de mujeres a sus pies. Es mera cuestion de mercadotecnia y publicidad.
maragglez 3 years ago
axe is for men,
dove is for women.
men like the axe commercials, all guys like half dressed women.
women like the dove commercials because they're about self-esteem.
lovely911 3 years ago
Thank you for posting this! I knew about Axe and Dove a long time ago (and have boycotted the product ever since), and I get so annoyed by people praising them. The bottom line is that they are a company and they are trying to sell a product. They do NOT give a S### about a woman's image....although it would have been nice if it did not say "unrealistic proportions" -.-
Verge099 3 years ago 2
Oh my gush!
Dove sucks?!
steemtv 3 years ago
Just because they're owned by the same company doesn't mean they'd have the same marketing teams. I really don't see what the big deal is.
PandyFackleresque 3 years ago
exactly. dove is marketed toward women. axe is marketed toward men. i think both teams have figured out ads that are effective in their target audience. yay for them. personally, i'm glad dove is using "healthy women" imagery to sell products. it's more interesting.
belovedamore 3 years ago
I disagree. Just because the promotion of dove and axe is run by different people it's 'a ok'. Axe ads have always repulsed me. They're no better than those 'Bud: Skanks in short shorts camp' advertisements and it's important for people to know that the self-esteem fund is run by a company (unilever) that is responsible for the axe ads (if only by approving them).
sylviasoven 3 years ago 3
I'd be wary of any company's foundation if the cause went against the corporate goal: Increase profits. If Dove were to actually do anything significant to improve self-esteem in females (which most women can relate to)it would substantially lower their profit margin. However, if they came up with a marketing facade appearing to attempt to negate the effects of the beauty industry, without doing much more than promoting self esteem sleepovers. Then, dove seems angelic and voila profits increase.
sylviasoven 3 years ago 3
While I agree with the fact this is hypocritical. It makes me angry,"Unrealistically proportioned"? Those women are real. No not everyone is going to look like that. But please, as a girl who has 35 hips, a 25 inch waist, and a 30E(32DD)cup. This hurts a lot more than you might notice.
ThePyrex 3 years ago
By 'unrealistically proportioned' people just mean that the adverts use women of a shape that is unattainable by the majority of women. It doesn't mean you're a freak, in fact it means you're probably above average attractiveness. However, that doesn't change the fact that promoting that sort of figure as the norm is irresponsible and puts a lot of women in danger.
AKALucifer 3 years ago 4
why do i not feel suprised- sickened- but not suprised?
PINKcassettes 3 years ago 12
I knew that Dove wouldn't be the 'solution' just because they were making a moral-looking advert - They're big business and I don't trust them anymore than any other - They're all the same: They're all out to make money and they don't care at what cost their customers are making.
EllenRebecca3 3 years ago
No, the man is not the sex object, he's the subject.
The subject looks; the object receives the look.
The women in their skimpy bikinis are meant to be looked at, and thus are the objects... Just as women have been ever since ancient history. So much for progress.
captainangie 3 years ago 5
That's an excellent point, although it's arguable that he's the sex-object as well to the heterosexual female and homosexual male audience at home looking at him. Both genders are subjects and sex-objects in this advert.
EllenRebecca3 3 years ago
Captainangie, it's not true that women have always been the most objectified; the Greeks used to appreciate the male form much more then the female form.
AKALucifer 3 years ago
even if the guy is the "sex object" in the axe ads, its not the point of this video--the video is demonstrating that the dove ads are being contradicted by the way women are portrayed in the axe ads...
funkykunky 3 years ago 3
I think this is not correct. on the AXE ads, the sex object is the man! not the woman! :P
tomanar 3 years ago
That completely misses the point. The axe campaign is a focus on the guy being a sex object....like the coke ads - the only difference being that the women are fully dressed..
If we're going to call brands on their activity, we could at least make a fair and logical comparison.
burnsysings 3 years ago 2
its called marketing hon. they make ads, you buy, they make money.
Abcflc 3 years ago
YOU FORGOT TO MENTION, dove's sister company is also SLIMFAST.
by unilever.
dalucioni 3 years ago 2
they aren't. they happen to be OWNED by a company that also owns axe, but i believe they are trying to not let it be that way.
and besides. men are usually sex-craving pervs, so if you worked for a company that only sells to men, i think it's a little obvious why.
whiteboiyproductions 3 years ago
thank you
jpepine99 3 years ago
I NEVER KNEW THAT!
NO! DOVE!
mgvwolf 3 years ago
Well, they still have product to sell. Yeah, I hate those axe advertisements, but you can't really expect them to go out of business on principle alone. If they are going to do bad, they may as well do some good as well. It's not all black and white. Hypocrisy? Yeah, the world is full of it. Get used to it.
heliobacter20 3 years ago
Also, it's the guy who's the sex object in the Axe ad.
gregwithnail 3 years ago
He's the SUBJECT. The women are still the objects. Double standards. Our culture is going to hell.
dynastychick3 2 years ago 5
Great video. I like the idea of what the Dove commercials are doing, but I find it hypocritical that they're an advertisement in itself...trying to sell their beauty product. And now this video just proves what I was thinking even more. Still, I think the whole campaign thing Dove is doing is refreshing.
fivergirl 3 years ago
I love how everyone tries to brush aside the issues raised by this video by saying "Axe is aimed at men, Dove at women." Since when has television become gender segregated? Don't we all have an equal chance of seeing either set of commercials, regardless of our gender?
I would love to see you people defending a commercial with people in blackface by saying, "Oh, that's aimed at white people, so it's chill..."
BrezhnevIsMyCoPilot 3 years ago 2
The problem is straight out contradiction of message.
CybernautZero 3 years ago
I knew they were from the same company but thanks for making a great video to show people.Dawnrobins even if those girls were real only two percent of women in the world naturally look like that. (the women in the Axe commercial are rare). And why should women have to compare themselves to a woman who is in the 98th percentile of the way women look in the world. Many people don't compare how much monay they have to the people on the forbs 500 list, why should women do basically the same.
sharlatte12 3 years ago
LOL anyone could figure out that they are both put out by the same brand (Unilever that also owns hundred of other brands)...they don't exactly hide it. Axe has its own advertising and so does Dove. PEOPLE don't believe everything you read without researching it first....
csgrcookie33 3 years ago
LOL, the women in the Axe ad aren't 'unrealistically proportioned'. 'Unrealistic' would mean that they had ALL been altered in some way. They looked pretty damn real to me. Perhaps some fake boobs here and there, but looking like that is completely realistic and achievable. In still-photos that are completely retouched using photoshop, stretched and morphed into something else completely, THAT is 'unrealistic'.
dawnrobins 3 years ago
Axe is aimed at men and Dove is aiming at women. i think the Dove campaign is excellent.
catherine3482 4 years ago
Women still see the images and are influenced by the ideals in the ad (including the aesthetic ideal for women promoted in the Axe ad).
ow200 3 years ago
I think the point a lot of people here are trying to make is that despite dove's positive intentions and ideas, people see their commercials as a farce. If they were truly commited to social change their parent company would demand the same advertising standards with all their other products. Alas, they are a company trying to make money. It is us, the public and the consumers that have to demand change.
carmensandiegan 4 years ago 2
"definitely not a feminist" keeps deleting my comment so somebody else answer this one PLEASE:
Non-feminists LIKE having a wage gap? Non-feminists neither know nor care that the US is NOT one of the top 10 countries in which to be a woman? I'm sorry, this is like having a black woman tell me she is definitely not anti-rascist -- because racism is not a problem! And then she keeps deleting my comments :(
stellabloo 4 years ago
How the hell am I deleting your comments?? And by saying"definitely not a feminist," I am merely implying that I believe gender discrimination is no longer a huge problem. It's annoying when people constantly look for discrimination where there is none. Don't create an issue where there isn't one. If you are getting paid less, there MIGHT be another reason than your gender. It's like playing the race card too much. AN EXCUSE. People don't like annoying combative people of either gender.
skiingsophie 3 years ago
Yes you are absolutely right and I'm just combative -- women all over the world have it good but just don't know it :( - if women are still getting flogged and stoned or left to fend for themselves as they die of AIDS in other parts of the world besides your little white bread corner, it must be their own damn fault :( If little girls get molested or woman are still considered property of their fathers or husbands, they must deserve it somehow.
stellabloo 3 years ago
You think I'm some frumpy underpaid man-hater? Who's being smug and judgemental? I'm a mother with daughters, who wants a better world for ALL children. Still think everything A-OK? Try reading the paper or something and not just watching W tv.
BTW unilever is an equal opportunity offender with their Fair and Lovely skin lightener ads, prob the most classless mix or racism and sexism you could hope to find, aimed squarely at disadvantaged people in developing countries.
stellabloo 3 years ago
You speak of the lovely skin lightener ads, I hope that you are also against the skin darkening ads promonant througout the West. You must also me against tanning. (I hope so, because if you aren't, that would make you a hipocrite)
Zackerybob 3 years ago
... at least ads for self-tanner don't promise to get you a better job :(
And I'm not antagonistic, just disgusted with the sleazy marketing techniques of multinational companies. And the mindless drive to consume PRODUCT without ever stopping to question its origin or even its necessity. Particularly offensive are those relatively affluent people so wrapped up in themselves that they collectively spend billions in "self-improvement" when they could make a real difference instead :(
stellabloo 3 years ago
You know what? I completely agree with you. Well developed countries ARE based on consumerizim, the whole damn country runs off of it. But everyone has a part in it, even you. If you buy Kleenex, shampoo (of ANY company), fricken toilet paper, or ANY product (even necessities) for that matter, you are contributing to this industry that you hate so much.
The only way to avoid taking any blame, is to become a hermit and live off of the fat of the land.
Zackerybob 3 years ago
Actually - hippies aren't really dead, just grateful roflmao
But we each have a multiplicity of choices to make a difference. Or not. We can choose to take an interest in the condition and well-being of our environs and our fellow travellers. Or not. We can vote with our dollars. We can choose to do work that is beneficial for all.
"Choose wisely" ... I do too wipe my ass but did spend 6 yrs planting trees and now I try to use recycled paper ;)
stellabloo 3 years ago
LOL, yeah, at least you've done more in 6 years than most people will ever do in an eternity.
Zackerybob 3 years ago
It's true that a lot of women might use the "sexual discrimination" card a little too much when in priveleged positions, however, for the most part; men still have it better than women. It's a fact. I don't have the statistics at hand, but globally they are astounding. Extreme feminism is annoying, yes, but feminism itself is a worthy cause, even today. Personally, I prefer more to think of myself as an "equalitist," if men are being discriminated against then I am just as inclined to speak up.
ow200 3 years ago
This is Marketing 101. Women won't buy something just because you show them some boobs.
So Dove is feeding on our chronic low self-esteem to suggest that, merely by purchasing the product, I could instantly become a trend-setting natural beauty, rebelling against a world of sexist expectations. Whatever.
HOW ABOUT A QUALITY PRODUCT INSTEAD???? I buy paraben-free cruelty-free products personally and if you delete this comment again, then I will just repost it.
stellabloo 4 years ago 4
i think the dove campaign is a load of crap i understand what they are doing is to make young women feel better about they way they look and expressing that beauty is more then skin deep. they say embrace your fair skin yet they push you to buy there fake tan???? where is the sense in that and again they say wobbly bits make u u (cellulite) yeat they push u to buy skin firming cream to reduce cellulite. this campaign is just a giant marketing schem. its an absolute load of crap!!
molly3092 4 years ago
Axe is targeted towards men, not women. What Dove is talking about is commercials and ads targeted at women and girls telling them what they should look like. (Ads about perfect women, coming from "perfect women") They are telling you that you should be like them, and if you are not that you better "fix" it.
MeggieK83 4 years ago 2
A Very insigtful video. thank you. I have one pooint to make on this topic and that is that i aggree with some posts here. That yes dove is owned by the same brand, but PR campainists do what they can to make money regardless of hypocrisy.
Well live in a consumist world, where people take what they can get. The media has created a false image in order to sell things and htis is no new concept. So whatever other unilever companies are doing. As said before. Kudos to dove.
Maisie122 4 years ago 3
WOW. Could this BE any more ironic? I'm definitely not a feminist, but AXE and its commercials have always disgusted me, that hideously cheap sketchy smell, and those unbelievably misogynistic commercials. But kudos to Dove for trying at least...can't blame them for the roid fuel that drives their fellow subsidiary.
skiingsophie 4 years ago
i did not know that.
Blahboredom123 4 years ago
I like the fact that Dove has opened the line of communication about this topic. Yes Unilever sells Axe (which BTW is not geared towards female consumers but male consumers). It is not Dove's fault for being owned by Unilever, and Dove's marketing agent does not represent Axe. Axe has their own marketing agency...
We shouldn't be so mindless about commercials, Dove is trying to break away from the "norm", we should applaud it, not criticize it!!!
desbride07 4 years ago 3
I believe that Dove, regardless of the presented hypocrisy, is honorably bearing light on an issue that must be examined.
sagesky12 4 years ago 3
Wow. I loved the onslaught commercial, standing alone. But I believe Dove is hypocritical, at the same time. Won't go into why, but I didn't know about this connection. Very well done and informative. Thanks for sharing!
dynastychick3 4 years ago
Its kind of like how Hot Topic and Hollister are made by the same company. They're kind of opposite clicks. I feel a little betrayed....
iwontdieinthisplace 4 years ago
It's called marketing. Dove is geared towards women, Axe is geared towards men.
gollymissmolly3 4 years ago 2
Unfortunetly I agree. The key is not to fall into the marketing trap, and I have, and millions of others.
dynastychick3 4 years ago
Maybe Dove products are some sort of repel to Axe deodorants?
Idnoww 4 years ago
Unilever would put Hooter girls on the Dove box if it would sell more soap.
kayro14 4 years ago 2
I think Dove commercials are good... However, I've never believed they do it for our good, only to show themselves as a "decent", "honest" "understanding" and "reliable" company. (off course, it's not the only company doing so).
kistrolco 4 years ago
Sure the company also owns axe, but at least they're making an effort to stop girls from worrying about how they look.
vickieg3330 4 years ago 2
Look, whether what you`re saying is true or not doesn`t really matter. Okay, so the company isn`t perfect, but atleast they made the effort to make a commercial like that!! And its true as well! The idea of beauty these days is just awful. Bratz dolls and Barbies are just male fantasies of what they think girls should be like. Errrr, WRONG! I support Dove on this one.
=)
xMissJessiica 4 years ago
... if unilever was REALLY concerned about my well-being they would eliminate the use of carcinogenic chemicals - such as paraben and sodium lauryl sulfate - not try to supply one pathetic stereotype with another : "natural beauty = sedentary flab in an athletic bra"
... right up there with the hypocrisy of Monsanto-sponsored Pink Ribbon Campaign: "feel good fundraising for cancer caused by our toxic chemicals" - please wake up ladies!
stellabloo 4 years ago
But you posting this video was just an excuse to get your company's URL out there. It's all B.S.
fearhasaglare 4 years ago
Dove has little or no control over what other branches of Unilever put out. Unilever owns Dove, not the other way around.
shunthetree 4 years ago 5
Just because the messenger sucks doesnt mean the message does...
ivyb2 4 years ago 12
And not only that, Unilever also owns fair and lovely, the company that makes skin-lightening creams that hane a wide market in in Aisa, parcticularly south Asia.
The same company that tells girls in Asia that dark skin is ugly.
macabregustave 4 years ago 3
And then over here American girls think they need to fry out their skin with a tanning membership to look beautiful. : / *sigh*
w0nderkitty 4 years ago
I've been to the Philippines several times and drug stores and malls over there are infested with skin whitening products. Even Filipino and Filipina celebrities and even news anchors are mostly light-skinned. Guys seem to have less pressure on them--it's seen as okay if a guy has darker skin, but it's seen as ugly for a girl.
gabseschevere 4 years ago
While it's true Dove is owned by Unilever, they are not controlled by Unilever, and do not control the other companies owned and/or operated by Unilever. Dove is an independent company, promoting a little bit of self-esteem, regardless of who legally owns them.
HarmoniousMice 4 years ago 7
Lmfao. Thats pretty good
FmFatal3 4 years ago
Hahaha. Nice.
NibOswald 4 years ago
But the point of Dove's (Unilever) ad was to raise self beauty awareness. Axe (also Unilever)is not saying that women arent beautiful or are just playthings, but truly and honestly aimed at different consumer markets.
andrewtcombs 4 years ago 3
thank you for posting that
bluevanilla 4 years ago
very interest argument, on both sides. I enjoy knowing this, thank you. I feel more educated to dig deeper.
jinx21d 4 years ago
I think the Axe commercial was meant to be somewhat of a joke. I mean, who seriously believes Axe will have that effect. It's like a commercial for a woman's perfume where it starts raining men the moment she puts it on. Still, the juxtaposition of the two themes is rather ironic, isn't it?
TheMathGuy 4 years ago
thanks you for reviling this
animalxproductions 4 years ago
Well done to whoever made this! It was very well edited.
frandarwin 4 years ago
axe ads are designed to sell to men. dove ads are designed to sell to women. end of question. it's just about selling their product to the consumer.
crazygid 4 years ago
I agree with you. but the dove's campaign isn't bad, i think, for women, but for man doesn't matter.
Arthurein 4 years ago
That's it, I'm going hippy. No more TV, no more products with a bar code, no more mind control! No more Internet! No more the pr0ns? No more Intrenet flame w4rz? No more illegal MP3s and ads for 4 hour boners? And I have to wear a tinfoil hat? *shrug* That didn't last long, at least.
kennycreeper 4 years ago
what's the song called?
strawberryxxxunicorn 4 years ago
La Breeze by Simian
DerangedPictures100 4 years ago
Yeah, but men have bizarre fantasy lives that lead them to believe they look like George Clooney when they look like a boozed up Rowan Atkinson. Living under this delusion, they believe they deserve and can get women that look like the ones in this ad. If they are, by some quirk of genetic happenstance NOT one of those men, then they are not stupid enough to buy Axe body spray. Meanwhile, normal to gorgeous women still have to look better than good in order to advance in their careers.
Brashful 4 years ago
SO thats all great and all and for all i know it's truth. But, here's the thing, what dove did was also tell the truth about ads and media. whether hypocritical or not, truth is truth and all the tens who watched that video probably weren't thinking "hmm.. I think I'll go buy some SOAP now". They were made aware of the lies that are being put in theri heads everytime they buy a magaziene or look at a billboard or turn on the televioson.
grantkelsi 4 years ago
Sorry but I think this argument against Dove is flawed. Axe is a man's product and their advertising is not trying to make viewers believe the product will make women more beautiful or give them better skin.
I completely agree that I don't like to see Axe using women in their advertising in this way!
adrianfarr 4 years ago
They also wont tell you they sell toxic products. its all about the ching ching in the end.
Fatal616 4 years ago
i think this video is hilariouse this is one of the best things i have ever seen. It has actualy led me to start marketing my beverage brand in a similare way. Drink my produtc and you will be rich famouse smart healthy happy. Garenteeded slight sideaffects may ensue
colt1144 4 years ago
We live in a time when only a handful of companies own everything, from news networks, TV shows, clothing lines, music industries, beauty products, etc. So it is not surprising that Dove would be owned by the same company that owns Axe, just as it wouldn't be surprising if they were both owned by the same company that markets Trojan condoms(hypothetically). It doesn't detract from the message.
yellowgators 4 years ago 2
It doesn't detract from the message? If you think it doesn't matter that Unilever's ultimately saying this, you're kidding yourself.
Simple example. Certainly we all should be honest, right? But would the call to be honest sound more authentic coming out of Richard Nixon or Jimmy Carter's mouth?
greatwhitehype27 4 years ago
as you are both talking about the age we live in your comparison is rather out of date as a member of the new generation i have no idea who your talking about.
colt1144 4 years ago
"market responsibly?"
that's like asking your master to beat you with a softer whip. or to, "not leave any marks."
after such an astute visual critique, how can you possibly go out like that?
Unilever ( check the *name* - "universal lever(age) ) is a MACHINE. it cannot be appealed to or argued with. it can only be broken, sabotaged or walked away from.
until we make our own soap and stop eating the processed foods that make us reek...
exparts 4 years ago
oops. i didn't realize that this was done by a rival *marketing* company seeking to expl0it another company's virus by splicing.
exparts 4 years ago
Axe smells bad anyway.
3024938 4 years ago
Moral used for MONEY. Sad, but the Dove message is good, what doesn't mean that you gotta buy Dove stuff. Just remember the message :).
monkfg 4 years ago
I think it has something to do with the fact that Axe is specificly targeted at men and teenaged boys, and not girls. The Axe ads basicly are a guy's wetdream of sorts, a hope that the Axe products will cause that effect to women. They don't intend on it to be a example for women.
Rymac91 4 years ago
Rymac,
You really think Axe's marketing doesn't have an effect on women? Women already get pounded with the message that they need to be like the women in the commercial in other places. This stuff just perpetuates the problem.
Intention and effect are two entirely different things; and that's assuming the intention is pure, which I highly doubt in this case
greatwhitehype27 4 years ago
Well if girls had a higher image of themselves, maybe they would think they look better than the girls in advertisements.I have girlfriends that think this way. And who's to say that looks are everything?
andrewtcombs 4 years ago
I agree with you there. Both Dove and Axe products are trying to sell self confidence, and use different methods depending on their target audience. However, the Axe commercials don't really do much positive, since they just perpetuate this unrealistic image of a woman, and basically say, "Buy this because it will make women that look like THIS go after you. And women that look like THIS are what you really want, right?"
SariatheCat 4 years ago
They are really not underestimating anyone. They couldn't care less about peoples' IQs unless your attorney is taking them to court. It is a company which is trying to do its job, and it is apparently doing it the best it can. You should concentrate your views more on society, which really influence the appeals the company makes.
Rhaxma 4 years ago
hey do any of you guys know who sings this cool song??i cant get it outta my head..
*anyone??*
emilouandsam 4 years ago
AXE is targeting a certain margin of BOYS here- real MEN would laugh at this ad. Boys will learn what really interests women later. Even though the same company makes DOVE products, I think it's great that they are making positive currents on girls' self esteem- girls will learn to laugh at this video too b/c it is SO ridiculous. AND they will realize if I guy really wants to smell good, he won't buy a grocery store spray.
betho647 4 years ago
That's not entirely true, I know adults who use Axe bodysprays. And, if it's targetted at boys, isn't that just making it worse, because they are teaching boys at a young age how women should be viewed?
indigothecat 4 years ago 2
well, you must remember, even though the company has a part in the influence as well, it's really the person who determines where anything goes. If there is really any problem with anything here, it is society, not the companies, who usually try to appeal to society's IDEALS. nuff said.
Rhaxma 4 years ago
Even more interesting...Dove is owned by Unilever which owns a40% share in the Fair and Lovely company that promotes bleaching and whitening creams in India and the East.
If the fact that this conflicting agenda doesnt shout out to a person that we are being used, laughed at, made money off of while being patronized....well, whatever, it is sad. And it is exactly what decades of dumbing and numbing down by television has accomplished.
fistik86 4 years ago
Well, I agree with Fessdapfrisc.
Dove is targeted towards women, who have more self-confidence issues.
Also, I am sure that the people who run the Dove marketing are different than the ones running Axe and Sunsilk campaigns.
eringirl88 4 years ago
Well- to defend them, Axe is a men's product. The Dove thing is for WOmen's body language.
FessdapFrisc 4 years ago
The Onslaught commercial is directed towards the onslaught women face in the media in general: constantly being bombarded with images of hypersexualized women. Its not like women suddenly go blind when a commercial for mens deoderant comes on.
I think the reason they do this and think they can get away with it, is because they underestimate the common viewers intelligence. They think we are too stupid and mesmerized by television to notice or care. Which is mainly true.
fistik86 4 years ago 2
Yeah, or most people don't know that Dove and Axe are the same company
FessdapFrisc 4 years ago
Yeah, and consumer unawareness, that too.
fistik86 4 years ago
If its mainly true, then how are they underestimating common intelligence.? the general public is generally stupid. its sad how any stupid person can go on a website and spark a stupid debate over hype they don't have the facts and concept of to support it.
andrewtcombs 4 years ago
I just saw this on CNN and they said that dove and axe or unilever have the same ad staff. they also said that unilever says the ax ads are a "spoof" or joke. so if it is a "spoof" is it fair to say the dove ads about real beauty is a "spoof" aswell. I think the message is good but not when pared with the sexist axe ads. practice what you preach unilever!!
kevin8807 4 years ago
so what if there are conflicting messages within the same company?
some people try to make the world a better place
but then there are people like you that look for ways to discredit those people.
the world isn't all about profit
some people are descent.
no wonder there are still so many anorexic girls; every time theres a campaign to prevent low self esteem people like you come and tear it down.
artemis63 4 years ago
Hypocrisy is real. It should serve to discredit the messenger. What if PETA funded slaughterhouses? What if a Christian organization funded violent films and pornography? What if the NAACP funded the KKK? What if your local government funded criminals? Isn't it a problem when an organization supports two diametrically opposed ideas?
BrezhnevIsMyCoPilot 4 years ago 2
that's true. but what this video is basicaly saying is that the onslaught video has no message, just because it is funded by the same company that axe belongs too. but like dreamsofoddity says, the dove campaign and axe probably have an entirely different marketing staff. the onslaught video has a really good message for young girls. i don't think it should be ignored just for the sake of discrediting.
artemis63 4 years ago
Or maybe they are just making amends? Dove's actual aim is to sell products. If they can change people's thinking, that's just an added bonus.
Did you know Death Cigarettes fund cancer research charities. More hypocrisy? Or just trying to offset their badness?
PandoraCaitiff 4 years ago
As you say, Dove's actual aim is to sell products. Therefore, one would have to be naive to think that it is "making amends," rather this is a PR move with the calculated intent to sell more products. Nothing more. And nothing worthy of praise, except perhaps as a "smart business decision."
If a crack dealer donated some of his profits to rehab clinics, would you have words of praise for him, too?
BrezhnevIsMyCoPilot 4 years ago
Oh look it's one of them debate vids lol.
You say they're owned by the same company, but I doubt they have the same marketing people for Dove and Axe lol. I'm sure Dove are doing all they can to put pressure on Axe and vice versa.
dreamsofoddity 4 years ago
Dove and Axe are owned by the same parent corporation--Unilever--and it is financially beneficial for each of them to claim distinct "niches" in the market. Dove can pretend to be sensitive while Axe exploits sexuality, and they each make money while not directly competing against one another.
BrezhnevIsMyCoPilot 4 years ago
so what are you saying? That Dove should also stick to making sexist commercials that portray women as being sex objects? At least they are making an effort in calling on the view that women shouldn't lower them self to look like how the media wants them to. Which is more then i can say for many other companies. Besides Axe and Dove have no real connection other then they are owned by the same company. And that has no relevancy to the message that DOVE is trying to spread with this campaign.
Ireytha 4 years ago 2
so what are you saying ireytha? surely youre not so stupid that you cant decide how to portray yourself to the public. do you really need dove to let you know you are free to dress how you want to? and btw, being owned by the same company is a very big connection, and other "real connections" as you put them, arent really necessary.
thewonderpig97 4 years ago
Please, since you're obviously such an expert on the topic of business, could you enlighten us on the "very big connection" that exists by virtue of these companies having the same owner? I would be FASCINATED to hear of the "very big connections" that exist between the 400+ brands that are all owned by Unilever. I mean, SURELY all of these companies must be personally overseen by the same small group of executives, right??
jake987722 4 years ago 2
first of all, get a life and stop checking posts you replied at for responses. second of all, yes, they are directing their advertising in both ways because most people dont know that they are owned by the same company, are to lazy to check, and they get more customers this way. are you such a dip shit that you think either one has a personal interest in anything except money?
thewonderpig97 4 years ago
It's more than obvious that both companies are ultimately motivated by profit, and I'd appreciate if you didn't put words in my mouth. Now I'm still waiting to hear about these "very big connections" between Axe and Dove, and about this evil capitalist conspiracy to trick everyone into buying Unilever's products. Although I guess I shouldn't expect an answer - after all, you're much too cool to "check posts you replied at for responses," right? No sir, you would never do that...
jake987722 4 years ago 3
im emailed to check, but that was a response to someone else. cut the hostilities, ive nothing against you. and besides, the commercial is showing that a company is advertising two opposing and contradicting things, things that contradict what the company itself said, damaging its validity. and all advertising wants to trick you into thinking you need their product if they dont already. doesnt need to be connotated negatively
thewonderpig97 4 years ago
so what are you saying? That Dove should also stick to making sexist videos that portray a womens body as a play thing? At least Dove is making an effort to call on the view that women shouldn't have to change them self to what media wants them to be. Which is a lot more then i can say for many other companies.
Ireytha 4 years ago
the cynic in me is not surprised - they are marketers and they will tell us what they think we want to hear. i think that as consumers if you disagree or are conflicted that they (Unilever) are trying to "suck and blow" at the same time then put them in the penalty box. Don't buy the product and tell others to do the same.
That's my 2 cents......
dbarclay69 4 years ago
sociopathic behavior uses peoples passions emotions what not to get them buy do whatever, all the big CEOs, heads of businesses, well, alot of em are sociopathic.
Bodhichickva 4 years ago
what song is this?
bagg9730 4 years ago
La Breeze by Simian
It's everywhere now
DerangedPictures100 4 years ago
I think this video makes an interesting point. While I think that at least Dove are making a statement with Onslaught and Evolution, the discrepancies between those ads and Axe's show that there is a long, long way to go.
flowersandflour 4 years ago
lol sorry theres a big difference on doves and axe, main subject of dove is to support teens, axe its just a commercial that haves nothing to do with dove campain
orionpk 4 years ago
What's the point of this video? So they're owned by the same company. So what? Does that mean some evil capitalist smoking a fat cigar sat behind his big desk and personally ordered both sets of commercials? Get real, dipshit. The two companies have no meaningful connection to each other beyond a common corporate owner.
jake987722 4 years ago
To add on, just that Unilever owns both companies does not mean Axe and Dove are working hand in hand. They're still competing for more profits. While Dove may have this pro-natural direction, Axe has another. Unilever does not (i believe) play a pivotal role in their company direction.
So all this video highlights is the difference between the two companies. It does not mean Dove is being hypocritical.
dreamsofmishra 4 years ago 2
Dove is surprisingly silent about the fact that Oprah had Cathie Black as her guest last week. Cathie heads up both the O magazine and Cosmo...along with 17 other publications worldwide.
All you people defending the Dove campaign... Your chance to buy another illusion has arrived.. Dove's New Firming Cream.
coulie46 4 years ago 2
Its interesting, but even if they are being hypocritical, at least they're doing something about trying to build teenagers/women's self-esteem. And a little can go a long way, even if its just educating that the women in their other adverts are fake.
Rangergal571 4 years ago 2
Dove and the makers of Axe body spray are owned by the same parent company (is that Univlever? I didn't check). Hence the duplicity in the ads.
seoboss 4 years ago
I was under the impression that Dove and Unilever were different companies...was I wrong?
houghtongirl 4 years ago
yes - unilever is the parent company to both axe and dove
blondesally 4 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Seems to me, that who ever spent their time putting this together should spend a little more time in the real world, maybe do something useful, or even helpful rather than panning an advert/ viral whatever it is, which actually speaks some sense!
fabioGeraci 4 years ago
Ramble, I think the Dove ads also assume that women are stupid the same way the Axe ad does. Women turning bulimic while looking at CK ads is just like saying black people are gonna be illiterate because of L'il Jon. I'm sure 51% of the population (girls) realize the buffer or caveat that the thing they see on the TV or computer screen should stay there and not in the real world.
PaoloK2 4 years ago
I think the advert actually addresses some of the issues girls of today face -- just look at the magazine they read! it doesn't really matter who is giving out the message, the point is parents should be talking to their daughters before the media does, on every thing!
fabioGeraci 4 years ago 2
Unilever also makes Fair and Lovely and Ponds' "White Beauty" skin lightening creams, which are largely sold in India. The marketing for those products is based on the assertion that darker skin is a flaw that needs to be corrected.
HtotheB 4 years ago 2
Isn't every beauty product marketed to correct a flaw, real or perceived? Unilever makes self-tanning creams, too; one could say the marketing for those products is based on the assertion that LIGHTER skin is a flaw that needs to be corrected. Should Unilever choose one and say "We've decided that it's okay to want darker skin, but wanting lighter skin is wrong"?
I don't denigrate my white friends for craving/obtaining darker skin through spray tans and creams.
TheRealCajoMacAvity 4 years ago
I wasn't denigrating dark-skinned people who use skin lighteners. I was criticizing million-dollare marketing campaigns that brainwash people into thinking light skin is "better" than dark skin.
HtotheB 4 years ago
I hope you have equal disdain for Mystic Tan spray-tan salons and the like, because that industry is far more widespread yet somehow more socially acceptable than wanting lighter skin. Where's your concern for those poor white folk people brainwashed into thinking dark skin is "better" than light skin?
TheRealCajoMacAvity 4 years ago
You're an idiot.
HtotheB 4 years ago