Banned in Boston, Minneapolis, Savannah,San Francisco, Chicago, New York...Dove Pro-Age TV Campaign
by Elana Centor



U.S.TV censors have banned Dove's TV Spots promoting their new Pro-Age Product line. The reason: the over-50 women appear nude...not full frontal nudity mind you, more like Helen Mirren nude in the movie Calendar Girls.

The campaign and the ban have gotten the attention of bloggers and mainstream media.

Blogger Mary Brown at Boomer Women Marketing Group writes:

Excuse me -- Victoria Secret models can strut and pole dance across our TV screens but Dove's revolutionary ProAge commercial, a beautiful and sensitive portrayal of bodies of women 50+, is banned in the US?! Interestingly, I'm having a hard time finding out why or who exactly felt these ads were too inappropriate to air. They are being aired in Canada and UK.

This week's TIME unpacks the campaign both from a strategy,consumer reaction,and product effectiveness viewpoint.

In its first global launch ever, Dove hopes to attract the 40 million or so baby-boomer women in the wrinkle-war zone with a provocative twist: instead of demonizing wrinkles with "antiaging" products, Dove celebrates them and calls its new line Pro Age. For the Anglo-Dutch consumer giant Unilever, Dove's $52 billion parent company, the stakes are high: total sales in 2006 grew just 4%. Indeed, since 2004, Unilever's sales growth has been in the single digits, while key competitor Procter & Gamble, which owns rival beauty powerhouse Olay, is growing twice as fast and enjoying healthier profit margins (22% in 2006). Dove needs a hit, but in a global culture obsessed with looking younger, will the older-is-O.K. approach catch on?

Holly Buchanan at Marketing to Women Online writes about the marketing message Dove is trying to convey that at 50 the goal isn't to look younger, just look your personal best.

I was curious about the products - if they aren't supposed to stop aging, what are they supposed to do?
Here's what the product page had to say...

Dove created new pro·age products that reflect the unique needs of women in their later years. Formulated to nourish and condition, pro·age helps revive and renew skin and hair.

Revive and renew? doesn't that sound a lot like the "anti-aging" products? But here's what they had to say in the FAQ section

it is important to care for rather than disguise your changing physical appearance

wow -now THAT's powerful - that got my attention while "revive and renew" sounded so much like the same old marketing hype, it didn't even register on my radar. But is the above line in any of their advertising? I don't know - I haven't seen it - but I sure hope so.

How big a deal is it that you can't see the TV Spots. Some suspect the ban may have been part of the strategy.As Tim Redpath at the Train of Thoughts Blog observes,

It's a shame the ad was lifted but then again, smart companies don't mind creating a bit of controversy (see Marketing two-step) to get their message across, so mission accomplished for Dove.

Who needs TV when you have the internet anyway? The video is available on Dove's website.

YouTube has the German language version.

Elana writes about business culture at FunnyBusiness.
This is cross-posted.

Submitted by Elana Centor (view blog) on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 06:49

Comments

 

It's a shame that these ads

It's a shame that these ads are banned. I just can't understand what the big deal is. It's not like they're whippin' out parts of their bodies that ought to be covered. It's a simple ad promoting a product.

I'm going to check out the ads at the website. At least they can't ban that!

Dana from The Dana Files.

Submitted by Dana J. Tuszke on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 07:52
 

What kills me is that you

What kills me is that you can see just as much if not more nudity on prime time television. Show like NCIS, Law and Order etc. regularly show semi-nude shots. And don't even GET me started on shows like Americas Next Top Model or that whole PussyCat Doll thing. Crap like that is acceptable because it's dressed up with little 18 year old girls and we all know who that's for....

Submitted by viciousrumours on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 08:22
 

Figures

I mean that in many ways. I'm sure it is also considered "offensive" because some of these women have a BMI of more than 19.

(Can you also cross post this in Feminism & Gender? Thanks!)

Suzanne, BlogHer Contributing Editor - Feminsim & Gender
Campaign for Unshaved Snatch (CUSS)& Other Rants

Submitted by Suzanne Reisman on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 08:25
 

I'ts been cross-posted!

And happy to do it! elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Submitted by Elana Centor on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 08:38
 

I love the Dove ads

I work in Hollywood, Calif. where for months I had to drive at a snails pace by a gargantuan Victoria's Secret billboard that featured a pile - yes, a pile - of naked skinny women. I think it was for makeup or perfume. Made me feel like complete and total crap everyday. Where's the billboard with the pile of naked men? What's up with this pile of naked women?

Everyday I would think: They're so clearly not marketing to me.

The Dove ads have a soft, fun energy. They feel positive and provocative. They feel real, and I like them. I hate that the ad was banned, because no matter what else, the ads celebrate real beauty, and we desperately need that - at least I do.

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess and On The Lot.

Submitted by Liz Rizzo on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 08:58
 

Ridiculous!

I think it's ridiculous that there would be objection to those ads. I do have to say though as I was reading your post, I was wondering if this a marketing strategy and then I saw the bit by Tim Redpath.
A. Elliot

Submitted by A Elliot on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 09:10
 

Liz, links to video in post!

You can click on the photo or near the bottom of the post you'll see links to the video
elana
Blogher Contributing Editor,Business&CareersFunnyBusiness

Submitted by Elana Centor on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 09:35
 

Early AM commenting is dangerous!

And here I thought I'd deleted my blunder before detection! Must be more careful commenting before coffee!!!

Doh! :)

Liz Rizzo

I blog at Everyday Goddess and On The Lot.

Submitted by Liz Rizzo on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 10:54
 

I was about to go all

I was about to go all "anti-censorship," until I read that last quote about this possibly being a marketing strategy. A little controversy never hurt anyone. Ask Calvin Klein about his mid-nineties ads with a scantily clad Kate Moss looking all of twelve.

In the end, they still have soap to hock.

Five Dollar Camera

Submitted by kperfetto on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 13:40
 

Beauty without Photoshop

I was thrilled to see these ads in More magazine. The first three pages of the last issue showed photos of beautiful middle-aged (hate that word) women minus the Photoshop, looking radiant and sexy. We have developed such a distorted view of beauty in our culture and I for one would love to see some changes, this is a great beginning.

Vicki
http://www.vickisdrawerslingerie.com
http://vickisdrawers.squarespace.com

Submitted by Miss Vicki on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 15:22
 

And here I thought "Banned in Boston" was a
thing of the past...

Dove's remaking of itself as a brand first came to my attention as a project on The Apprentice. The ad that they eventually made was eye opening, fun, and full of diverse faces, much like this one.

Unilever seems to understand what J. Jill and Eileen Fisher have known for years - that there's money to be made for people who respect women as they are.

Lisse
@ Home in the World

Submitted by Lisse on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 15:46
 

Who are they protecting?

Give me a break. If the women who posed for the pictures don't have a problem with it. What's the harm?

Author
Purple Women & Friends
www.PurpleWomen.org

Submitted by Purple Woman on Fri, 04/06/2007 - 20:15
 

That is b.s.

I think it's a bunch of b.s.! These t.v. stations should be ashamed of themselves.

Submitted by Femtique on Sat, 04/07/2007 - 18:54
 

Yes, but . . .

Before rushing out to buy Unilever products, keep a couple things in mind:

Unilever also makes Light & Lovely, a skin lightener marketed in India and other countries (in the event want to care for your aging body but not your face color); and

Unilever shares the data collected from teens and tweens in their "Self-Esteem" campaign to marketers who need a glimpse into the girls' psyches in order to manipulate them into buying more, more, and more.

You can read more here.

Submitted by Two Knives on Sun, 04/08/2007 - 08:06
 

Ridiculous

I cannot believe this would be banned. There is more nudity than that on TV! I think these Dove ads are great! I hope they keep it up!

Submitted by Cordaville on Sun, 04/08/2007 - 15:58
 

I saw the ads

One of these ads played prior to a movie I went to see, so I wasn't aware that it was banned from tv. The only thing I had a problem with when they aired was the snickering coming from all the teen and pre-teen boys in the audience. I think if the FCC will allow role models like the Victoria's Secret girls to traipse around on screen, it should also allow positive role models like those seen on this ad.

Laura

Submitted by LauraG on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 08:27
 

What's the BIG deal?

Why were the ads banned? Who banned it? And what's the big deal? We all know that there are more nudity and violence on TV. Would we rather teach our kids about violence and drugs than about the human body?

For those parents with school aged kids, here's a useful site, schoolparent.net. The site have resources and tools for school activities, field trips and fundraising. To join schoolpareent.net, you just need to request an invitation. The site is FREE to join.

Submitted by cfelchlin on Mon, 04/09/2007 - 15:30