The Dove advert shown in class last week about a Dove model getting transformed from a imperfection-laden, girl-next-door to a stunning, billboard model struck a chord in me because it reminded me that external beauty is transient and temporary, what Dove defines as ‘true beauty’ comes from within and I’m sure that’s what most females feel after watching a Dove advertisement. I have to agree that it’s effective marketing because it appeals to the emotional side of people, showing that it’s a company with a heart that cares for their customers, not just a mere faceless giant.
Dove is one of the many brands own by the big umbrella company, Unilever.
I would expect the way Dove portrays themselves to be reflective of the values that Unilever holds. However, learning that another personal care brand, Axe, was also affiliated to Unilever somewhat shocked me.
Axe is one of the brands by Unilever and it’s known in the North American market for it’s raunchy advertisements, often highlighting the sex appeal of men and marginalizing women. It portrays how the male population should look like, with masculine features and a toned, bronze body and it also makes women appear like they are subservient to them.
I understand that it’s part of the marketing tactics to target the younger male population to use their products in order to look good and feel as good as the models do on television and it sure is effective especially when your target audience are impressionable, teenaged, pubescent boys.
What I’m uncomfortable with is the contradiction both Dove and Axe bring out, despite being from the same parent firm- one promoting inner beauty while the latter extolling the importance of the exact opposite- sex appeal and physical attraction. Shouldn’t Unilever have a common set of marketing ethics to abide by? And if so, shouldn’t this set of ethics be reflective in all of their brands? Why then the disparity in both Dove and Axe?
I figured that it could be just a genius marketing ploy to cater to the emotional needs of both the female and male population, like how females tend to feel more insecure about their looks while men feel less emotional about such issues and are more concerned with portraying their best. However, I personally feel that ethics (marketing ethics, in this case) is something that should be of paramount importance because having strong values is what builds trust in customers and this trust in customers is likely to result in loyalty. This customer loyalty is something that can’t be bought but can only be built up after a substantial period of time and in the long run, this is essential to the success of the firm.
Just my two cents on this ethical issue. 🙂