It looks like the Dove campaign may be full of more shit than is ethically possible. From AdAge:

Dove’s “real beauties” may not be so real after all, at least by the account of a renowned airbrush artist. In a May 12 profile in The New Yorker posted online, Pascal Dangin of New York’s Box Studios is quoted as saying he extensively retouched photos used in the Campaign for Real Beauty, which, if true, could seriously undermine an effort that already has subjected Unilever to considerable consumer and activist backlash in recent months.

[UPDATE] Dove says it ain’t so.

Dove’s “real beauties” were not airbrushed, but their photos were treated to eliminate dust from the film and provide “color correction,” according to Unilever and celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.

In a joint statement provided by Unilever regarding its “Campaign for Real Beauty,” the company, Ms. Leibovitz, who created the ads in question, and the celebrity photo re-toucher she works with — Pascal Dangin, who kicked off the controversy with a quote he said was taken out of context in an interview with The New Yorker magazine — all denied substantially altering images in the much-lauded campaign.

Ugh.

This is cute!

I feel kinda like a dope this morning. Yesterday, I posted the Dove Onslaught ad that encourages you to, “talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does.”

Then I came across a video parody of the Onslaught video that I posted yesterday. In this video, it shows Axe commercials as the onslaught of self-image-reducing ads. Axe, of course, is owned by Unilever, who also owns the Dove brand.

Here’s the video:

I know this is all old news, but it’s new to me - and I think it’s completely unethical.

This morning was the first time that I had ever seen the Dove Onslaught viral video. As a dad of a little girl, it really touches home - especially after the Hannah Montana photo shoot fiasco.

If you recall, Dove also did the Dove Evolution video about the modeling and advertising industries:

Of course, Greenpeace doesn’t like Dove so much:

A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself.

~Lisa Kirk

HT: CopyBlogger.com

With the whole “Go Green” mantra being dished out by every advertiser under the sun, I have seen a lot more tv and print spots with the tagline “Rethink, X”.  Where X is the service that the advertised brand provides.

Hey advertisers…listen up!

The only reason we thought a certain way about your service before was BECAUSE YOU TOLD US HOW TO THINK THAT WAY ABOUT IT!  WE (as the consumer) do not need to rethink anything, YOU are the ones that need to rethink your service and stop baraging the consuming public with messages of our shortcomings about having to re-program our worlds.

A Windex commercial recently said something to the effect of “we have developed a new formula that is safer for the environment and it cleans glass better than the original formula”. 

NO WAY?  Amazing that you only found this more efficient (and eco-friendly) formula after the green-meanies got all over your ass for contributing to the polluting of our planet.  It would have been a tragedy to find a better product to give consumers until absolutley necessary.

I have a message for consumers.  Rethink the way advertising affects your purchases.

I have determined that if you can alliterate, you can get a job writing commercials.

Professor in my marketing class to student: “you need to come up with a promotion for your marketing plan.”

Student: “You mean like Martini Mondays?”

Professor: “Oh, yeah, that’s really good.”

Me: “EEEEEK.”