Social Lubricant: How a Marketing Campaign Became the
Catalyst for a Societal Debate
Rob Walker, experienced author, wrote an article about how
the voice of a commercial had more hit points than a political or news
organization. He catches the attention
of the audience with the title “Fat or Fabulous?” which was already used for a
magazine article to grab attention. He
roughly and briefly transitions into how and when the campaign started, where
it was headed, and where the campaign ended up. He conveys that he believes
women were ready to find the voice that says “Stop telling me how to live.” The
fact that a huge marketing corporation started it means that it permeates
everywhere and is seen by everyone. He admits that Unilever, the company that
owns Dove, will not disclose how the campaign affected their sales. Also, he
suggests that Dove girls do campaigns for other companies. He closes the
article with the conclusion that although Dove’s surveys showed that happiness
and kindness was the top attributes that make a woman
beautiful that was not the message they could convey to sell their product.
After reading this article, I had a couple questions that I
needed answered.
·
First, I needed to know how successful the
campaign was with regards to sales.
o
This link discusses more about how successful
the campaign itself was not necessarily how much money it generated.
·
Second, I needed to know how successful it was
in boosting women’s self-esteem.
