Last week, Dove angered many consumers by releasing a still-shot and a three-second, short version of their latest ad on social media, which has since been deleted. Before anyone could view the full 30-second, made-for-tv ad, social media responded in outrage and disgust. The still-shot was reposted over and over. The three-second short was decreased to two seconds, then reposted to back or prove the supposed bigotted-driven overtone of the commercial.
I saw the still-shot before I saw the two-second short. Dove is known for diverse advertising encompassing women of different backgrounds, sizes, etc. They have made advertising mistakes in the past but nothing this brazen. At least, this was my initial thought. I wasn’t shocked, but boy oh boy was I surprised, hurt, and angry as a former Dove consumer.
Fast forward – I learned of Lola Ogunyemi speaking about her role and Dove’s role or lack thereof regarding this ad. This interview is about five minutes long and I think it’s worth a listen. However, her letter written in The Guardian is even more detailed and worth the read.
Maybe I missed the mark, as Dove said they did, with what they put out through social media. I believe Dove made a HUGE mistake and should re-evaluate its entire marketing department while making some major changes. I could be wrong, though. Dove could be showing their true underlying colors with this so-called error in judgment. As one of my friends repeated a few times, “Dove makes too much money to have these mistakes happen more than ONCE.” Now this, I DEFINITELY agree!
Writing Waves 