Last month, Unilever’s Dove officially launched its new Men+Care line with the help of that long-standing global brand tradition: the Super Bowl spot.
The light-hearted commercial, dubbed “Manthem,” takes a typical man’s life from conception through childhood to early adulthood and finally to the comfort of mid-life with the help of quick edits and humorous fast-paced lyrics (“rake the leaves from the hedge and mow the yard… honey can you open this jar?”) set to the William Tell overture.
Towards the end of the ad, a voiceover says, “Now that you’re comfortable with who you are, isn’t it time for comfortable skin?”
The effort, which targets “real men” looking for a realistic image of manhood, garnered warm reviews online, setting the stage for a strong start in the ever-growing men’s grooming category.
Sound familiar? Well, change the year to 2006 and the gender to female and we could be talking about the award-winning Campaign for Real Beauty, which debuted with a Super Bowl ad. The similarities don’t end there.
Both campaigns were born from research the brand did on how men and women see themselves in media and advertising. The more recent male version revealed that 75% of men don’t feel they are accurately portrayed in advertising. Dove Canadian brand manager Sharon MacLeod says that number is even higher here. “My hope is people will start talking about what it means to be a man today,” she says.
While the men’s line uses images of everyday manhood set to the Lone Ranger theme, the women’s Campaign for Real Beauty focused on image misconception created by the beauty industry, with global viral hits “Evolution” and “Onslaught.” The brand was subsequently called out for what was seen as hypocrisy on the part of parent company Unilever and its marketing of other brands, such as Axe and Slim-Fast. For example, in October 2007, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood called on Unilever to “end your sexist and degrading advertising for Axe grooming products.”
Unilever is unlikely to see similar skepticism aimed at a men’s line. For one, the new line’s marketing doesn’t directly call-out the portrayal of men in advertising and media. Instead, it positions itself as an extension of Axe, for when guys are sick of being chased by hordes of buxom nubiles whilst smelling of “Tsunami,” and are ready to settle down.
Secondly, as former York University instructor and gender issues educator Michael Kaufman points out, “Women have been raising concerns over their portrayal in the media for years. For men, there hasn’t been much conversation about this. It’s just getting started.” Kaufman spoke at the brand’s Canadian launch, choosing to participate based on the impact he saw in Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. But he too recognizes the concerns of critics. “It’s not surprising that a company the size of Unilever has various messaging for different brands. What’s important is that this is a conversation they need to have,” he says.
Another potential hurdle for the new Dove line will be its ability to convince men to embrace what has traditionally been a very high-profile female brand. However, the success of similar forays into Manville by Nivea and L’Oreal suggest Dove is wisely tapping into this market.
Which brings us back to Real Beauty. After the hypocrisy hullabaloo, Dove’s finger-wag at the beauty industry has quieted to a whisper, the most recent big project being an online video called Waking Up Hannah, chronicling the everyday life of a young woman. The Self-Esteem Fund also continues, with a new in-store self-esteem campaign running this spring, says Macleod.
But for now, any high-profile ad push for Dove will be dudes only.
