Unilever has launched a worldwide marketing campaign in support of its new Dove Pro Age skin and hair care product line.
The campaign includes television spots, print ads and viral marketing.
The television spot features women over 50 posed nude, with the tag line “Too old to be in an anti-aging ad” superimposed on the images. The commercial ends with the tag, “But this isn’t anti-age. This is pro-age.”
The spot is running on TV in most global markets, including Canada, says Barbara Owen, brand manager for Dove Pro Age. In the U.S., the ad will not run on TV, but will be part of a viral campaign.
Owen says the television spot, and the overall campaign, fits in with Dove’s Real Beauty strategy, first launched in 2004.
“When we launched the campaign for Real Beauty it was about celebrating women of all ages, all sizes, and so this fits in well with that theme,” says Owen.
The campaign is a response to a survey commissioned by Dove last year. Women aged 50-64 in nine countries, including Canada and the United States, were asked to talk about society’s attitudes toward aging, including their own perspectives.
The study found that 91% of respondents felt media and advertising misrepresented women over 50. In Canada, 87% believed that women were more likely to try to hide their age than celebrate it.
Creative for the campaign was developed by Ogilvy & Mather Chicago, Dove’s global agency. The Canadian media buy was handled by PHD Canada, with Capital C responsible for in-store and online marketing.
