The Drum Awards for Marketing - Extended Deadline

-d -h -min -sec

Author

By Noel Young, Correspondent

April 25, 2012 | 2 min read

Only four per cent of women believe they are beautiful. And ads aimed at women reflect that low self esteem. Now Dove Australia has created the world's first makeover targeted at advertisements - instead of women.

Created by Ogilvy, an app supposedly lets Australian Facebook users choose a feel-good message from Dove to pump out what Adweek calls "bits of positivity" to the Facebook universe— counteracting ads asking if your love handles are overexposed and the like.

The video above explains how it works.

But the ads have started a storm. Business Insider points out that the app does not delete or replace rival companies' ads on Facebook , despite what the company's ads suggest.

Business Insider says, "As such, the campaign is so misleading it should be retracted. The effort will be unlikely to be repeated outside Australia (the first market to get the app), especially once consumers find out how it really works."

In the US Adweek concedes that the idea that the app somehow takes down the offending ads and replaces them with feel-good ads is NOT the case. But it still give the campaign a "like."

Despite the doubts, on certain page loads, a Dove ad will frequently bump other ads. The interactive element is nice, simple and smart, says Adweek.

And says the mag, "The target will love the app and forward it and rave about it because media is the best scapegoat ever created for self-esteem issues. Media is so big and out of your control and impossible to combat that it must be evil.

"And small steps like this, which put a modicum of control (significant or not) over advertising in the hands of the consumer, will make them feel empowered and positive about your brand as well."

Have a look at the Business Insider article to get the lowdown.

AdAge

More from AdAge

View all