RA: Dove Commercial

This ad calls to women concerned about beauty to support Dove products. In this ad, Dove comprises what they want their viewers to perceive as other “typical” beauty advertisements—how it isn’t “real beauty”, as the ad suggests Dove reputes, but merely applied beauty. The commercial follows an average woman going through an “evolution” of change in order to correspond with the “distorted” but glamorous beauty of the media. It implies that other companies are trying to trick women into buying their products by fabricating some idealistic woman and suggesting that somehow their products had a hand in creating this elusive goddess.
Because dove is a company for beauty this seeming “unmasking” of companies like itself shows an ostensible honesty, which draws trust from the viewers. Another way of establishing this trust is by identifying with the viewer; instead of saying “your” when talking about distorted perceptions it says “our.” Not only does this word choice build trust, but it also avoids a threatening atmosphere by removing accusation toward something negative—a distorted perception. Also, the ad appeals to women who view themselves as less than glamorous but does not threaten these women by identifying their self-esteem issues. Instead it calls upon the viewer to help others with self-esteem issues.
The ad is successful in winning support for this cause from its audience. However, in order for beauty companies to make a profit, they must sell beauty care products. In order for them to do that, they must convince an audience that they will benefit from their products—that purchasing and using their products will make them more beautiful. This suggests that the consumer is not as beautiful as they could be with the aid of the company’s product, which goes against the message of the commercial. If a viewer truly believes in the message, they will be less inclined to buy beauty-care related products, including those produced by Dove.

(the commercial): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hibyAJOSW8U&mode=related&search=