Dove maker Unilever has spent several million dollars designing a new online community strictly for women that will offer entertainment, blogs, advice, and of course advertising. The Dove brand has been a trendsetter in the industry for the past several years with its "Real Beauty" Campaign where the sompany stopped using waifish models and began showcasing more natural and average women in its ads. Will their creative payoff in this space?
The new site is supposed to strengthen the tie between this "Real Beauty" cause and the company's products. The portal also an has original miniseries called, "Fresh Takes", starring singing sensation Alicia Keyes which is simultaneously airing on MTV's hit show "The Hills". But the major question is, will women take their cues and advice from a soap company? Especially one that is trying to actively sell them something?
Although the site has advice from real doctors about skin care and other issues, the intense use of product placement could potentially be a turn off to consumers. It's one thing if there is a passive recommendation of a product from a non-affiliated party, but since the entire site is run by Unilever, credibility will continue to a major problem for consumers who don't already use Dove products.
http://dove.msn.com
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