Advertising for the brave

Unilever is learning about the dangers of advertising on user generated sites with the giant consumer company suddenly finding itself under attack for peddling pro- and anti-beauty care campaigns at the same time. Unilever soap brand, Dove launched its anti-beauty care viral video "Onslaught" [1] on YouTube on Oct. 1 and has enjoyed nearly a million views plus countless mentions in the traditional media and blog world.

But not all the mentions have been on message with many pointing to the hypocrisy of Unilever appealing to the anti-beauty brigade with its Dove YouTube video and at the same time promoting an endless stream of big breasted, scantily clad, sex-crazed women in ads supporting its male deodorant, Axe.

And of course it has not taken long before some bright spark mashed [2] the AXE and Dove ads together with the tag line "Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does" changed to " before Unilever does." All part of the new world of video media. -Tom [3]