dove + axe = unilever’s hypocrisy.

As I brought up in my first Axe post, I have a personal vendetta against Unilever. In case you don’t know:

• Dove has made a monumental world-wide splash with it’s Self Esteem Fund and online ads “Evolution” and “Onslaught”.
• Axe has gotten huge web play and a booming market share with wet dream, mega-horny, Porky’s style advertising.
• Unilever is the huge mega-corporation that owns both brands.

Watch this great vid and check out the Dove vs. Axe advertising for yourself:

Here’s the thing: both campaigns are amazing. They’re doing their intended jobs perfectly. The Dove ads, created by Ogilvy + Mather Toronto, are inspirational and groundbreaking and tap into the growing female backlash against the beauty industry and the need to love yourself for who you really are. The Axe ads, created by Bartle Bogle Hegarty, are hilarious and actually pretty witty and tap into the genetically inherent male desire to watch boobs jiggle and fuck as many people as you can. One plays on breaking stereotypes and one plays on supporting them. It’s win-win. Good for them.