The key to freshness

Dove’s new girlfriends

What?: Unilever is embarking on the next phase of its Dove Real Beauty campaign. Grammy-winning artist Alicia Keys is to star alongside two actresses in a new micro series aimed at promoting the launch of the Dove Go Fresh range of products. The three-minute episodes – entitled Fresh Takes – will air around MTV show The Hills and run for five weeks, focusing on the lives of three girlfriends.

The campaign highlights how “20-something females are suffering from ‘inner critic syndrome’, a pressure to measure up to, and surpass, the previous generation. Alicia keys stated that she hopes the series enables others to “get a fresh take on the pressures in their lives and start enjoying the ride”. A poll via MTV will see visitors to the site voting for which karaoke duet Keys performs in an upcoming episode.

So what?:Unilever has faced criticism recently for giving out mixed messages. Just how does The Dove Real Beauty campaign work alongside its more ‘upfront’ Axe/Lynx campaigns? The duality doesn’t go unnoted, but in reality these are two very different brands for seperate audiences.

“Unilever sidesteps bold gender statements with its new soap on a rope. The addition of 41M album-seller Alicia Keys adds major musical gravitas to the campaign.”
Giles Fitzgerald, Deputy Editor, Five Eight

“If great marketing just involves having an unimaginably vast budget and a concept with all the quality of a High School Musical outtake then this should win every award going.”
Andy Way, Account Director, Bloc

www.dovegofresh.com