Letter to the Editor

Advertising content dictated by society, made for specific target audiences

This letter is in response to Paris Bethel’s Feb. 6 article, “Unilever promotes contradicting messages through Dove, Axe brands.” Bethel is looking at the world through an incredibly narrow lens in order to make her argument. Holding companies like Unilever, P&G, etc. make it possible for brands to exist and have the money and resources to make moving, relevant marketing strategies like the Real Beauty Campaign, along with enabling a large distribution network for the label. Bethel, I urge you to look at many of the brands you buy, be it household goods, food, clothing, anything. Then look at the companies that own those brands. Then look at the other brands that same holding company owns and compare the various advertising techniques, messaging and brand identities. You’ll see that it’s not feasible or smart for a holding company to market a wealth of products under the exact same message. Different brands appeal to people for different reasons. While it would be great if every product could promote real beauty, self-esteem, world peace or any other feel-good cause, that’s not what all consumers want, and advertisers would be putting themselves out of a job if they tried to force that on the masses. At the end of the day, Axe and Dove are two entirely different brands that happen to be owned by the same company. Axe makes waves with their hormonally driven raunchiness and occasionally, it gets a laugh. Ever wonder why you see so many of those ads? Because they’re working. That message delivers what the target audience wants to see. Don’t vilify Axe/Dove/Unilever – look at society. It’s easy to try to blame advertisers, but in reality, this industry has us in a vice grip by our respective genitals because of what we’re telling them and where we’re spending our money. Want to change the world? Start with changing yourself. The advertising will follow.

Jes Siart
Environmental Studies SUNY-ESF ‘12

 





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