Dove pledges to not use AI

Hello All, 

I found an interesting article on Marketing Dive that hit close to home for me. Thought I would shared a bt about the article, the ad associated, and my thoughts on it. 

Advertisment via YouTube : The Code

I chose this article for two reasons. One- I grew up seeing the way ads alter and filter over women's perceived flaws daily. And now, as a mom I want to be sure my kids all see the human body as natural in all its forms. Two - The use of AI has become more and more popular for companies and personal social accounts. AI is a controversial topic with many companies finding benefit with it which is why I believe Dove decided to use that for their 20th anniversary ad.

Dove launched the Real Beauty Platform in 2004. In honor of its 20th anniversary Dove announced that it will not use AI generated models. They hope to help lessen the negative impact that AI has on the confidence of the populous. They share stats such as 9 in 10 girls/women say have been exposed to harmful beauty standards online, or that by 2025 90% of online content will be Ai generated. 

Dove's recent ad “The Code” shows a woman on an internet search looking for “perfect skin” or “perfect woman” and gets AI generated images as a result. The AI perfect image of her. The search then changes to “perfect skin according to Dove Real Beauty” and we are presented with women unedited. They show young, old, disabled, dark, light, etc. Ths ad helps Dove uphold their value proposition that beauty comes from confidence, confidence can be built from the skin in with their quality skin nourishing products.

Alessandro Manfredi, CMO of Dove said “At Dove, we seek a future in which women get to decide and declare what real beauty looks like — not algorithms. As we navigate the opportunities and challenges that come with new and emerging technology, we remain committed to protect, celebrate and champion Real Beauty,” and “Pledging to never use AI in our communications is just one step. We will not stop until beauty is a source of happiness, not anxiety, for every woman and girl.”

Dove uses a soft background song we all know - Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka. This song sings about a world of imagination. A fitting song for an ad about how we all imagine ourselves to look with AI. The ad pulls at you emotionally. The way the woman stares at the screen while searching for what the world tells her is beautiful For women and girls all over the world fantasizing about what we wish we looked like can be a daily occurrence.

I admire Dove, for their initial campaign of Real Beauty, and for continuing to hold those values true. It is hard to stand up against what is socially normal, even expected. I like the emotional aspect of the ad. They are able to make you feel like you are right there, doing the search yourself. 

If I was in charge of their marketing I would have included men. Historically the Real Beauty campaign has featured only women. However today men want the same skin care as women. Men are also susceptible to AI generated images. The world has changed a lot the 20 years since their first Real Beauty launched. Inclusion of all persons would have been a good step to take.

Reviewing this ad and the article it was sourced from helped me see the ad in a way I wouldn't have looked at it before. Dove made calculated choices in their ad topic and timing. Using emotions and soft music to draw in their target audience, women.

For more information on the Dove Real Beauty campaign, you can visit their website page https://www.dove.com/us/en/stories/campaigns/keep-beauty-real.html 

Article: Dove pledges to not use AI models in lieu of real women in its advertising

Published: April 9, 2024

Link: https://www.marketingdive.com/news/dove-pledges-no-generative-ai-models-real-beauty-campaign/712652/

Image sourced from Dove.com