When brands collide… message from Unilever

It was only a matter of time that someone, somewhere would address this: the difference in brand positioning of Dove and AXE. Both brands owned by Unilever. Dove’s campaign – highly awarded, much appraised – focus on real beauty and take a stand against the cliché image of the beauty industry. While AXE thrives on male hormones and pictures women the way that Dove is protesting against… The mash-up that is on YouTube today was made by Rye Clifton and boosted into the Blogoshere by Paul Isakson (see comments). Campaign (trady) picked it up and the Blogoshere is buzzing.

In fact this is just a modern brand dilemma: how do big corporations manage their different brands? And while communication nowadays is layered with ‘real’ stories: how do these stories relate to each other. It cannot be denied that AXE and Dove communicate on either sides of the same scale. Unilever as brand-owner didn’t make a comment on this issue (yet). AXE is ‘helping young men in the mating game’, while Dove helps ‘women to release their inner beauty’. Quotes are from the Unilever corporate website. While both brands can do their thing in splendid isolation, the corporation can be accused of speaking with a double tongue and for being not genuine or honest. This can boomerang to all other brands. One thing this issue makes clear: splendid isolation doesn’t exist any more. The web/blogoshere is doing it’s transparency-thing again…

November 7, 2007 | Filed Under blogging, marcom, ramblings 

Comments

2 Responses to “When brands collide… message from Unilever”

  1. [ paul isakson ] on November 11th, 2007 %I:%M %p

    Thanks for the link, Wim, but have to set the record straight… Rye Clifton is the video’s creator. I’m just helping spread the message.

  2. Wim Andréa on November 14th, 2007 %I:%M %p

    OK, Paul, Thanks for the correction. I’ve updated the article. Wim

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