Week 2 Analysis: Brands & The Human Connection/Curating 3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpaOjMXyJGk

After watching the Dove Ad my heart was touched. I believe this ad can reach so many people, which it it did.

Specifically, the target audience for this ad seemed to be women, even though there was a man in the commercial. I believe women have identified with this commercial because it talks about inner beauty and being beautiful. Guys are normally described as handsome so this was definitely geared to women. Also, most of these women saw themselves much differently than others. This seems to be the trend with a lot of women. They see themselves as less than. They look at what they're going through (i.e. motherhood, stressful job, wife, etc.) and identify their beauty through those things.

Dove is all about making your skin the best it can be and providing quality products. This ad supports what Dove stands for by showcasing women who are naturally beautiful no matter what they are going through. Dove really connected with their audience thought this commercial. The music was very somber and introspective. Being introspective and looking inside yourself was required of the women in this commercial. They had to look with in and describe how they saw themselves to the artist. The bright and airiness of the commercial gave a sense of purity and provided a comfortable nature to the viewer. Seeing how the women viewed their beauty verses how some else views their beauty was very enlightening. Showing the two sketches side by was mind blowing to the women and the audience. It touched your heart because these women viewed themselves pretty negatively. As the audience, to see there reactions to the way a stranger viewed them versus how they saw themselves was intriguing and eye opening to the viewer. The womens' eyes were opened to see the real beauty they have on the inside.

I believe this ad was so successful because it was so real. It was a simple ad and straightforward. It dealt with the reality of what women face everyday. The viewers responded to this because of they have the same issues as the women in the commercial. The way it was marketed as well had a major impact on the viewers ability to consume this media. 114 million views on YouTube and 484 features on major news outlets alone shows that people were touched by this. The filming, the music and the actors that were used connected the audience to this and because of this connection people shared the commercial or talked about it to others. They then viewed the ad as well.

Overall, this was a magnificent ad. Even as man I was touched. The biggest take away for me was to make sure you know who your target audience is. Also, make sure you make a connection with your audience thought telling a compelling story. Its all about the story and Doves story touched millions.