I am convinced that major companies purposely troll and offend existing and potential clients so as to draw maximum mainstream attention. The alternative explanation is that they really are stupid enough to think certain ideas won’t piss people off.
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For example, the Pepsi advert in which Kendall Jenner brings about world peace by offering a policeman a Pepsi, or the bright minds at Nivea who ran ‘White is Purity’ as a campaign slogan.
This week, it’s Dove’s turn to get in on some controversy. They’ve announced a new range of body-shaped bottles, released as part of their “Real Beauty” campaign.
The body washes are designed to reflect the “one of a kind” body shapes of their customers:
From curvaceous to slender, tall to petite, and whatever your skin colour, shoe size or hair type, beauty comes in a million different shapes and sizes. Our six exclusive bottle designs represent this diversity: just like women, we wanted to show that our iconic bottle can come in all shapes and sizes, too.
Well, you can imagine how well that’s been received:
Great. Now our soap bottles are judging us too. @Dove #productfail https://t.co/PjqKU013bl
— Vicky Uhland (@VickyUhland) May 8, 2017
@FastCompany @Dove pic.twitter.com/tMWD53cjzU
— jteore (@jteore) May 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/TimFederle/status/861647577954918402?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kansascity.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2Farticle149324414.html
"I know, let's make bottles shaped like women's bodies!" -Dove marketing exec who has never actually seen a human body
— Jenny Trout (@Jenny_Trout) May 8, 2017
"Finally, a @Dove soap bottle that won't make me feel self conscious about my body!" pic.twitter.com/B0tnyUXjp1
— Alex Wright (@wrightontheleft) May 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/moorehn/status/861655300037914624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kansascity.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2Farticle149324414.html
Can someone come over and help me measure my butt so I know which dove body wash to buy
— Anna Fitzpatrick (@bananafitz) May 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/AbbieEvansXO/status/861657507265220609?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kansascity.com%2Fnews%2Fbusiness%2Farticle149324414.html
https://twitter.com/sexualjumanji/status/861652501988290560
https://twitter.com/princessemoji/status/861775132993474561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bbc.co.uk%2Fnewsbeat%2Farticle%2F39855373%2Fdove-body-shaped-shower-gel-bottles-ridiculed-online
As I said, there’s absolutely no chance that Dove didn’t see this backlash coming. There’s no way this idea makes it up the chain of approval without someone recognising that it’s going to offend more people than it’s going to please. I mean body shape bottles designed exclusively for fat people? Come on, you’ve got to be trolling with that one.
Of course, even when a company runs a totally innocuous advert, some idiots will still find a way to be offended.
