Real women have curves, and ads
Real women in their unretouched glory are rising stars in personal care and fashion ads, showing a different way to pitch beauty-related products.
Big advertisers such as Nike and Wal-Mart have joined a real-women trend that took off in June with ads for Dove firming lotion that showed six curvy women wearing nothing but undies and smiles.
Marketing expert Katie LeBesco lauds advertisers for more natural images that promote real vs. the ideal. But she notes they don't exactly promote flab over fab.
"You don't see raging spider veins ... or women with huge bellies," says LeBesco, a professor of communications arts at Marymount Manhattan College and the author of Revolting Bodies? The Struggle to Redefine Fat Identity.
She says the ads are not "the be-all and end-all of socially responsible advertising," but she's "pleased to see some kind of change."
For marketers, it's about finding new ways to connect with women. Some now seem more motivated by women like themselves than by unattainable images, and advertisers are recasting some ads.
"They are reaching out to a big section of society that's had it with trying to keep up with the Joneses in terms of body image and beauty," says Tom Cline, associate professor of marketing at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
Among those reaching out:
•Dove. Dove started the new round of "reality ads" with its "Real Beauty" theme in TV, print, Web and outdoor ads for new lotions. The stars have been six natural-looking spokeswomen for anti-cellulite, firming lotion. Their candid pitch for seeing real beauty in real women became a pop-culture phenomena and has landed extensive print coverage and more than 30 TV appearances - and tons of free publicity for Dove.
•Nike. A mix of pro athlete models and real women appear in ads with shots of their legs, butt, hips or arms. The fit women are unapologetic about what they call their "big butt" or "thunder thighs."
"The ads try to illustrate that 'not all body types are created equally,' " says Caren Bell, Nike spokeswoman. "To be a woman athlete, fit and strong doesn't mean you have to be sample size."
•Wal-Mart. The retailing giant tries to put more of a stylish spin on this clothing with an eight-page spread in Vogue's September issue.
"Our fashion is changing, and we're serious about it," says Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jacquie Young.
The ads feature "style profiles" of real women, such as a professor and fundraiser. Vogue style editors helped coordinate the fashion looks. The ads use real women in the outfits because, "The message is that fashion is reachable for everybody," Young says.
Wal-Mart has been using shoppers and employees, not actors, since 1989 in ads touting low prices and the benefits of working at Wal-Mart. But this is the first time the ads have focused on fashion and how women can look good in value-priced Wal-Mart apparel.
•Chicken of the Sea. A new Chicken of the Sea ad that will run frequently next month shows a slender woman strolling through a lobby as men gawk. The ad uses a model, but turns the tables on the image by showing it's an illusion. The moment she gets behind the closed elevator doors, she exhales, revealing she was holding in her breath - and her belly.
Chicken of the Sea President John Signorino says the message is meant to boost awareness for Chicken of the Sea and healthy eating.
"We wanted to shake up the way consumers see tuna," Signorino says. "It's not a category that's on the cutting edge."
[I, for one, am getting sick of hearing "real women have curves". No, real women come in lots of different shapes and sizes, thank you very much.]
Big advertisers such as Nike and Wal-Mart have joined a real-women trend that took off in June with ads for Dove firming lotion that showed six curvy women wearing nothing but undies and smiles.
Marketing expert Katie LeBesco lauds advertisers for more natural images that promote real vs. the ideal. But she notes they don't exactly promote flab over fab.
"You don't see raging spider veins ... or women with huge bellies," says LeBesco, a professor of communications arts at Marymount Manhattan College and the author of Revolting Bodies? The Struggle to Redefine Fat Identity.
She says the ads are not "the be-all and end-all of socially responsible advertising," but she's "pleased to see some kind of change."
For marketers, it's about finding new ways to connect with women. Some now seem more motivated by women like themselves than by unattainable images, and advertisers are recasting some ads.
"They are reaching out to a big section of society that's had it with trying to keep up with the Joneses in terms of body image and beauty," says Tom Cline, associate professor of marketing at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
Among those reaching out:
•Dove. Dove started the new round of "reality ads" with its "Real Beauty" theme in TV, print, Web and outdoor ads for new lotions. The stars have been six natural-looking spokeswomen for anti-cellulite, firming lotion. Their candid pitch for seeing real beauty in real women became a pop-culture phenomena and has landed extensive print coverage and more than 30 TV appearances - and tons of free publicity for Dove.
•Nike. A mix of pro athlete models and real women appear in ads with shots of their legs, butt, hips or arms. The fit women are unapologetic about what they call their "big butt" or "thunder thighs."
"The ads try to illustrate that 'not all body types are created equally,' " says Caren Bell, Nike spokeswoman. "To be a woman athlete, fit and strong doesn't mean you have to be sample size."
•Wal-Mart. The retailing giant tries to put more of a stylish spin on this clothing with an eight-page spread in Vogue's September issue.
"Our fashion is changing, and we're serious about it," says Wal-Mart spokeswoman Jacquie Young.
The ads feature "style profiles" of real women, such as a professor and fundraiser. Vogue style editors helped coordinate the fashion looks. The ads use real women in the outfits because, "The message is that fashion is reachable for everybody," Young says.
Wal-Mart has been using shoppers and employees, not actors, since 1989 in ads touting low prices and the benefits of working at Wal-Mart. But this is the first time the ads have focused on fashion and how women can look good in value-priced Wal-Mart apparel.
•Chicken of the Sea. A new Chicken of the Sea ad that will run frequently next month shows a slender woman strolling through a lobby as men gawk. The ad uses a model, but turns the tables on the image by showing it's an illusion. The moment she gets behind the closed elevator doors, she exhales, revealing she was holding in her breath - and her belly.
Chicken of the Sea President John Signorino says the message is meant to boost awareness for Chicken of the Sea and healthy eating.
"We wanted to shake up the way consumers see tuna," Signorino says. "It's not a category that's on the cutting edge."
[I, for one, am getting sick of hearing "real women have curves". No, real women come in lots of different shapes and sizes, thank you very much.]