Advertisement Analysis

Name- Heeba Firdous

Roll No-
Division- UGSEM4D
Brand- Dove

2.
a) The Dove #Stopthebeautytest 2.0 is an advert campaign that creates a message of
actualized self-esteem that is sorely lacking in an Indian society. The demographic- being
mainly women and girls that seek to purchase the varied products under the Dove banner,
are exposed to a message of startling acceptance. The particular message being imparted
is that girls should not be subjected to tests where the rubrics and grading is based on
their appearance or weight.
b) The objective of this ad is to dissuade women from allowing themselves to be subjected
to tests on their physical appearance, whether it is their weight or the color of their skin.
This ad campaign is striking because it conceptualizes the tests that school girls in India
are subjected to. The irony lies in the fact that these tests are not academic in any form or
shape. Another objective of this advertisement is to highlight the importance of
inclusivity in beauty. The presence of another woman's beauty should in no way be
perceived as an absence of your own.
The primary reason that Dove enterprises is running this particular line of sales and
marketing is to enforce an environment of inclusivity, and refrain from the daily
persecution that Indian girls face for not fitting the conventional standards of beauty.

c) The intended demographic appears to be the main consumers of Dove products- mainly
young women and children. This is fitting because the advertisement campaign mainly
focuses on the persecution faced by young girls for not fitting society’s cutting standards.
The psychographic audience appears to be mothers and other female and male figures
that have a tendency to pressure girls into changing or altering their appearance to better
increase their matrimonial matches. The psychological factors that are in play refer to the
underlying insecurity that lives within all maternal figures that worry that their female
offspring will not be accepted as a suitable match.
d) Inclusivity- one of the main insights that the ad campaign capitalizes on is the desire for
inclusivity that every society possesses. Beauty comes in all different shapes,sizes and
colors; with or without imperfections a woman should be accepted and even loved for
who she is. Dove, through this ad builds on the desire of being seen for what a woman
truly is instead of what she looks like.
Body Positivity- Dove #Stopthebeautytest 2.0 also encourages a narrative of loving your
body unabashedly and proudly. The advert highlights women that shrug off the roles that
 were forced onto them and instead chose the path that would make them the happiest. At
the end of the video we see that the girl who was chastened by her mother about her skin
color wiped off the “skin brightening” face pack ; the girl who was asked to hide her
blemishes with her hair proudly brushes it back. All of these accounts are personifications
of pride in one’s appearance and the self esteem that grows with acceptance.
Patriarchal mindset- This advert is an elegant and subtly ironic metaphor for how
academic tests are replaced by tests based on a girl’s appearance- where every
imperfection is punished by marks deduction and every conformity to convention ( Small
waist, lighter skin, no acne) is rewarded. This entire farce is conducted to appease the boy
that a girl is one day expected to marry. The boy could potentially accept or reject a
woman based simply on her waist size or skin type. This mindset is reinforced by decades
of toxic patriarchy that is sadly embedded in Indian society.

e) The major notable brand associations with Dove #Stopthebeautytest 2.0 includes
partnerships with similar brands in order to further advance their narrative of inclusivity
and positivity. This is highlighted by Dove’s collaboration with matrimonial platforms is
driven by the common belief that the match - making process ought to be independent of
beauty prejudices. Dove and Shaadi.com have also collaborated to encourage platform
users to look beyond body shape, complexion, facial scars, or hair type and length in
order to see new dimensions and shades of beauty. The Dove self-esteem project, in
exclusive collaboration with UNICEF, seeks to enroll 6.25 million girls and boys in
schools by 2024 to advance their skills and knowledge so that they can enhance their
body confidence and self-esteem via education materials to achieve great things in India.