Top Of Mind

There is a long running argument in the advertising industry. Does advertising reflect the values of the society that it is in or is society trying to mimic advertising?

One point of view is that advertising portrays an ideal place of what we want our society to be. It’s all about fulfilling aspirations and dreams. Yes, our brands will make your dreams come true.

But there is a problem. We live in an imperfect world. Things happen, they go wrong – and the solution is never the quick fix that most advertising seems to promise. Specifically the portrayal of women in advertising has increasingly come under scrutiny and attack by groups who feel that the women are not accurately portrayed – especially when it comes to body size.

Unilever is one of the few companies that seem to be addressing the issue in it’s advertising.

First came the Campaign For Real Beauty for the Dove Brand. Instead of using slim and svelte models to promote the brand they used “real,” women of different body shapes and skin color. It has received wide coverage and praise from women’s groups. While other’s have complained that it is a cynical attempt to sell even more stuff, whatever the motivation, at least they are doing something about it.

Going a step further, the Anglo-Dutch company based in Amsterdam has recently issued further guidelines here to it’s marketers and advertising agencies. While not strict, it “expects,” that the models be between BMI (Body Mass Index) of 18.5 and 25. Anything below 17.5 is suspected to signal anorexia nervosa.

So now that someone is doing something about it, will others follow or continue to do what they have always done?

Or ultimately is it too big an issue for a single company or even and industry to overcome? Or, are we, as a society been brain-washed to expect the slim and svelte models in our advertising?