Deodorant!

Deodorant is a product that with time has become almost indistinguishable by brand. While each brand has different scents, most strive to be clear and clothes residue-free and almost all are antiperspirants as well as deodorants. Deodorant, however, is an important part of our daily lives, and the many brands out there have to distinguish themselves from the others in some way. Secret deodorant has a clinical strength version, apparently it's as strong as a prescription deodorant. Dove also has a clinical protection deodorant. Deodorant brands such as Dove and Secret interest me because they market strictly to women. Companies such as Axe target men as consumers, but the buff men in commercials and reaction of women to the Axe men, make women feel that buying Axe for their boyfriends might make their lives as exciting as the people in the Axe commercials. Dove and Secret deodorants are almost entirely targeted to women. Commercials for Dove Go Fresh deodorant show average looking women putting deodorant on and testing its effect. Dove markets itself as being for "real women." How do other brands advertise themselves? Others out there are Ban and Lady Speed Stick, and all must find a way to pose themselves as better than the others. Do they market to certain groups of women or do they try to cover all women out there. Below is an advertisement from 1985 for Secret deodorant.

The commercial emphasizes the important of female based products, and appeals primarily to women. It shows a girl beating her significant other at a sport. Also, she disproves his idea that women's perspiration is more "delicate." The phrase at the end, "Strong enough for a man but made for a woman," empowers women to embrace having the strength of a man while still acknowledging the difference between their bodies. Interestingly, this commercial teaches some dependence on men as the woman has been taught to play by her significant other and asks him to hand her his deodorant. At the same time, she has beat him and doesn't allow him to use her deodorant. Modern commercials also use this technique of showing that women can have exactly what men have, only in a form that's better for their bodies. There's a razor commercial out there showing that a woman doesn't need to steal a man's razor, but can have one with the same number of blades and level of effectiveness, but with a shape that is special for a woman's body.

Secret has stuck with its slogan "strong enough for a man, but made for a woman," yet their recent commercials don't usually involve important male characters. This commercial (below) calls attention to the secret nature of secret, how Secret doesn't stain dresses and can help cover for a girl who wears her roommate's dress without asking. The images of the woman dancing and partying make Secret seem like a brand for party animals who just need to cover up their misdeeds from the night before. Secret is giving women the power to do what they want and not have to pay the price the next day, in not having a stained dress and a knowingly betrayed and angry friend.

Secret's deodorant containers also contribute to the idea that it's for women who are going out on the town and women who are girly girls. The "scent expressions" give women the power to choose how they smell and how they show themselves to the world. The colors are bright and fun, the bottle sleek. There's no mistaking that this product is for a girl.

Above is a commercial for the Dove Go Fresh challenge. This is a European commercial, but it's primarily the same as American ones. It targets women in normal clothes who just want to be able to wear tank tops. It's hard for me to see the connection between a deodorant and a white tank top, as deodorant doesn't appear on white shirts nor does deodorant prevent hair growth, but in general the commercial makes dove seem particularly accessible and effective. Also, its clinical protection deodorant boasts being aluminum free and as natural as possible, so the company appeals to women who are normal and also want to pollute their bodies less.

Dove has launched a promotion of sorts to encourage women to be self confident and comfortable with themselves. Above is a really interesting commercial showing how a normal looking woman can be changed into a billboard model using makeup and photoshop. It renders models unreal and fake and shows the girls features being reshaped into something more "beautiful." Dove's Real Beauty Workshops fit into their desire to provide women with the products they need to live their lives. While dove has made their deodorant seem to be for down to earth, normal women, they have commercials now that make their products seem sexier. The below commercial, while for a body wash, is part of their Go Fresh line which includes deodorant.

The commercial portrays Dove as fun. It's incredible bright, the images are interesting. The whole commercial makes the woman seem sexy, and her experience with Dove doesn't attribute pleasure to men or sex, rather she's having fun with Dove body wash. The commercial below is just a short one about Go Fresh deodorant, it's similar to the body wash one.

The above commercial is from the 50s, when Dove soap was a new product. Interestingly the soap has stayed in that shape, and still boasts moisturizing power and creaminess. This commercial appeals to women, just as the ones now do. The woman seems wealthy and upper-class, so Dove at the time seemed to be appealing to the upper-class. In some ways, Dove seems to continue to appeal to the upper-class. The all-natural and organic craze that has spread through supermarkets is definitely a product of the upper-class. Whole Foods is incredibly expensive, and all the organic products they sell there can only be bought by a select few. Dove, with it's natural products and fancy showers, seems to be targetting upper-class women. The real women" who use Dove and were part of the Dove challenge commercial could certainly be from all socio-economic groups, but people who have time to test deodorants and report on them usually tend to not need to work really hard for their money. I'm wondering how products like this really get women of all ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups interested in them. The commercials show women who are primarily white and young. Do these companies, Secret and Dove, rely on people's need for deodorant? Do they market differently in other countries? While searching for commercials I found a lot that were the American version in other languages. One was the Go Fresh commercial, showing a white blonde girl, in Chinese. Are these deodorant companies using the idea of the American dream in promoting commercials showing very American products being used by white girls? America is still considered a land of freedom and prosperity, so does putting American product commercials overseas elicit consumers who are hoping to one day be wealthy and free like the women in the commercials. They have the choice to buy whatever deodorant or soap they want in an array of scents. Is it productive for these companies to only portray themselves as American?