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234 Managing Customers Through Economic Cycles

many mainstream television programs and print publica-
tions, and the exposure generated by the spot has been
estimated to be worth over $150 million.

The film opens with a “pretty, but ordinary girl” entering
and sitting down in a studio. The camera switches to a time
lapse sequence, showing a team of people adding make-up
and adjusting the hair of the woman, transforming her into
a “beautiful billboard model”. Then a series of “Photoshopping”
adjustments are made to alter the appearance of the model
further. The final image is displayed on a billboard. The
short movie finishes by displaying text saying “No wonder
our perception of beauty is distorted.”

From the beginning, Dove transcended the classic “prod-
ucts sell” and focused on its “higher calling” looking beyond
the Hollywood definition of beauty and supporting the inner
beauty in every young woman. The message was simple,
the content was pure, the conversation was of the highest
level, and it was all about the consumer … about their life,
their esteem. And most of all, it was on their terms. The
natural virality and consumer advocacy spawned by the
movie short was nothing short of inspiring, as was the movie
itself.

Figure 9.7