Femvertising como tendencia publicitaria: estudio de caso de la marca ‘Dove’

Abstract

For several years now, it has been observed that advertising discourses and female representations in advertising have taken a 180-degree turn. Today it is unthinkable to design a campaign that perpetuates female stereotypes as a claim. In this sense, there are many brands that, following the precepts of the feminist movement, have generated changes in their advertising and marketing strategies. This is what has come to be known as femvertising. As Becker-Herby (2016) points out, the intersection of feminist theory and current social trends "lays the foundations for the rise of femvertising", defined as advertising that "also avoids messages that are particularly harmful to women". One of these brands is undoubtedly Dove, and its 'For Real Beauty' campaign launched in 2004. This contribution seeks to offer the vision that young university students have of these campaigns. Specifically, the campaigns are studied from 2013 to the present day. A mixed methodology has been designed and was carried out between November 2023 and January 2024 in two distinct phases. Through a case analysis, the elements that can be considered within the femvertising current in the campaigns to be studied will be defined. In a second phase, using three focus groups, we intend to find out whether the university public identifies these elements and how they impact on their purchasing decisions. As has been observed, these types of values are highly appreciated by the university public.