The Unilever Onslaught Effect

Did you notice this article in Ad Age today?  "Dove Viral Draws Heat From Critics."

The idea of two brands conflicted underneath an CPG umbrella crossed my mind back in June - of last year.  [Don't get me wrong; I'm not claiming by any means to have invented this meme.]  My feeling is that the ends justify the means.  When I asked Babs Rangaiah about it during a panel discussion in March, his response was that they're separate brands with separate strategies.  Works for me.

Now someone's gone out and posted a viral video on the matter, which tells me that the meme has reached critical mass (that and the fact that there's a mainstream media article on the subject).

So - is this a case where Unilever needs to take on more corporate social responsibility?  Or is all fair in the name of shelf space and margin?

I know it's not black and white and thus probably a bit of both.  Just goes to show that the more successful you become, the more criticism you'll receive.  No one's crowing about Nike's ads anymore...because no one's talking about that ad campaign at every social media conference you attend these days.