There are many ways that branding and advertising have changed over the last few years. The biggest change to impact the industry is none other than social media! Between the Facebook’ing, Tweeting, Pinning and Linkedin’ing there is no place a brand can go without hearing an opinion about their work (the good & the bad.) Dove, a Unilever brand, learned this when they recently released a new ad campaign targeted to make women feel better about their personal image by having a sketch artist draw them as they describe themselves. Many saw this as a beautiful campaign that empowered women, and others saw it differently. And that is the beauty and the breakdown of social media.

Our very talented writer, Jazz Brice, recently watched the “Real Beauty Sketches” by Dove. We will not try to sum up the complex and brilliant points that Jazz wrote about, and instead urge you to read them HERE.

Shortly after Jazz took to Tumblr, the shares, likes and love started pouring in. Over 200,000 views and counting! Her post,”Why Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” Video Makes Me Uncomfortable…and Kind of Angry” is a true sign that brands are playing in a social world where anything goes. Opinions are opinions, but they have so much more power when banned together through the social masses. A brand might have a bigger reach, but is that always a good thing?

As much as social media loves to blame the brand, it can be said that maybe they have a ton of research to back their entire strategy. Perhaps, they hit their exact target. Perhaps, the videos were not intended for some people to see. Perhaps, we will never know the real story. Brands are always going to have a tough time pleasing everyone, unless that was written in the creative brief. Watch the video below, take a look at the article HERE and let us know your opinion!

All we know is they must be doing something right since we are all talking about it!