The Role of Emotional Appeal in Advertising: Dove vs.

Old
Spice
Lindsay Rosen, Hanna Ito, Jennifer Grant, Jess Carlin, Maggie
Lowman
COM 362 Strategic Research Methods
May 4, 2016

Introduction
Advertising is a mechanism that is employed by marketers to sell
or promote a product, service, or cause. At its core, an advertisement is
the product of what its target market wants. Despite being conceived
and created by agencies and creative marketing teams, the
advertisement is made to be a reflection of what is most effective when
appealing to the products target audience. Though the use, extent, and
design of advertising initiatives have undergone numerous changes
over the years, its ability to attract attention and persuade the buying
behaviors of consumers has remained relatively constant. It has become
commonplace to see advertisers more frequently reach out to their
markets using an emotional appeal. This can be seen in many
campaigns including the Like a Girl Always promotion and, as
examined in our research, the Dove Real Beauty commercials. These
campaigns link a product with a social movement in order to promote a
cause and connect its own brand with the goodness of advocating on
behalf of that cause. Often times, these commercials encourage us to
break down stereotypes and encourage viewers to be their most genuine
selves. As a staunch juxtaposition, other companies have chosen to use

humor to appeal to their audiences. For example, Old Spices, The

Man Your Man Could Smell Like campaign, featuring actor Isaiah
Mustafa, humors viewers by including unexpected elements in every
frame. In contrast to the Dove Real Beauty campaign, Old Spice places
emphasis on building up gender stereotypes, insisting that men who do
not wear Old Spice are less manly. The usage of these contrasting
advertising tactics proposes many questions about our culture and
preferences as the consumer base. The main research question we
analyzed was whether an emotional or comedic approach is more
effective when attempting to persuade a target markets willingness to
buy a product.
Research conducted by Holbrook and Batra (1987) provides a
good basis for the role of emotion in consumer responses to
advertising. This research employed buying behavior theory,
considering how cognition of an advertisement and its emotional effect
could influence consumer behavior. The study aimed to collect data on
the various emotional responses that could be obtained from a
commercial. Basing our research on this study, we decided to choose
two commercials that we assumed would evoke emotions or be

considered by the consumers. Another study, a meta-analysis,

composed by Eisend (2008), aims to explore the effects of humor in
advertising. He concluded that humor in advertising has been received
with a similar effect over the past decades. A brand that uses humorous
advertising is considered less credible, but leads consumers to show
higher rates of purchase intention and positive interpretation.
As a subset of our main research question, we further sought to
determine whether particular demographics of the target market are
more responsive and willing to buy a product when either of these two
advertising techniques is employed. Research collected by
Slachmuijlder (2000) aimed to see if advertising reflected the reality of
how gender roles operate in society. This study found that
advertisements create and operate in an alternative reality that mirrors
the messaging the company wishes to convey to its target publics. This
alternative reality limits women primarily as it shows them a skewed
and narrowed version of their own lives and potential. This was
inevitably a crucial finding since companies like Dove are aware that
such a misconception of self-image exists in most advertising
initiatives and therefore, must be counteracted. Alternatively, Krauss

(2011) conducted research on how the male image was presented in

Old Spice advertisements dating from the 1950s to the 2000s. The male
image in advertising differs from that of women in that its portrayal has
remained relatively static from decade to decade. The notion of the
macho-man was still prevalent in advertising at the time the research
was conducted. This particular conveyance of men increased sales for
Old Spice, particularly during its Smell Like a Man, Man campaign,
by thirty percent. Krauss says that the messaging used in this campaign
was consistent with that used in the 1950s: using Old Spice makes you
more of a man. The The Man Your Man Can Smell Like campaign is
the companys most recent advertising blitz, and is the commercial
series we sought to analyze in our study.
Research by Bissell (2010) aimed to find if womens perceptions
of themselves and their beauty, and their interpretations of the beauty
of others, were at all changed by receiving messaging from models
used in the Dove Real Beauty campaign advertisements. Images of
these models were shown to participants along with doctored images of
models that made them look extremely thin or plus size. Research
showed that Dove models were considered less attractive compared to

thinner models, and only more attractive than the plus size models. To
further elaborate on this study, we sought to see if an alternative
perspective of Doves Real Beauty campaign and if perhaps the type
of appeal the commercial uses, impacts how consumers view the
product and impact purchasing behaviors.
With this extensive background on advertising appeals and
gender roles in advertising techniques, we hypothesized that women
would identify more strongly with the Dove Real Beauty campaign
and men would identify more with the Old Spice campaign, but that,
overall, the Real Beauty campaign would be more enjoyable and
more likely to increase a consumers willingness to buy Dove products.
Our research strived to understand peoples perceptions and purchasing
power of products as a result of different advertising appeals and more
specifically identify the effectiveness of the Dove and Old Spice
campaigns on consumers.
Methodology
Since our research question was to determine which type of
advertising people consider to be more effective using Dove products
and their Real Beauty campaign commercials, in contrast with Old

Spice advertising initiatives, we used a mixed-method approach to

acquire our data. Our methodology strived to showcase both brands and
receive feedback on not only which company is more successful in
their advertising efforts, but also which type of advertising is seen as
more effective in persuading a prospective consumer to buy a product.
The success of the advertising efforts of these two companies can be
operationalized by first examining peoples perspectives, usage, and
knowledge of Dove and Old Spice as brands, and then identifying their
opinions, willingness to purchase, and emotional response after
commercials for each brand was played. To obtain the data for our
research, we designed a 10-question survey on Survey Monkey, which
was composed of multiple choice and dichotomous questions, and
conducted two focus groups. The survey allowed us to reach a broad
audience and ask multiple questions in a short period of time. The
survey also allowed us to collect quantitative data, which was easy to
analyze since Survey Monkey complied all the responses into
comprehensive breakdowns and graphs of respondents answers. We
also attached two links into the survey, one for the Dove Real Beauty
commercial, and the other for the Old Spice commercial. The focus

groups, which were composed of six members each, were beneficial in

obtaining qualitative responses since we could ask open-ended,
opinion-based questions and receive real feedback and explanations for
why the participants felt or thought the way they did. We designed a
38-question focus group guide to aid in our findings and also showed
the focus group participants the two commercials, with questions
following each showing. A non-probability sampling method was used
to obtain the data from our survey and our focus groups since we did
not have the access or time to randomly generate participants out of the
entire Elon student body population. Therefore, we administered our
survey via Facebook groups for every graduating class and in our
sorority groups. We also asked people we knew to participate in our
focus groups since it was easier to know the schedules and time
constraints of the people we associate with. Both of these methods are
considered to be judgmental, since we used our judgment to determine
who would best be suited for taking the survey and participating in the
focus groups, and also voluntary considering the people we reached
were not required to take the survey or participate in the focus groups,
but rather complete them if they wanted to.

Data Analysis
We obtained the data for the survey via Survey Monkey because
it allowed for us to see a breakdown of responses and the frequency in
which each of the respondents answered specific questions. These
graphs and charts enabled us to further analyze this data by examining
any patterns that existed among the responses pertaining to the gender
of the respondent or whether a trend existed in how he or she answered
the questions. Most survey questions asked for the level of familiarity
with the two brands, the frequency of usage of the products, and
general opinions pertaining to the willingness to buy products,
especially after viewing the commercials. For the focus groups, we
designed a list of 38 questions to ask the participants that asked many
of the same questions as the survey, but offered more opportunities for
the respondents to elaborate on their opinions. As the facilitator asked
the participants questions, we had two team members transcribe the
results to ensure consistency and intercoder reliability. We then
operationalized these results by analyzing trends in common adjectives
used to describe the two brands, the type of competitors in the market,
and positive and negative feedback obtained on the two commercials

and their overarching campaigns. Upon analyzing the results of both

the survey and the focus group, we found that many of the same
opinions, levels of familiarity and usage, and perception of the two
advertising techniques existed throughout the two methods.
Results: Survey
The results of the survey not only revealed the use and
knowledge of both Dove and Old Spice products, but also the brand
awareness towards each of them. The survey collected a total of 100
responses from participants. An overwhelming majority of 65% of
survey participants said they never use Old Spice products while 18%
and 17% of participants said they either frequently or sometimes use
the products. In contrast, 14% of survey participants said they never use
Dove products why 41% and 46% of participants said they either
frequently or sometimes use the products.
The second part of the survey measured the brand awareness of
each product based on various campaigns including the Dove Real
Beauty campaign and Old Spices The Man Your Man Could Smell
Like campaign. Exactly 89% of survey participants said that have
heard of the Dove Real Beauty campaign being either somewhat

familiar, familiar, or strongly familiar with it. Only 10% of participants

identified with not being familiar with the campaign which indicated
that there was an overwhelming majority of people that knew of it.
Results in brand awareness for Old Spice branding and the The Man
You Want Your Man to Smell Like campaign differed from Doves by
only 10% with 79% of participants being either somewhat familiar,
familiar, or strongly familiar with the campaign and only 21% not
being familiar.
The last part of the survey went more into depth with branding of
both Dove and Old Spice products by showing a product commercial
pulled from each campaign. The first commercial was from the Dove
Real Beauty campaign showing the makeover transformation of a
woman from start to finish. The sped up transformation showed the
woman with no make up, to then her image after makeup and photo
editing. After participants watched the commercial they were then
asked to what extent would the commercial influence their willingness
to buy Dove products. 78% of participants said they were either
somewhat, more, or definitely more willing to buy Dove products after

watching the commercial, while 21% said the commercial did not
influence their willingness to buy the products at all.
After watching the first commercial, participants were then
directed to watch the second commercial form Old Spices The Man
Your Man Could Smell Like campaign. The commercial shows
shirtless actor Isaiah Mustafa advertising the deodorant in a much more
humorous, satirical tone, as opposed to the serious approach
demonstrated in the Dove advertisement. Mustafa claims in the
commercial that if men want to attract women then Old Spice products
were exactly how they could do so. The statistics showed that exactly
50% of participants said they were either somewhat, more, or definitely
more willing to buy Old Spice products after watching this commercial,
while the other 50% said the commercial doesnt influence their
willingness to buy the product at all. This shows a huge difference from
the results of willingness to buy from the Dove commercial where over
half the majority of participants said they were influenced by the
commercial.
Interestingly enough, while the majority of participants said they
would be more likely to buy Dove products than Old Spice products

after watching both commercials, the Old Spice commercial received a

3% higher favorability rate on its commercial over Dove. After
showing two polar opposite commercials--one with a humorous
approach and the other a serious appeal, our survey concluded by
asking participants which type of commercial influences willingness to
buy a product between the two different approaches. While 48% of
people said humorous and comedic, 33% said emotional and serious,
and 19% said neither. However, the comparison of Old Spice and Dove
commercials in willingness to buy the product did not support this

evidence.

While the findings did reveal that more participants are willing to
buy a product when a comedic advertising approach is used, the serious
approached commercial, Dove, received more willingness to buy the
product then Old Spice. It could be that the Old Spice commercial was
not what people typically associate with a truly comedic commercial
and therefore it wasnt viewed as a brand that could influence buying
behavior. In the same instance, some participants could argue that the
Dove Real Beauty campaign commercial might not be what they
classify an emotional and serious commercial that would influence their
willingness to buy a product either.
Results: Focus Group
To gain a more depth perspective on the answers to our research
questions, we conducted two focus groups to give us results that
represent more qualitative research. These insights not only related to
product use but also how people feel towards both Dove and Old Spice
approaches to advertising. Using the same two commercials from the
survey, both focus groups were asked to watch them from the Dove
Real Beauty and Old Spices The Man Your Man Could Smell Like
campaign and give their reactions.

The first focus group consisted of six females. When asked how
many of them use Dove products, two of the participants said they use
Dove products such as body wash and deodorant occasionally but not
frequently. In contrast, four participants said they arent frequent Dove
product users because they use other brands such as Aveeno and any
type of generic body hygiene brand. Two of the participants who said
they dont use Dove mentioned that they use Old Spice, which was
interesting to note given that our focus group facilitator would be
introducing Old Spice products in later questions. The next part of our
focus group shifted gears from focusing on Dove products to the Dove
Real Beauty campaign. Nourishing, simple, socially aware, real
beauty, were some of the words participants gave when asked what
adjectives they would use to describe Dove as a brand which showed
the familiarity that the participants already had with the campaign.
When asked what they know about the campaign, participants
described it as powerful--representing real, natural beauty in all shapes
and colors. Four participants agreed that Dove targets females ranging
in age from 18 to 24, while the other two participants said they believe
it targets females of any age. However, despite having different

opinions on which demographic Dove targets with this campaign, all

six participants agreed that the campaign itself is very impactful on
how they view the brand and said it has that created more loyalty,
respect, and liking for the brand.
After evaluating the general knowledge and feelings participants
had towards Dove products, our focus group conductor started to ask
questions about Old Spice. As mentioned earlier, two of the
participants mentioned, when comparing brands to Dove, that they
frequently use Old Spice. One of the participants said that they use Old
Spice occasionally--still comparing the brand to other ones such as Axe
and other generic store brands. However, results from this focus group
showed that products they used from Old Spice were deodorants,
although they did possess knowledge of other Old Spice products such
as body spray and body wash. The participants that frequently use Old
Spice said how the deodorant products benefit them when working out
because they found the product to be stronger and having a longer
lasting scent than other brands. This was interesting considering they
were girls preferring a male-targeted product based off the adjectives
they gave to describe it. Sexy, manly, mature, and fruity, were some

of the words participants gave when asked what adjectives they would
use to describe Old Spice. Given the responses to adjectives that
described Old Spice, one of which insinuating a male product,
participants were asked who they think Old Spice products target. All
six female participants agreed that the brand targets men of different
demographics: from younger to older men, to teenage boys that want to
impress girls. This was interesting because all the participants said that
the demographics for Dove products were females ranging from
younger to older ages while they stated that Old Spice was the same but
for men. Our focus group facilitator then asked if participants were
aware that Dove has a mens product line as well. Five participants said
they were unaware while one said she felt like she saw a Dove
advertisement for mens products but wasnt very familiar with it.
The final part of our focus group aimed at gathering reactions and
opinions of participants based off showing them the commercials from
the Dove Real Beauty campaign and Old Spices The Man Your Man
Could Smell Like campaign. Our results from showing both
commercials concluded that both Dove and Old Spice took different
approaches in advertising their products, including one that looks to

tear down stereotypes and one that looks to promote them as an asset to
advertising initiatives.
The Dove Real Beauty campaign commercial sparked a lot of
positive feedback from participants. All six participants agreed that the
commercial of the womans makeover transformation and the
promotion of real beauty made a lasting, memorable, and powerful
impression of the brand along with an overall more respected view
Dove products. One participant even mentioned how although she
hadnt seen that commercial in three years, she still remembers it
because of how powerful and eye-opening it is. Every participant
agreed that based off watching that commercial it makes them want to
buy Dove products to support the message of the campaign, and the
brand itself. None of the participants said there was anything they
didnt like about the brands commercial; however, all of them noted
how it was interesting that throughout the whole commercial there were
no Dove products used. The focus group agreed that it was almost more
powerful that Dove didnt use products in the commercial because it
really demonstrated how the brand was trying to convey a message to
viewers as opposed to just trying to sell its product.

Lastly participants agreed that the commercial reinforced the

respect they have of Dove products and that the commercial falls under
the emotional/serious genre. In the beginning of the focus group, some
of the participants mentioned how they felt Dove targets women of all
ages, but when asked this question again, several participants changed
their view saying the commercial primarily focuses on younger women.
Participants then watched the Old Spice commercial. All the
participants couldnt help but compare the Old Spice commercial to the
Dove commercial because it took a completely opposite approach to
that of Dove by focusing on humor and comedy. In the beginning of the
focus group, participants mentioned how they either occasionally or
frequently use Old Spice products, however this commercial did not
make them want to buy the product because they felt it was targeted
strictly towards men especially single men and teenage boys. In
comparison to the Dove commercial, participants had much more
negative criticism to say about the Old Spice commercial than positive.
While participants agreed they enjoyed that it was comical and not too
serious, they did say it came off as superficial, a little dumb, and even a
little too fast-paced. When asked if the commercial made the

participants feel differently about the product, one participant

mentioned how it just made her annoyed--while every other participant
agreed it just shows the brand wants to sell the product. While Dove
focused more on a particular emotional message, the responses from
participants indicated that the message of the Old Spice commercial
was very surface level, and that if a male buys this product then girls
will find him attractive.
After participants were shown both commercials they concluded
that while both were very memorable in different ways. The Dove
commercial was memorable because it was powerful and emotionally
targeted its viewers, while Old Spices was memorable because of the
comedic, unrealistic fantasy of a young, physically attractive male,
riding a horse into the sunset, advertising the product. Dove was
showing you something while Old Spice was trying to sell you
something, one participant remarked. This became evident in our
results because what the participants seemed to take away the most
from the Dove commercial was that since there was no product shown
in it, they were focusing on planting a message into viewers minds,
rather than trying to just increase sales. Since participants concluded

that the Old Spice commercial targeted men, they were then asked if
there was a stigma against women using Old Spice because of this
target demographic Old Spice focuses on in their commercials. All
participants, being female, agreed that there isnt a stigma, however
several did mention theyve definitely gotten comments from friends
when theyve been seen using it.
After evaluating the results from our first focus group, we
conducted a second focus group with two male and four female
participants. While there were obstacles in getting male opinion on the
products, we felt it was crucial to hold a second focus group with male
participants to see if their responses showed similarities or differences
to the first focus group which was composed of all females.
When asked how many of them use Dove products, three female
participants said that they do. The same three participants identified
with using Dove deodorant, body wash, and bars of soap--which was
interesting because participants in the first focus group didnt bring up
Dove as a choice of brand in deodorant. The rest of the four
participants who said they dont use Dove products said they use other
brands such as Saint Ives body wash, Secret deodorant, and Degree

deodorant because they find Dove products can be too mild in aroma.
Fresh, clean, smooth, gentle on the skin, moisturizing, natural, real,
reputable, and trusted, were some of the words participants gave when
asked what adjectives they would use to describe Dove as a brand. This
was very interesting in contrast to the first focus group that gave
adjectives that correlated specifically with the Dove Real Beauty
campaign whereas majority of this focus groups selection of words
were strictly product related. The participants also had the same
differing opinions on who they felt Doves target audience is--with all
agreeing that they were females but some believing in ages 20-30 while
other participants thought that there wasnt necessarily a specific age.
Using the same approach as with the first focus group, the focus
group facilitator then addressed the Dove Real Beauty campaign more
specifically. All participants, besides one boy, had heard of the
campaign. The people who knew about the campaign included it strives
to empower women and focus on women who are not stereotypically
seen as models and dont always have the best perceptions of
themselves. Participants shared how they respect the campaign because
of this, which impacts the way they view Dove products--as more

natural and social conscious, compared to other personal hygiene

brands.
Old Spice was then introduced to the second focus group and
only two out of the six participants (one being female, one being male)
said they use the brands products. The female participant argued how
that compared to other brands, she enjoys using Old Spice deodorant
because that in addition to smelling good, she finds it works better and
is longer lasting than female brands. Other products that were
mentioned by participants with a knowledge of Old Spice was that the
brand not only carried deodorant but also body spray, body wash, and
possibly even cologne. It was interesting that in this focus group, while
each person identified with either using Dove or Old Spice, the second
male participant said he used neither and bought most of his products
from other competing brands such as Degree or Axe. The participants
of focus group two named similar adjectives as focus group one such as
manly to insinuate that Old Spice products generally target male
demographics. When asked to go into depth of this male demographic,
the participants concluded that Old Spice products catered to either
older men, prepubescent men, young adults, or for those trying to

impress girls. Since this focus group had two male participants in it, we
wanted to see if gender played a role in why they might not use Dove
products. One male participant responded that he would rather use
something stronger, such as Old Spice, and that he and his friends dont
really associate Dove with men. When shared that there is in fact a
mens line of Dove products, both male and female participants shared
that they were unaware of this--which is inevitably reflected in the
marketing and branding techniques of Dove pertaining to this product
line.
After evaluating the general brand and product awareness for
both Dove and Old Spice the second focus group was shown the same
two commercials as the first group. After watching the Dove
commercial, participants said how it goes to show how society makes
people feel like they need to look a certain way, and that we build
ourselves up so much by what others look like that we often lose our
own natural beauty. Contrasting opinions said that while it was very
powerful, it could have possibly been exaggerated. Similar to the first
focus group, participants thought it was interesting how Dove didnt
use its own products in their commercial, but that the commercial still

made them want to buy the product. Participants liked how the
commercial promoted very natural, real beauty, and the idea that
anyone can be beautiful, which inevitably influences their willingness
to buy the product. When asked if there was anything not enjoyable
about the commercial one participant shared that some people argue
that they like wearing makeup so this commercial could be seen as
insulting to them. Since five participants were already familiar with the
Real Beauty campaign prior to seeing this commercial in our focus
group, participants said that it did not make them think differently
about Dove products because they already knew that Dove had a good
reputation and promoted natural beauty. The opinions on the
demographics that this commercial targeted, as opposed to those that
the product targets, didnt change, with the overall conclusion that
women of all ages were targeted. Lastly, participants categorized this
commercial as emotional, serious, and powerful--which was the
conclusion of the first focus group as well keeping a consistent pattern.
After watching the Old Spice commercial, participants had
multiple reactions including how it plays to masculinity, and is quick,
witty, and attempts to be funny, which was something that both males

and females can appreciate. When asked if this would make them want
to buy the product, participants agreed that if they were a younger guy
20-30 years of age, trying to impress a woman, then they would be
more affected by this commercial and want to buy the product. The
criticism of this commercial was that it was kind of pointless and
shouldnt be something taken very seriously by all viewers who dont
fit the target demographic. However, overall, the focus group
participants found it entertaining. Lastly, participants were asked about
what kind of message they think was intended by this commercial and
if it makes them think differently about the product. Just like the first
focus group, the second focus group participants gave similar responses
in that the message is a sales tactic employed by Old Spice in hopes of
giving the message to men that if they smell like Old Spice products,
then women will be more attracted to them. In the beginning of the
focus group, one female and one male participant said that they used
Old Spice products. Results showed that after watching the commercial
there were different views on who Old Spice products are catered for.
The female participant said how it makes her think Old Spice products
are very masculine, powerful, intense, and attractive. However, each

female participant that responded to using these products only used

them for personal hygiene after the gym and that these new perceptions
of the brand after the commercial wouldnt change that.
In a comparison of both commercials, the second focus group
categorized the Old Spice commercial as funny and comical. The
results showed that participants agreed that Old Spice plays to
stereotypes while Dove does the opposite. Old Spice is funnier and
grabs your attention more with their advertising, but Dove plays to
more serious ideals. Having a physically fit and attractive man
advertising a product, emphasizing that youll attract more women with
the product, further promote the stereotype that if you want to be goodlooking, appealing to women, and like this guy in the commercial, then
you should buy Old Spice. As previously mentioned, Dove works to
break down these stereotypes, explaining that natural beauty is more
meaningful than trying to look a certain way. A few female participants
said that the Dove Real Beauty campaign commercial was more
effective while the rest of the female and male participants said that
Old Spice was more effective. However, both agreed that the
perceptions of the effectiveness of these commercials are dependent on

the audience. Lastly, results from both focus groups showed that the
target audience impacts the type of marketing/advertising method used
by a company such as Dove or Old Spice depending on what the target
demographic values in a product.
Because of the non-probability method of sampling used to
obtain this data, we were limited in the scope of people we reached
with both our survey and focus group and, therefore, our results may
possess some selection and response bias. One limitation we faced was
the unequal distribution of men and women in our focus groups. Our
first focus group was composed of six women and no men and our
second focus group was composed of four women and two men. This
was not ideal considering a significant factor that we were testing for
was whether or not the opinions and appeal of advertising for Dove and
Old Spice, and advertising in general, was in any way influenced by
gender. Our survey experienced the same gender bias since 83 of the
respondents were female while only 16 were male. Another limitation
we experienced was the minimal number of participants used in our
focus groups. Focus groups can have between 6 and 12 participants and
we could only ever have six at any one time due to scheduling conflicts

of other students. Survey Monkey also limited us to 100 responses on

our survey with the free version of the application. Therefore, our
results may not be indicative of the student population at Elon, or each
gender as a whole. Also, because we only had access to the Elon
student-body population, our results, though very applicable to the
outside world, are excluding many other demographics such as age
variation, race, or perhaps socio-economic status. Overall, the nonprobability methods of sampling served as a limitation since we did not
have a representative sample of the population and relied on a
judgmental and voluntary approach to obtain our data.
Conclusion:
Overall, we wanted to focus on how companies determine what
type of advertisement will be most effective when appealing to the
products target audience and how that changes the audience's reaction
towards the product, as well as their willingness to purchase. Previous
research and our own experience indicate that commercials are perhaps
becoming more emotional and in-depth, as well as employing social
movements in order to better promote themselves and connect their
brand with a cause. The commercials we used showed the staunch

comparison between an advertisement that encourages us to break

down stereotypes through an emotional appeal, and a more humorous
approach used primarily with the goal of increasing sales. We wanted
to see which of these two approaches was more effective with our peers
at Elon University, with brands that were seen as appealing to wideranging age demographics. The mix-methods approach of designing a
survey and conducting a focus group was beneficial in that we obtained
both quantitative and qualitative data to help address our research
questions. The data we collected did support our hypothesis to an
extent. Because our results were limited by the unequal male to female
ratio, we found that the Dove Real Beauty campaign commercial did
resonate more with women but that men did not necessarily possess
negative opinions of it either. Men did like the Old Spice commercial
but it did not necessarily increase their willingness to buy the product.
While the majority of participants said they would be more likely to
buy Dove products than Old Spice products after watching both
commercials, the Old Spice commercial received a 3% higher
favorability rating on its commercial as opposed to Dove. This part of

our hypothesis was therefore not supported by our findings since we

believed Dove would show greater favorability.
Though this research may be limited to strictly a college-age,
predominantly female demographic, our findings can be applied more
broadly in the field of mass communications. When advertising
agencies, creative marketing teams, or brand awareness divisions
within a company are seeking to produce an advertisement or
commercial, they will want to know how to make effective promotional
material that caters to its desired consumer base. Therefore, it is in a
companys best interest to analyze the impacts of two of the most
common advertising techniques, which employ either emotion and the
use of a social movement to establish rapport, or humor and satire to
foster a more light-hearted tone. The type of approach used, as we saw
in our research, inevitably depends on the target market and
demographic of those most likely to purchase the product. This is
strong preliminary data that can be used to develop a larger, more
inclusive study of the population pertaining to what type of commercial
a consumer enjoys more in relation to a commercial that is more
effective in its call to action to buy the product. Dove and Old Spice

have developed two very strong advertising campaigns that have been
successful and profitable using these varying methods and have
allowed us to lay the groundwork for a greater research endeavor.

References
Bissell, K., & Rask, A. (2010). Real women on real beauty: Selfdiscrepancy, internalization of the thin ideal, and perceptions of
attractiveness and thinness in Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. Int. J.
Adv. International Journal of Advertising, 29(4), 643.
doi:10.2501/s0265048710201385
Eisend, M. (2008). A meta-analysis of humor in advertising. J. of the
Acad. Mark. Sci. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 37(2),
191-203. doi:10.1007/s11747-008-0096-y
Holbrook, M. B., & Batra, R. (1987). Assessing the Role of Emotions
as Mediators of Consumer Responses to Advertising. J CONSUM RES
Journal of Consumer Research, 14(3), 404. doi:10.1086/209123

Krauss, K. (2011). Boys will be boys: The Male Image in Old Spice
Advertising in 1950s and 2000s. Media Report to Women, 6(11).
Doi:908424021
Millard, J. (2009). Performing Beauty: Dove's "Real Beauty"
Campaign. Symbolic Interaction, 32(2), 146-168.
doi:10.1525/si.2009.32.2.146

Appendix
Focus Group Discussion Guide
Dove
1. How many of you use Dove products?
2. Which products do you use?
3. What kind of products do you most associate with Dove?
4. If you dont use Dove, what other brands do you use? What types
of products are you buying from another brand?
5. Why do you prefer these other brands or particular products from
a certain brand but other products from another brand?
6. What adjectives would you use to describe Dove as a brand?
7. Who do you think Doves target audience is?
8. Have you ever heard of the Dove Real Beauty Campaign?
9. What do you know about it?
10.
Does it impact the way you view Dove as a brand?
Old Spice
11.
12.

How many of you use Old Spice?

What kind of products do you use?

13. What kind of products do you most associate with Old Spice?
14. If you dont use Old Spice, what other brands do you use? What
types of products are you buying from another brand?
15. What adjectives would you use to describe Old Spice as a brand?
16. Who do you think Old Spices target audience is?
17. Guys (only if they dont use Dove) why dont you use Dove
products?
18. Are you aware that there is a mens line of Dove products?
After watching Dove commercial:
19. What did you think of this commercial? Thoughts? Comments?
20. Does this make you want to buy the product?
21. What did you like about it?
22. Was there anything you didnt like about it?
23. What do you think the message is that they are trying to get
across?
24. Does this make you think differently about Dove products?
25. Who do you think Dove was targeting with this commercial?
26. What genre would you categorize this commercial as?
After watching Old Spice commercial:
27. What did you think of this commercial? Thoughts? Comments?
28. Does this make you want to buy the product?
29. What did you like about it?
30. Was there anything you didnt like?
31. What do you think the message is that they are trying to get
across?
32. Does this make you think differently about Old Spice products?
33. Who do you think Old Spice was targeting with this commercial?
34. What genre would you categorize this commercial as?
Advertising
35. What differences do you notice in the type of appeal used in these
commercials?
36. Do you think one type of commercial was more effective than the
other? Which one and why?

37. Does the target audience impact the type of marketing/advertising

method used?
38. Any other comments on the advertising technique of both
brands?

Focus Group 1: Results

6 girls
How many of you use Dove products?
Occasionally
Which products do you use?
Dove body wash
Dove deodorant
What kind of products do you usually associate with Dove?
Soaps, deodorant
If you dont use Dove what other brands do you use?
Aveeno
Secret
Old spice (two people)
Any type of body gel
What adjectives would you use to describe Dove as a brand?
Nourishing
Simple
Socially aware
Real beauty because of the campaign
Who do you think Dove targets?
Ages 18-24

Any age

Have you ever heard of Dove Real Beauty campaign?

Its real beauty
Natural beauty
Beauty in all shapes in color
Its powerful
Does it impact the way they view Dove as a brand?
Yes, very impactful
More loyalty and like the brand more
How many of you use Old Spice?
Occasionally
Yes
What kind of products do you use from Old Spice?
Deodorant
Are you aware of other products?
Body spray
Body wash
If you would use other brands besides Old Spice what would they be?
Axe, generic brands
What adjectives would you use to describe Old Spice
Sexy
Manly
Fruity
Think of high schoolers that wear Abercrombie?
Why do you use Old Spice?
Good for when you work out
Works better (stronger, longer lasting, stronger scent than other
brands)
Who does Older Spice target?
Men
Younger men

Boys that want to impress girls

Are you aware that Dove has a mens product line as well?
Ive seen it but not very familiar with it
Nope
Dove commercial reaction:
Shocking
Makes me respect brand more
Very powerful, got a lot of people talking
Havent seen it in 3 years but still remember it
Does this commercial make you want to buy product?
Yes, makes me want to support the brand
Is there anything you didnt like about the brand?
Interesting that they didnt use any products in it
Almost more powerful that they didnt use products because it
doesnt seem like theyre trying to just sell their product
Does this make you think differently of Dove products?
Just reinforces respect for it
What audience do you think this commercial targets?
Younger women
What genre does this commercial identified?
Emotional
Powerful
Reactions to Old Spice commercial:
Funny
Opposite of what dove is doing
Does it make you want to buy the product?
No, feel like its targeted to men
What did you like about it?
Comical but not too serious
Anything you didnt like about the commercial?

A little fast paced

Superficial
Dumb but funny

What do you think the message is of this commercial?

If you buy this product then girls will find you attractive
Does it make you think differently of product?
Makes me annoyed
Just shows they want to sell the product
Who do you think the commercial is targeting?
Single guys
Teenage boys
What genre do you think this falls under?
Comedy
Between two commercials what do you think they both are?
Dove was showing you something
Old Spice was trying to sell you something
One commercial have a product in it the other didnt
What approach of commercial do you think is more powerful?
Both are memorable,
Dove is more emotionally powerful
Emotionally powerful can be better in long run
Do you think theres a stigma against women using Old Spice?
No
Ive definitely gotten comments on using it as a girl

Focus Group 2: Results

6 people-4 girls, 2 boys

Dove
How many of you use Dove products?
3
Which products do you use?
Deodorant, body wash, bar soap
What kind of products do you most associate with Dove?
Soaps, deodorant
If you dont use Dove, what other brands do you use? What types of
products are you buying from another brand?
Saint Ives body wash, Secret deodorant, Degree deodorant
Why do you prefer these other brands or particular products from a
certain brand but other products from another brand?
Bar soap unique that Dove makes (old fashion), like the smell of other
body washes (Dove can sometimes be too mild)
What adjectives would you use to describe Dove as a brand?
Fresh, clean, smooth, gentle on the skin, moisturizing, natural, real
products, trusted, reputable
Who do you think Doves target audience is?
Females, younger women 20-30/all women (different opinions)
Have you ever heard of the Dove Real Beauty Campaign?
Yes (all but one boy)
What do you know about it?
Empowering women, focus on women that are not stereotypically seen
as models, dont always have the best perceptions of themselves,
explain yourself to someone, natural beauty, natural products
Does it impact the way you view Dove as a brand?
Yes, impacts the way you view it and their products, more natural,
social conscious company
Old Spice
How many of you use Old Spice?
1 girl uses it and one of the guys
Girls use old spice smells good, think it works better than female
brands
What kind of products do you use?

Deodorant
What kind of products do you most associate with Old Spice?
Deodorant stick, spray, body wash, cologne?
If you dont use Old Spice, what other brands do you use? What types
of products are you buying from another brand?
Axe or Degree
What adjectives would you use to describe Old Spice as a brand?
Smelly, older man/prepubescent man (different opinions), trying to
impress girls, manly, powerful
Who do you think Old Spices target audience is?
20 year olds/young adults
Guys (only if they dont use Dove) why dont you use Dove products?
Would rather use something stronger, dont really associate Dove with
men
Are you aware that there is a mens line of Dove products?
Some (girls and guys) didnt know Dove made a mens line of products
After watching Dove commercial:
What did you think of this commercial? Thoughts? Comments?
Shows how society makes us feel like we need to look a certain way
that we build ourselves up so much that we lose our natural beauty,
thought it was powerful, possibly exaggerated, interesting how Dove
products werent used
Does this make you want to buy the product?
Yes
What did you like about it?
Very natural, real beauty, anyone can be beautiful
Was there anything you didnt like about it?
Some people argue that they like wearing makeup so this can be
insulting to them
What do you think the message is that they are trying to get across?
The message is that anyone can be beautiful and you dont need
makeup to be attractive, your natural identity is important to keep
Does this make you think differently about Dove products?
Already knew that they had a good reputation and promote natural
beauty
Who do you think Dove was targeting with this commercial?
Women of all ages

What genre would you categorize this commercial as?

Serious, emotional, powerful
After watching Old Spice commercial:
What did you think of this commercial? Thoughts? Comments?
Plays to musicality, attempting to be humorous, girls and guys
appreciate this, quick and witty
Does this make you want to buy the product?
Yes for younger guys 20-30s to try to impress women, older guys
might not find this that appealing but still comical
What did you like about it?
It was funny, quick, stupid
Was there anything you didnt like?
Kind of pointless, over-exaggerated
What do you think the message is that they are trying to get across?
Your man can smell like this if he uses this product, women will be
more attracted to you if use Old Spice
Does this make you think differently about Old Spice products?
Yes, very masculine, powerful, intense, attractive
Who do you think Dove was targeting with this commercial?
Younger men (teens and 20s)
What genre would you categorize this commercial as?
Funny, comical, satirical
Advertising
What differences do you notice in the type of appeal used in these
commercials?
Old spice plays to stereotypes and Dove does the opposite, Old Spice
funnier and grabs your attention more, Dove serious-girls, dont pay
attention to Old Spice
Do you think one type of commercial was more effective than the
other? Which one and why?
Varied (Dove for a few girls) Old Spice for the boys and a couple girls)
but both agree that it varies based on the audience
Does the target audience impact the type of marketing/advertising
method used?
Yes, depends on what you value in a product
Any other comments on the advertising technique of both brands?

Survey Questionnaire
1. What is your gender?
Male
Female
Choose not to specify

2. How often do you use Old Spice products?

Often
Sometimes
Never

3. How often do you use Dove products?

Often
Sometimes
Never

4. Are you aware of the Dove Real Beauty Campaign?

Very familiar
Familiar
Somewhat familiar
Not familiar

5. How familiar are you with Old Spice branding?

Very familiar
Familiar
Somewhat familiar
Not familiar

6. (Watch commercial) To what extent does this commercial

influence your willingness to buy Dove products?
Definitely more willing
More willing
Somewhat more willing
Not influenced at all

7. (Watch commercial)To what extent does this commercial

influence your willingness to buy Old Spice products?
Definitely more willing
More willing
Somewhat more willing
Not influenced at all

8. Which commercial did you enjoy more?

Dove
Old Spice
Neither

9. Which type of commercial most influences your willingness to

buy a product?
Humorous and comedic
Emotional and serious
Neither

10. In your opinion, which of these two brands has a better

reputation?
Dove
Old Spice
Neither

Survey Results