YESTERDAY, DOVE UNVEILED its latest social media campaign.
In a tweet, Dove encouraged women to send two positive tweets for every negative tweet they sent.
“If you know a girl who has been negative online — about herself or others — try this fun activity to spread postivity,” they wrote.
But while the company pitched it as a “fun activity,” Twitter users saw it as anything but and the backlash was swift.
Some people saw it as an attempt on Dove’s part to police women’s tone
The brand equivalent of a man telling you to smile, if you will.
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ThatAmericanScare👻 / Twitter
ThatAmericanScare👻 / Twitter / Twitter
Turns out women don’t appreciate brands telling them how to talk online
Funny that.
Upulie Divisekera / Twitter
Upulie Divisekera / Twitter / Twitter
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Especially when brands like Lynx don’t appear to be telling men to act nicer online
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Also imagine actually advising your friend to participate in this
“Hey, I noticed you sent a negative tweet and I think you should send two positive ones to redress the balance.”
Em, no?
This is not the first time Dove has been criticised for bossing women around online.
Back in 2015, The Washington Post called the brand’s #SpeakBeautiful campaign ‘the ugliest thing on the internet today’ after the brand sent unsolicited tweets to women telling them that they were beautiful.
Dove / Twitter
Dove / Twitter / Twitter
With #SpeakBeautiful, Dove presumes a highly intimate, one-to-one relationship with women who don’t necessarily want anything to do with the company, and it inserts its brand messaging directly into their Twitter streams.
It’s invasive, and condescending, to a degree that even Dove’s notoriously patronizing ad campaigns don’t usually reach
Franchesca Ramsay, a comedian affiliated with the campaign, defended it on Twitter yesterday.
Franchesca Ramsey / Twitter
Franchesca Ramsey / Twitter / Twitter
Franchesca Ramsey / Twitter
Franchesca Ramsey / Twitter / Twitter
Dove has yet to respond to these latest criticisms, but something tells us that this whole “send two positive tweets for every negative tweet” lark won’t be taking off anytime soon…
