Dove’s Real Moms, Sonos Plays The Dude: The Top 5 Ads Of The Week

By Jeff Beer

Well, we know what ad won’t be here, eh? On the flip side of Pepsi’s creative catastrophe, Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty has been one of the most successful ongoing marketing campaigns over the last decade. And this week the brand unveiled Baby Dove, its first major category extension since launching the Dove+Men line in 2010. The new campaign backing the line of baby products keeps all things part of the brand-image family under the #RealMoms hashtag, and a consistent extension of Dove’s longstanding celebration of individuality. If the continued success of Real Beauty, and quality of the men’s advertising, is any indication, Baby Dove should keep this long-running campaign a success for the next generation. Onward!

Dove “Baby Dove #RealMoms”

What: Launch ad for Dove’s new line of baby products that’s a pint-sized extension of its Real Beauty campaign

Who: Dove, Ogilvy & Mather

Why We Care: Not only does this represent the first new line extension for the brand in seven years, the ad thankfully carries on the brand’s tradition of taking a real look at motherhood, through a variety of people and approaches. No cliché ad moms here.

Sonos “The Big Lebowski on PLAYBASE”

What: Sonos gets totally mellow to introduce its take on the home theater sound bar speaker.

Who: Sonos, Anomaly

Why We Care: It’s not the first time Sonos has tapped into Hollywood to make a point about its speakers’ potential to enhance the viewing experience. The first time was a clip from I Love You, Man, but, as charming as Paul Rudd is, going with The Big Lebowski is, like, taking things up a notch, man.

Sheraton “We Dive In And Go Beyond”

What: A look at the heroic lengths to which Sheraton employees will go to make a guest happy.

Who: Sheraton Hotels, Venables Bell & Partners

Why We Care: The brand says the new “Go Beyond” campaign showcases actual Sheraton associates interacting with guests in small but meaningful ways that have great impact a traveler’s experience. What works here is the epic treatment of a mundane moment, as well as buddy’s face when that little girl aggressively chucks bunny in for another dip.

Lynx “Boys Don’t Cry”

What: The newest episode in the ongoing Men in Progress series for Lynx (that’s Axe to you and me) that compares real masculinity and what it means to be a man with the cultural conventions we’re regularly sold, largely by advertisers.

Who: Lynx, TML Unlimited

Why We Care: As short-doc branded series go, it looks like Lynx has learned a thing or two from its Unilever sibling Dove, interviewing real people about real feelings, to serve up a view of manhood counter to much of what we’ve been shown from marketers over the years. The series overall is strong, and this newest episode talking about whether or not it’s okay for men to cry is one of its best yet.

SoulCycle “Find It!”

What: New SoulCycle campaign uses real instructors giving impassioned pep talks that perfectly sum up the brand’s unique sweaty spirituality.

Who: SoulCycle, Laird+Partners

Why We Care: It may not be your thing. Maybe it whiffs a wee bit close to cult brand Kool-Aid. But as brand anthem ads go, can you imagine a better one for SoulCycle than this, actual instructors doing their best impression of Tony Robbins on two wheels? Part of what’s made it such a phenomenon is how SoulCycle’s staff have helped remake the traditional idea of an exercise class into part community, part self-help sweat session, and this illustrates that balance perfectly.

Fast Company

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