Olay Body Wash: Shower Talk

This ad came up on YouTube, ironically while I was watching another commercial. It shows a conversation between two women who live in the same apartment building, through a  shower drain. They start talking about how great Olay's body wash is compared to Dove's, as the moisturizers of this brand does not wash down the drain as easily as their competitor's. This ends up forming the crux of the commercial, as it ends with the slogan "Less down the drain, More moisturized skin."

The ad really stood out to me, mainly because of the way the characters within the commercial communicated, that is, through the shower drain in the bathroom. It was just a bit strange how they used this object much like one would use a telephone. This was reinforced by the casual, loose way the women spoke, along with how one of the girls was told to let the "creepy guy" go to "voicemail". This seemed a bit too surreal for me, as I'm sure that most of us would instantly be frightened by whomever was speaking to them through the shower drain, whether it be Jane in 22B or that creepy guy in 11B. This all points to the use of the Gestalt principle to grab the audience's attention, as it shows an experience that you can't help but feel strangely about.

In regards to the actual conversation, that too was a bit strange. In the midst of their pleasantries, the women suddenly start spouting how they were all told the "shocking" news about Dove's body wash, which apparently has "all their moisturizers go down the drain". Then they start comparing Olay, the "better" alternative to Dove, and how its "rich lather releases a moisturizing lotion", meaning "more moisturizers on your skin, less down the drain," which as I've said before, is the slogan of the entire ad.

All these parts of this once again surreal conversation, point to several techniques being used. There is the Bandwagon fallacy present, as the women base their opinions on Dove on what they hear from others. In other words, if all those other women know it and talk about it, then it must be true. This slightly leans onto the need for affiliation as well, as if to say that you will have more in common, and therefore more to talk about, with those around you if you use this product. Then you have the technique of Magic Ingredients, as once again they point to Olay's rich lather as proof that this brand is better than its competitor at retaining its moisturizing properties. They even throw in a bit of humor at the end with the appearance of the previously mentioned "creepy guy", who is allowed to go onto voicemail.

As for the target audience, the ad mainly seems to be directed towards women of all races, as that is the type of people being shown. There is also the use of subtle pink undertones within the ad, a primarily feminine color. The commercial operates on the assumption that women gossip about everything in their lives, including their shower products, and that upon hearing just one less-than-flattering aspect about those products, they will instantly look for something better. And while it may be true that women compare information about their daily lives, I find it hard to believe that simply one flaw in a product, a flaw that isn't exactly supported with numbers or other type of quantifiable evidence I might add, would cause them to switch to another brand altogether.