Social media is evolving. Are you adapting? Connect with a community of brand pros and content creators at Social Media Week, May 12–14 in NYC, to learn how to keep pace with new trends and technology. Register now to save 20% on your pass.
If the word “moist” makes your skin crawl, you’re not alone—that’s a common reaction based not only on how it sounds but also on its association with bodily functions.
So using it once is bad enough, but saying it over and over is totally cringe. Any brand knows that, right?
Dove, in fact, is completely clued in to the visceral response that people—especially women—have to the “moist” descriptor. That’s why the storied brand built an entire marketing campaign around it, assembling a focus group and torturing the members with repeated “moist” references. Plus, an over-the-top jingle.
The whole scenario was scripted, of course, poking fun at one of the most reviled words in the English language as a way to introduce a newly reformulated product. It also gave the brand a chance to develop a relatable, jokey 30-second spot that captured a grossed-out “focus group gone wrong,” per the brand.
Dove, in its first dive into comedy, debuted the satirical ad during Sunday night’s well-watched broadcast of Saturday Night Live’s SNL50: The Anniversary Special on NBC.
Executives at the brand chose an “iconic moment in television” to unveil its lighter, cheekier side, according to Kathryn Fernandez, head of Dove Purpose & Engagement, Unilever North America.
“While the word ‘moist’ might be polarizing, we can all agree that we love moisture,” Fernandez said in a statement. Calling the innovated product “a game-changer,” she said Dove wanted to “re-introduce it to the SNL50 audience in a way that is fresh and new” for the brand.
The work, from the established jokesters at Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort ad agency, gathered four “unsuspecting” women for some feedback on the newly relaunched Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash. They loved it, saying it kept their skin soft for 24 hours and provided multiple cleaning and smoothing benefits.
Then they saw the purported ad campaign, along with a mascot outrageously named Mrs. Moist (an anthropomorphic bottle of soap). The mood in the room changed instantly—they were not on board.
“Please, stop,” said one woman, while another’s advice was unequivocal: “Bury this.”
The 30-second spot ends with the focus group moderator saying from off-camera, “Good thing we were just kidding.”