Unilever (UL)-owned Dove faced serious backlash after it unveiled new body wash bottles meant to represent the various shapes and sizes of women as part of its “Real Beauty” campaign. But despite the mixed reactions to the bottles, most people still love the Dove brand, according to a new survey.
From May 9 to 11, just after Dove launched its ad campaign, Morning Consult surveyed 2,209 American adults and found that 82% of people still have a favorable view of Dove.
Another 68% said they planned to buy a Dove product over the next three months, and 41% of those surveyed said the bottles gave them a more favorable view of the brand. Forty-one percent of survey respondents said that it made no difference either way.
Overall, just 3% of respondents said the bottles gave them a “much less favorable view” of Dove, according to the survey.
Dove body wash bottles show how using feminism to sell stuff can backfire https://t.co/rUQQUYC3XEpic.twitter.com/VbjzksKfcm
— FORTUNE (@FortuneMagazine) May 10, 2017
When asked how likely they were to purchase Dove products after viewing the new bottles, 71% of respondents said they were likely to patronize the company. That’s a three percentage point increase from before they were shown the ad, according to Morning Consult.
As Morning Consult notes, consumers usually stick to what they know: A third of those surveyed said they would still choose the classic-shaped Dove bottle, opposed to the new Real Beauty bottles.
