Armpit Billboard Dropped by Dove After NJ Backlash: 'Ignorant' and 'Offensive,' Residents Say (PHOTO)
An armpit billboard advertising Dove's latest deodorant angered the residents of New Jersey so much that the company was forced to rethink their campaign. The ad called the state "the armpit of America," a well-known insult referring to the chemical refineries that litter the region.
The armpit billboard was proposed as part of a new campaign to market Dove's latest Advanced Care deodorant, according to ABC News. The mockup of the ad was released recently and was supposed to go up on a billboard in July, but once N.J. residents got wind of the ad, they began to complain.
"Dear New Jersey," the ad reads alongside a picture of a smiling woman with a clean, hairless underarm. "When people call you 'The Armpit of America,' take it as a compliment. Sincerely, Dove."
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When The New York Times ran a story on the armpit billboard New Jersey residents didn't take kindly to it, calling it "insulting" and "offensive."
"New Jersey is the Garden State not the armpit state," one irate Facebook user said. "Will think twice before buying your product now."
Others mentioned Dove's previous "Beauty Is" campaign, a widely lauded and recognized effort by the company to promote self-worth and self-esteem for women.
"For a company that tries to be so politically correct with its 'Beauty Is' campaign, I think you really screwed the pooch on your anti-New Jersey billboard," another user wrote.
Unilever, which owns Dove, decided against the billboard after the backlash. The space will be donated to a charity.
"We take feedback from our community very seriously and have decided that we will not be running this billboard advertisement," Unilever said in a statement. "We did not wish to cause any misunderstanding and apologize for any offense."
The company claimed that they were trying to promote armpits as being "beautiful" and that women should accept them as "something that is okay."
