As we are transitioning into winter and the evenings are becoming cold and gloomy I find myself watching a lot more t.v.. In between the celebrity dance-offs and police dramas, are commercials for an online show called “Waking up Hannah”. So I was curious and went onto the website to see what the hype was all about. It is a show sponsored by Dove, (really these days, what isn’t sponsored by Dove) and it is a ‘choose your own adventure’ romantic comedy geared to the 20 something’s where we get to decide what happens to Hannah next. It’s a cool concept. It builds on the reality t.v. show audience participation overlayed with the gritty dramatic acting of 90210, cleaned up ever so nicely by refreshing Dove.
This show is intriguing because it’s a brand that now is associated with real women on an emotional side. Women become brand ambassadors because they think the brand represents something more than just keeping clean. It’s about being part of community, of understanding, of belonging. What is great about this is that they aren’t hiding the fact that it is from Dove. They are very open with their sponsorship which to me, allows for the transparency of the brand and creates an even stronger loyalty. Waking up Hannah is essentially a big long commercial. But it’s interesting, so we watch.
This isn’t Unilever’s first stab at this targeted approach. They debuted “In the Motherhood” another online tv show, which is a Suave haircare initiative, designed to capture the attention of moms. Clearly this consumer giant is seeing that women are online, and they are spending their time and money there. It is a great space to create content, promote products, be entertained and interact all at the same time.
Megan Greysmith in "Waking Up Hannah" Dove Trailer from Megan Greysmith on Vimeo.
