First Interactive Times Square Billboard Asks New Yorkers to Vote; Global Beauty Brand Dove Asks: 'Do You Think Our Advertising Is Beautiful?'

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 22, 2004--New Yorkers aren't exactly shy about voicing their opinions, and in this election year everyone wants their voice to be heard and their vote to be counted. For the first time ever, an interactive billboard in Times Square is serving as a public forum for New Yorkers to debate, "What is beautiful?" As they cast their vote via cell-phone, a running tally appears in real-time on the billboard and the website simultaneously, www.campaignforrealbeauty.com.

This is the first time cell phones have been used not only to vote directly to a Times Square billboard but also the first time the vote actually appears on the billboard itself. The technology used is called sms cross carrier polling and consumers nationwide can make their vote count.

“Will society ever accept old can be beautiful?”

So what is everyone talking about? The image of Irene Sinclair, a 96 year old woman and first-time model whose wrinkled face joins those of supermodels on other Times Square billboards. Irene's image stands sixty-nine feet high and forty-four feet wide above the Marriott Marquis (46th & Broadway). New Yorkers decide if she's "Wrinkled?" or "Wonderful?" as the ad questions "Will society ever accept old can be beautiful?"

The interactive billboard, the first Times Square billboard for Unilever, is part of beauty brand Dove's global Campaign for Real Beauty, which challenges the stereotypical view of beauty. Irene's picture is one of five provocative images included in a global advertising campaign intended to serve as a catalyst for widening the definition and discussion of beauty.

In addition to unveiling the billboard in Times Square, Dove also recently released the results of a 10-country global study. The billboard is part of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, a global initiative to challenge the stereotypical view of beauty. The study with 3,200 women revealed that only 2% of women consider themselves beautiful.

Americans nationwide can vote by logging on to www.campaignforrealbeauty.com.

About The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report

The Real Truth About Beauty: A Global Report was conducted by research firm StrategyOne in collaboration with Dr. Nancy Etcoff and the Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard University, and with the expert consultation of Dr. Susie Orbach of the London School of Economics. The study is based on quantitative data collected from a global survey of 3,200 women from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Portugal, United Kingdom, and the United States.

About Dove

Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every three households uses a Dove product, which includes bar cleansers, body washes, face care, anti-perspirants/ deodorants and hair care. Dove anti-perspirant/deodorant is the No. 2 female-oriented anti-perspirant/deodorant brand in the United States. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores. The Dove mission is to make women feel more beautiful every day by challenging today's stereotypical view of beauty and inspiring women to take great care of themselves. Visit www.dove.com.