Diane Terman Public Relations Blog How a Woman’s Self-Image Is Impacted by Marketing and PR

  A recent article in GCI Magazine referenced a campaign and study by Dove in which 80% of women said they feel anxious about the way they look and only 4% would describe themselves as beautiful. As a PR agency that works with many beauty and cosmetics brands, we found this to be notable. Any publicity campaign focused on cosmetics or on the topic of a woman’s beauty is a sensitive subject in a world where models can be rendered virtually unrecognizable through Photoshop and those retouched images used as an ideal that women should seek to attain. As a woman-owned agency, Diane Terman PR NYC is particularly sensitive to the issues women face and how a campaign designed to promote an unrealistic vision of what constitutes “beauty” may get someone to buy a product but ultimately is bad for society. We agree with Dove when they say, “”In an effort to create a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety, we strive to inform, inspire and ignite conversation and change.” Our campaigns, whether in print, on television, or through digital/social media, focus on the inherent beauty of all women and how using our clients’ products will enhance the beauty they already possess. We believe any PR campaign that doesn’t deliver a positive message will backfire even if it provides a short-term boost. In this case, there IS such a thing as bad publicity.