• Ad Age, Wednesday, October 3, 2007 10:30 AM

A new viral video from Unilever's Dove dubbed "Onslaught" cautions parents to "Talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does." About 32 hours after it was first posted in the U.K., the video generated more than 100,000 views on YouTube, placing it among the top 16 overall for the day. It also garnered considerable coverage on NBC's "Today Show."

"Onslaught" features a close-up of a cute red-haired preteen girl to musical refrains of the song "Here It Comes," followed by a barrage of beauty-industry images and ads featuring booty-shaking lingerie models, cheesy direct-response-style pitches promising cosmetic miracles, scenes of plastic surgery, time-lapse effects of yo-yo dieting and bulimia, all leading up to the tagline.

While the mission--as with its earlier "Evolution" video--is to build the Dove Self-Esteem Fund and its goal to reach 5 million girls globally with programs by 2010, it's also to build the Dove brand, says Kathy O'Brien, marketing director for Dove skin care.

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