Dove Real Women Challenged to Be Creative

GREENWICH, Conn., Dec. 14 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Beginning today real women will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to make their ad making dreams a reality by entering the Dove Cream Oil Body Wash Ad Contest. The makers of Dove, the beauty brand recognized globally for embracing real women in its advertising, are inviting women to create their own 30 second commercial to launch the new Dove Cream Oil Body Wash Collection. The ad that best captures the essence of the new products and the brand's philosophy will premiere during a commercial break on the 79th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 25, 2007.

Grey's Anatomy star Sara Ramirez joins Dove to help kick-off the contest and encourage women to submit their entries at http://www.dovecreamoil.com/. Entries will be accepted from 12:00 A.M. EST on Dec. 14, 2006 to 11:59:59 P.M. EST on Jan. 15, 2007. Three finalists will be announced on Jan. 24, 2007, with the top ad airing during a commercial break on the 79th Annual Academy Awards on Feb. 25, 2007. The finalists will receive an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles the weekend of the awards plus tickets to a private viewing party.

"I am proud to work with a brand that has taken strides to widen the definition of beauty and show women that beauty comes in more than one shape," said Ramirez. "The Dove Cream Oil Body Wash Ad Contest is a rare opportunity for real women to showcase their talents in front of millions."

Dove partnered with AOL to host the contest site. A step-by-step tutorial and editing tools, along with sample Dove ads, are provided at http://www.dovecreamoil.com/ to make the project easy for both novice and advanced filmmakers.

"This contest celebrates the launch of the Dove Cream Oil Body Wash Collection and our brand philosophy," said Kathy O'Brien, Dove marketing director. "We are excited to see how women everywhere express themselves in their individual ads."

Entries for the Cream Oil Body Wash ad will be reviewed by an anonymous panel of judges. Scoring will be based on originality, content and creativity. Contest rules are available at http://www.dovecreamoil.com/.

Dove Cream Oil Body Washes are a new category of body cleansers delivering the ultimate moisture from Dove. With more moisture than any other regular body wash, Dove Cream Oils provide the real care you expect from Dove in a surprisingly indulgent way. Special technology whips the oil into an exceptionally rich, smooth cream leaving a soft, silky feel. Available in three variants for a variety of moisture needs, Dove Cream Oil Body Washes absorb quickly and easily. The collection of body cleansers will be sold in food, drug, mass and club retail outlets beginning in February 2007.

About Dove

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. Dove, manufactured by Unilever, is the No. 1 personal wash brand nationwide. One in every three households uses a Dove product(1), which includes beauty bars, body washes, face care, anti-perspirant/deodorants, hair care and styling aids. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.

About Unilever

Unilever , one of the world's largest consumer products companies, aims to add vitality to life by meeting everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Each day, around the world, consumers make 150 million decisions to purchase Unilever products. The company has a portfolio of brands that make people feel good, look good and get more out of life.

In the United States these brands include recognized names such as: Axe, "all," Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Hellmann's, Lipton, Knorr, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Snuggle, Suave and Vaseline. All of the preceding brand names are registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever in the United States employs more than 15,000 people in 74 office and manufacturing sites in 24 states and Puerto Rico -- generating approximately $10 billion in sales in 2004. For more information visit http://www.unileverusa.com/.

(1) AC Nielsen (2004) Contact: Jessica Axelrod/Edelman 212-642-7757 jessica.axelrod@edelman.com Stacie Bright/Unilever 203-625-1130 stacie.bright@unilever.com