Retouching ruckus leaves Dove flailing; New Yorker revelation sparks flap over whether Real Beauty ads are 'real'.(News)

Advertising Age, May, 2008 by Neff, Jack

Byline: JACK NEFF

It was a few lines in a 6,000-word article, but it threw Unilever and its advertising agency, Ogilvy & Mather, into a tizzy of denials, explanations and spin control.

Whether or not the truth is finally known, the question remains whether the revelation that some of the Dove "Campaign for Real Beauty'' ads may have been retouched will go down as a footnote in advertising history or rate among its biggest scandals, alongside Campbell's marbles in the soup.

As with many controversies, it began innocently enough, with a comment buried deep in a profile of Pascal Dangin, a prominent photo retoucher, in a May 12 New Yorker story penned by Lauren Collins.

"I mentioned the Dove ad campaign that proudly featured...

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