Dove® Gives Real Woman an ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Experience

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., May 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Dove® gave one real woman the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a taste of what celebrities experience on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." Real woman Kristi Herman was selected from the nearly 1,500 women who entered the Dove® Close-Up Challenge. She received a week of professional dance training and got her skin ready for the spotlight with Dove® VisibleCare™ Body Wash, a revolutionary new line of body wash that actually gives women visibly more beautiful skin in just one week. Herman will have the ultimate spotlight moment when she shows off her new moves and beautiful skin in a Dove®-sponsored TV spot airing in a commercial break during the season finale of "Dancing with the Stars" Monday, May 23 (8:00 p.m. ET) on ABC.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/dovecloseup/49743/

Dancing Her Way to the Spotlight

Herman, from Jersey City, NJ, received an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles to prepare for her big moment in the spotlight. ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" Season 10 professional dancer Damian Whitewood spent five days training Herman and teaching her the Cha cha cha they perform together in their upcoming TV debut. Her week of preparation also included a photo shoot, wardrobe fittings and spa treatments.

"I have been following 'Dancing with the Stars' for many years and never imagined I would get to train and get treated like I was one of the celebrities on the show," said Herman. "It was truly one of the best weeks of my life. I can't wait for America to watch my big dance on May 23."

A Personal Coach

Being in the spotlight can definitely be daunting. Actress and former ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" contestant Jennie Garth served as Herman's confidence coach preparing her for the spotlight. Garth offered words of encouragement, wardrobe advice and tips from her own experience on the show.

"Kristi was a lot of fun and came prepared to take on the challenge so she didn't need much coaching from me," said Garth. "However, I did give her one big tip about the importance of having beautiful-looking skin. When I was on "Dancing with the Stars," there was so much emphasis on hair and makeup but with the glittery costumes it's your skin that's really in the spotlight."

Her Journey to the Stage

Women everywhere can get a glimpse into Herman's "Dancing with the Stars" experience:

• See Herman's video submission that earned her a spotlight moment at Facebook.com/Dove. Watch Kristi in full training mode and see as her steps start to fall into place!
• View behind-the-scenes footage of Kristi's dance training with professional dancer Damian Whitewood and their Cha cha cha performance on www.dovecloseup.com
• Join the #closeupmoment "Twitter party" on May 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m ET) for a chance to have questions about being in the spotlight answered by Garth

"This contest celebrates the launch of the Dove® VisibleCare™ Body Wash collection and brings to life our brand philosophy of spotlighting real women," said Rob Candelino, Marketing Director, Dove U.S., Unilever. "Showing off Kristi's skin, in addition to her dance moves, is a great way of demonstrating that beautiful skin actually starts in the shower."

Beauty Starts IN the Shower

From everyday occurrences like spending time with family to ultimate spotlight moments like Herman's, a woman's skin is always front and center. After all, it is the body's largest organ with an average surface area of 16 to 21 feet making it the most visible of all body parts. That is why it is important for women to remember looking their best starts with having beautiful skin.

Dove® VisibleCare™ Body Wash is specially designed to give women visibly more beautiful skin in just one week. When used daily, the formula actually improves the look of skin making it softer, smoother and always close-up ready. The collection is available in two variants – Softening and Renewing – and can be found at food, drug, mass and club retailers.

About Dove

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, body mists, hair care and styling aids. Dove Men+Care™ is the newest range of products from Dove, developed specially for men. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.

About Unilever North America

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 180.  With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others.  In the United States, Canada and the Greater Caribbean (Trinidad & Tobago, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico) the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Becel, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Blue Band, Breyers, Caress, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Omo, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-Tips, Ragu, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Suave, TIGI, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. 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 employs more than 13,000 people across North America – generating nearly $10 billion in sales in 2010.  For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com, www.unilever.ca, or www.unilevercaribbean.com.

(1) AC Nielsen (2010)

Contact:
Jessica Axelrod/Edelman
212-642-7757
[email protected]

Stacie Bright/Unilever
[email protected]

SOURCE Dove