NEW YORK — Dove has recruited “Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman to sell women on the habit of showering before bed.
Huffman stars in three “webisodes,” or short films, on Dovenight.com. The online promotion, which runs through April 9, touts Dove’s Calming Night collection of bath and body products.
The Unilever brand introduced the effort on Sunday by airing a TV ad during “Desperate Housewives” in 17 markets, directing viewers to Dovenight.com. The larger markets included New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Detroit, San Francisco, Dallas and Houston.
Since Sunday evening, Dovenight.com has received more than 89,200 hits, and online visitors have requested more than 50,000 samples of Calming Night products, said a Dove spokeswoman.
The effort ramps up after March 1, with ads slated to appear in People, US Weekly and TV Guide. TV spots are also scheduled to air on “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Survivor.”
The microsite, powered by AOL, includes tips from the National Sleep Foundation for winding down before bed, and features the AOL CEO Contest, a search for an impressive multitasking “Chief Everything Officer.” Dove will promote Dovenight.com on AOL properties.
In each vignette — directed by Penny Marshall — Huffman plays herself, a mother of two girls, who after her nighttime shower is transported to a dream world where she finds herself playing a character in episodes of “The Brady Bunch,” “The Munsters” and “Leave It to Beaver.”
Through her cameos in the classic TV shows, Huffman learns that even seemingly perfect TV moms, like June Cleaver, use tricks to cope with stress.
With a full slate of products planned for 2006, Dove was also looking for a spokesman to represent its Energy Glow bath and body collection. Industry sources said one of the celebrities being considered by the Unilever brand is Finola Hughes, host of the makeover show “How Do I Look” on the Style Network. A Dove spokeswoman said Thursday that the brand no longer plans to use a spokesman to tout Energy Glow.