Sorry to disappoint you but we’re not addressing a beautiful start to a day at the beach – we’re here to talk soap suds? And both of these suds producers want you to know that they care about us and Mother Nature.

Yes, both Dawn and Tide have campaigns touting their endeavors to aid the world in times of catastrophe. Dawn is cleaning the furry and feathery little victims of oil spills and Tide is enabling disaster victims to clean their clothing. Both very noble enterprises.

I just melt when I see those adorable little creatures being bathed to remove the viscous oil that coats them. My heart breaks as I listen to the sweet music that accompanies the ritual washing. It’s just perfect – too perfect maybe. As the spot concludes I’ve generally reached the point where I’m wondering if this “bath scene” has been staged and if these poor little darlings have been doused with heavy oil so that Dawn can stake its claim to heroism. It doesn’t leave me with a warm feeling.

Tide, on the other hand, looks real. And they appear to let real people do the talking. These people manage to convey the true bliss of clean clothing when you’ve got nothing. And they give you a warm and fuzzy feeling toward Tide even though the spot is anything but perfect looking.

After viewing both spots on numerous occasions I’ve reached the conclusion that cleaning up after catastrophe isn’t neat and tidy. If you make it look too perfect to be real it tests my sense of credulity. And you never want to do that.