Dove: the Evolution of a Brand, Case Study Essay

Bath & Body Works (BBW) enjoyed a successful decade after its inception in 1990. However, over time their limited offering of products was sending their customer base to other retail chains - either trading up to better brands or trading down to cheaper prices. As demand for their product seemed to dwindle, they needed a way to increase their customer base. An increase in

Dawn has created a loyal fan base since its introduction in 1973. Dawn marketers utilized several marketing techniques such as brand equity and positioning to remain the leader of dish soap sales. Dawn has built brand equity by using the original Dawn to spring board their new products such as the ultra concentrated Dawn with power scrubbers. Dawn positions itself in the market by fulfilling the consumers need for a quality product. Dawn has given consumers a new perspective as dish soap by being used to clean animals affected by the recent oil spill. The Dawn brand is an example of how brand building is an essential factor for

| For many years, Procter & Gamble (P&G) viewed its Ivory soap as just plain old soap—and not as a cleansing product that could provide other benefits as well. When it came to Ivory soap, P&G focused on how well it made the soap and not on what customers wanted from a bar of soap. It had a _____ orientation.

Hard economic conditions during 70s make it tough for Unilever. But by the 80s, Unilever becomes one of the biggest companies in the world. It decides to focus on core products and brands.

For years brands have marketed their products in alignment with our values such as family, money and

Throughout the dissection there were many opportunities and weaknesses to uncover. Strong consumer loyalty is an important strength that can help increase word-of-mouth of the brand. Many people look for information for new brands online through websites, reviews,

The team gathered a wealth of information about the products strengths and weaknesses, but lacked important consumer­brand relationship information. Supplementing the Consumer Insight Team research with the Usage and Attitude Study provided a well rounded customer understanding.

Unilever, the maker of Dove, have really put themselves in it, so to speak. And there is no shortage of contrition:

Dove – is a brand that initiates conversation about real beauty and truly a women advocate. Dove has been helping women to celebrate who they are and their real beauties through highly emotional campaigns. These campaigns were mostly promoted through ATL advertising but the campaigns became viral on digital media as well.

The adventure of becoming a successful brand with the launch of Cream Bar in the United States begins in 1957. Dove is Unilever's fastest growing and momentum as time goes on after this launch is one of the brands. World launch of Dove is started in 1991. The brand went to meet with consumers in 55 countries in total by the end of 1994. Thus, the Dove family kept expanding. Successive face and body cleansing products, skin care, deodorant and hair care products with the launch of Dove continued to grow rapidly. Today, Dove, and the difference in quality that will redefine the standards of the category that enters through any personal care, personal hygiene brand to the world's expert.

In 2000, Unilever decided to reduce 1,600 brands down to 400 and then select a small number of them to serve as “Masterbrands”. One of the reasons to have fewer brands is to decrease control issues. It is harder to manage so many brands, especially when each one has its own particularities. As Deighton pointed, Unilever’s brand portfolio had grown in a relatively laissez-faire manner. In other words, the company’s brands were created without large interference.

The Dove campaign for Real Beauty was the brainchild of Ogilvy & Mathers, Edelman Public Relations and Harbinger Communications (to be referred to as simply Ogilvy) and the project was known as the “Evolution” campaign. The marketing campaign began in 2004 under the corporation known as Unilever. This diversified conglomerate is the parent company to the Dove Company’s line of beauty and body products. The campaign began as a result of survey conducted in which only 2% of women believed they were “beautiful.” Unilever saw an opportunity to reach a saturated market from a fresh perspective. After hiring Ogilvy, the message grew into one of the most successful advertising campaigns in Unilever’s storied history.

Neutrogena uses a slow, more expensive manufacturing process to mold its fragile soap. In choosing this position, Neutrogena said no to the deodorants and skin softeners that many customers desire in their soap. It gave up the large-volume potential of selling through supermarkets and using price promotions. It sacrificed manufacturing efficiencies to achieve the soap’s desired attributes. (trade-offs that protected the company from imitators)

Dove was developed in the United States as a non-irritating skin cleaner for pre-treatment use on burns and wounds during World War II. In 1957, Dove bar reformulated as a beauty soap bar. In 1970s, the company launched promotional campaign for shop’s mildness as found in the study that Dove to be milder than 17 leading bar soaps. Through the years, Dove has expanded its product line to body wash, facial cleansers, moisturizers, deodorants and hair care products. In 2005, Unilever’s Dove product line revenue reached $3 billion. However, even though these events make Dove appear as a flawless brand, both Dove’s sales and market share were dwindling and the competition remains on the rise. Thus, under the management of

Promotions in the marketing mix of Dove: Dove has strong brand awareness in the consumer market because of Dove’s branding and advertising. Marketing policies are the reason why Dove gets success. Campaigns and advertisement improve the brand image and build a positive impact on consumers’ minds (Bhasin, 2016). Dove’s advertisements are aired on various channels of television and radio. Dove has advertisements in newspaper, magazine, and billboards as well. Dove used an unusual promotional strategy for the products. Dove decided to use the ordinary women who look extraordinary after using Dove products in the advertisement rather than celebrity. Dove created a good customer base with the “Real Beauty” that the context about confidence in the advertisement (Bhasin, 2016).