1) And 2) Product and market analysis: Dove

Dove has grown as a soap in US and and entered as a soap into a global market. Now the Dove is
among the top brands of healthcare soap category. Dove is a leading brands in personal healthcare
category and is produced by the Unilever Company. At the beginning Dove focused on the cleaning
products and after sometime they realize the need of new product and extended its brand and
introduce bar soap, facial cleaners, shampoo and conditioners. To compete with the competitors
such as Proctor and Gambler, Johnsons and Nivea, Dove has been engaging in aggressive
advertisement and marketing of its products since 2004.

According to the report released by the Unilever in 2011, Dove is present in over one hundred
countries worldwide. Likewise, the brand recorded sales of £3billion during the same year globally
(Hair, et al., 2016, p. 33). Even though the Dove brand offers the four main products listed earlier, it
also has more than one hundred different lines of products comprising of firming lotions, body
washes, facial wipes, shampoos, skin nourishing, and bar soaps

By entrant in the industry already dominated by other players, Dove had to come up with new and
unique products for its survival. For example, in 2001 Dove introduced a Conditioner and Shampoo
line in Asia and antiperspirants in the United States market. In 2003, Dove launched body and facial
moisturizers in the U.S as well as the Dove Damage Therapy product in 2011. Amid, competition,
Dove remains to be the leading brand of liquid and bar soap in the US with a 24% market share. As
part of its new market entrant, the company entered the Asian and African market segments in the
2000s by offering unique products specifically for these markets.

3) Brand Elements:

Brand Name & Urls: There is no known history on how the beauty brand received its name; however,
it is possible that the Dove’s parent company, Unilever, wanted a brand name that associated with
delicateness, cleanliness, and purity. Those same words could be associated with Dove’s beauty bar.
There is another theory that doves act as a symbol for the Greek goddess, Aphrodite, which is the
goddess of love and beauty. Since she is the goddess of beauty, the dove would be the perfect
symbol and brand name for the beauty brand. Dove’s name is attached to all of its brand extensions.
The url for Dove has its brand name along with the country the consumer is accessing the website
from. For instance, if the consumer is located in the United States, he or she will access the following
website: https://www.dove.com/us/.

Logo & Symbol: The logo for Dove has remained consistent as the brand developed its multiple
extensions. Overtime, the font color changed from white to navy. The font itself has not changed.
The famous Dove symbol changed from a detailed white dove to a dove that looks more simplistic
in various shades of gold, blue, or gray, depending on the product that the logo will be placed.

Slogan & Jingle: In the 1970’s and 1980’s, Dove created a slogan that appealed to consumers
that were looking for a moisturizing soap brand with a straightforward message. Its slogan,
“For the Beauty that is Already There,” proved to be effective. In 2004, Dove began to use
the slogan, “Real Beauty”, to emphasize how much the brand would like to empower
women of all shapes, colors, and sizes. In 2017, the brand continued to use this slogan with
its campaigns but incorporated another slogan, “Be Your Beautiful Self”. This new slogan
was released to increase and encourage diversity.

Character: Dove does not have a character to appeal to its target market.

Packaging & Signage: The typical packaging for the brand is white along with another color,
depending on the scent or the type of product. For instance, Baby Dove products are offered
in a white bottle with sky blue as an accent color. Dove Men + Care is available in a charcoal
gray bottle with sky blue and lime green accent colors. All of the bottles are plastic with a
secured top to prevent the product from spilling.

4) Marketing Strategy of Dove

The personal care & skincare brand Dove is the flagship brand of the FMCG giant Unilever. It was
introduced by the MNC in the year 1957 & initially the products were launched for women later on
the brand has extended its product lines by making products available for Men and Baby segment.
Dove products are manufactured in more than 21 countries globally and are being sold & marketed
by the parent company Unilever Ltd. in 80+ countries worldwide. The brand has been in controversy
due to its ads of Body lotion prompting racial discrimination and due to its Campaign for Real Beauty.

Competitive advantage in the Marketing strategy of Dove

Parent Brand: The Unilever is the well-known brand in the Consumer Goods industry selling more
than 400 brands in 190+ countries globally and serving more than 2.5 billion consumers every day.
Also, 13 of the world’s top 50 brands are owned by Unilever.

R & D Spend: Tracking consumer sentiments, partnering with experts in the fields of Health&
nutrition, psychology and body image along with cracking the inter-linkages relationship through 25
data centers around the world is what helps the brand Dove in being ahead of the beer brands in the
market.

BCG Matrix in the Marketing strategy of Dove

Dove operates in business segments such as Skincare, Hair care. In Skincare it has the
complete portfolio of products for all customer groups i.e. for Men, women, Baby in form of body
wash, skin cleansing, lotion, Body cream and body bar. This segment of business along with Hair care
products generates a majority of the business of the brand and hence, therefore, is stars in the BCG
matrix.

Distribution strategy in the Marketing strategy of Dove –

The company closely work with Smallholders farmers and small-scale retailers. 58% of the turnover of
the brand comes from the emerging markets where there is exponential growth in the migration of
people and hygiene factors. The brand has been distributing the products through
Wholesalers/distributors, Retailers, supermarket chains and e-commerce websites.

Brand equity in the Marketing strategy of Dove

Dove follows the brand strategy of 70:20:10 wherein 70% of the innovative product’s rollout takes ace
on the global basis, 20% approximately of the portfolio consist the local innovations marketed by the
global brands and 10% are hyper-local introductions keeping in view the local taste & requirements.

To build the essence of the brand, it started associating with the stories of the women through self-
esteem project to reshape the perception of the consumers on what makes them beautiful and
confident.

5) Analysis of segmentation variables

Geographic Segmentation refers to segmenting the target market based on the geographic location of
the potential customers.

Dove operates in over one hundred countries where it provides unique products that specifically
meets the needs of the consumers in this locations. For example in India, the Dove products are
primarily produced to the high and middle-income groups. Based on this fact, Dove is offered in small
quantity. Since people living in the rural India cannot afford the 250-600 ml of Dove products, they
are provided with products packed in sachets worth between 5 to 10 rupees.
Geographic Segmentation refers to segmenting the target market based on the geographic

location of the potential customers.

Dove operates in over one hundred countries where it provides unique products that specifically
meets the needs of the consumers in this locations. For example in India, the Dove products are
primarily produced to the high and middle-income groups. Based on this fact, Dove is offered in
small quantity. Since people living in the rural India cannot afford the 250-600 ml of Dove products,
they are provided with products packed in sachets worth between 5 to 10 rupees (Dove, 2016).

Demographic Segmentation Based on age, Dove products are targeted to the teens, scholars, young
adults, middle and old aged consumers. Based on gender, the dove has products used by both women
and men. Lastly, according to the level of income, Dove products are targeted to middle and high
income consumers. These group of consumers is targeted simply because they are aware of the brand
and can easily afford them (Dove, 2016).
Psychographic Segmentation

Dove products mainly focus on the consumers’ attitude and self-esteem. The company provides
products offered to average looking women to make them look beautiful and more attractive. This
aspect of the product is focused on the potential customers’ attitude. For example, the dove came
up with smile wall campaigns which were focused on making people acknowledge their beauty.
Campaigns were also conducted to encourage the customers’ self-esteem through using Dove
products.

Behavioral Segmentation Based on usage response, Dove soap and deodorant is used by the
customer two to three times in a week (on average) among all the consumers. However, the frequency
of usage is higher among the youths. Based on benefits, many people use dove with the hope of
solving some of their problems like dandruff control, Oil control by using shampoo, hair therapy,
wrinkle reduction, better skin and smooth skin.

Analysis of Targeting Strategy

The Dove products are primarily focused on women above the age of 18, i.e., women of all shapes,
sizes, and ages. According to the Dove’s philosophy, all women should feel beautiful in their way. The
primary focus on the women who are eager to maintain their skin but have limited time to do so these
women are provided with products which contain both cleaning and moisturizing properties. Working
women, particularly between the ages of 21 and 35, are targeted because of their purchasing power
for quality products. The company, through its representatives, also work at homes when called upon
by the customer.

6) Dove differentiation analysis

Inspite of the persuasive critiques of Dove’s 9-year old “Real Beauty” campaign, the most recent
installation is clearly articulated and brilliantly executed from a branding perspective. There’s a lot to
question in our beauty-obsessed culture, and Dove has clearly, positively differentiated itself in the
beauty marketplace by relentlessly marketing a single, overarching message: we should be content
with who we are.

The company offers a breath of fresh air with its Real Beauty Sketches video, which has gone viral on
every imaginable social media platform. The video exemplifies Dove’s unique brand positioning (the
key elements that differentiate a brand from its competitors): Dove is an oasis of calm in a sea of
hysterical voices telling women to obsess over their imperfections.
In the video, a series of women describe their appearance to a forensic artist, who sketches them
without seeing their faces. After each woman has left the room, an impartial observer describes her
appearance to the artist. Viewers might predict that the women would be too hard on themselves,
but seeing the two images side-by-side really drives the message home.

Among multinational beauty brands, Dove fills a sparsely-populated niche; their ads convey a
conviction that all women already have the right to feel good about how they look. Most ads suggest
the opposite: women can only feel good about their looks if they devote considerable time, effort,
and resources to changing themselves. The Real Beauty Sketches video, among other ad installments
in the Real Beauty Campaign, offers a fascinating shift in the beauty product marketing paradigm—
albeit one that has been met with some skepticism.

The hundreds of thousands of media consumers who share the video aren’t necessarily endorsing
Dove’s products. Instead, they’re expressing support for the distinctive messages of Dove’s campaign
and the Dove brand: a beauty company that focuses on assets, not flaws. Because the Real Beauty
Sketches video has authentic, emotional value for its viewers, people are sharing it enthusiastically.
Vividly showing your target audiences how your brand is distinct from your competitors and uniquely
valuable to your audiences is the essence of brand differentiation.

Overall, the Real Beauty Campaign has cemented Dove’s uniqueness and raised its profile in the
beauty market. With distinctive ads and communications, Dove is carving out its own corner of the
market and actively shaping its brand, or reputation—that of an encouraging, compassionate voice
that inspires women to feel good rather than self-critical.