Dove Case Study
Introduction
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 Kerstin Dunleavy, a re-launching of the brand was in order to bring Dove’s beauty products to the next level. Within this document, a detailed look at Dove’s positioning before and after the re-launch is given, as well as investigating and identifying opportunities within the marketing arena and making recommendations for the next phase of the re-launch titled “Campaign for Real Beauty.”
Discuss Dove’s competitive position prior to re-launch, as well as the success of the 2004 re-launch.
Prior to the re-launch of Dove products and the “Campaign for Real Beauty,” Dove was experiencing signs that would eventually lead to a major set-back if action was not taken. Despite the positive outlook of Dove’s quality, the natural ingredients, and the reliability of the product, the negatives were starting to outweigh the positives. Negatives such as, increasing competition and consumer’s feeling that the brand was out dated and old fashioned, resulted in a loss of emotional bond with consumers. Through research it was identified that Dove products already had a reputable reputation for quality, but overall brand image was seen as outdated and boring and was really taking a toll on Dove. This became more evident as sales began to
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 Kerstin Dunleavy, a re-launching of the brand was in order to bring Dove’s beauty products to the next level. Within this document, a detailed look at Dove’s positioning before and after the re-launch is given, as well as investigating and identifying opportunities within the marketing arena and making recommendations for the next phase of the re-launch titled “Campaign for Real Beauty.”
Discuss Dove’s competitive position prior to re-launch, as well as the success of the 2004 re-launch.
Prior to the re-launch of Dove products and the “Campaign for Real Beauty,” Dove was experiencing signs that would eventually lead to a major set-back if action was not taken. Despite the positive outlook of Dove’s quality, the natural ingredients, and the reliability of the product, the negatives were starting to outweigh the positives. Negatives such as, increasing competition and consumer’s feeling that the brand was out dated and old fashioned, resulted in a loss of emotional bond with consumers. Through research it was identified that Dove products already had a reputable reputation for quality, but overall brand image was seen as outdated and boring and was really taking a toll on Dove. This became more evident as sales began to
References: Li, S. (2012, June 23). Market Booms for Men 's Cosmetics - but Don 't Call it Makeup. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 11, 2013, from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jun/23/business/la-fi-man-makeup-20120623 Peter, J. P., & Donnelly, J. H. (2011). Case 15. In Marketing Management: Knowledge and skills (pp. 414-427). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. ----------------------- Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty MKT 405 Case Study Jared Bailey Danielle Lewis Courtney Moran 4/12/2013