Case: Dove Evolution

1. Dove’s positioning - Why has it changed in recent years while it remained almost the same
for over 40 years? Why hasn’t the positioning similarly changed for Lux, Axe or Liril?

Answer 1. The positioning of Dove changes because of the following reasons: -

 Unilever wanted it o become a Masterbrand with other personal care products

under the same name.
 They wanted to change the brand perception from being a functional soap to
something which brings a positive change in the emotional self after use.
 After conducting studies, they found that only 2% of women feel they are
beautiful, so it wanted to change how beauty brands are positioned and wanted
every woman to feel beautiful in her own way.

The positioning of Lux, Axe or Liril has not changed similarly because: -

 They have always been positioned as a product which is link to a attribute of

self-value, which dove had understood in the later part of their journey.

2. Why does Unilever want fewer number of brands?

Answer 2. Earlier Unilever had a decentralized brand strategy where each brand had its own
brand manager taking decisions for the respective brand, but the decisions varied from one
geography to other.

Hence Unilever embarked upon the “Path to Growth” in February 2000, in which they wanted to
reduce the number of brands from 1600 to 400, among which the surviving smaller brand will
become master brands in different category and will consume the smaller brands under the big
name.

Unilever also wanted to build the standard set of vision for each brand spread out globally. They
had setup a global brand unit for creating global vision in alignment with different geographical
markets.
 3. Comment/ critique the change in positioning of Dove as a brand.

The new ‘campaign for real beauty’, what does it really do for the brand? The consumer feels
‘good’ about themselves after watching these ads, but what does it do for the brand? Would
Lux have benefitted if they had made a similar set of campaigns instead of Dove?

Answer 3. The new “Campaign for real beauty” will shift the brand perception from a functional
product to something that builds positivity in self after use. I t also helps to build a standard
vision for the brand. It will change the orthodox that only women looking like models are
beautiful rather each woman is beautiful in her own way.

As the consumer feels good after using the product of dove, they will relate the product with a
value within and contribute in the repeat purchase of the product. Also, this will benefit the
brand in building a connect with the consumer.

Lux, would not be benefitted with a similar set of campaigns, mostly because it was not a
premium product or had any extra ordinary functionality.

4. How was Unilever’s product and brand management system organised prior to 2000 and
how has it changed since then? Why the need to centralize brand management?

Answer 4. Prior to 2000, they had a decentralized brand management system under which the
company had many multiple brands under the same category, and used to compete with our
siblings and products from other firms. Each brand was run by a brand manager specifically
assigned to that brand.

Post 2000, Under “Path to Growth” the company had divided the responsibility among two
teams, on accounting for brand development and other one for building brands in specific
markets. Development got centralized and global in scope.

The need to centralize the brand came from the need of having a single global mission and vision
for our brands which can then undertake several other products of the category under its name.

5. How was brand meaning controlled before 2000 and how is it controlled at the time of the
case? Is marketing (read branding) now cheap, fast and out of control? Do you see any risks
for the Dove brand today?

Answer 5:

Before 2000

 Dove focused its advertisement on showcasing the benefit of their beauty bar – “that it
is made with ¼ cleansing cream and that it creams while it cleans.” The ad was highly
 comparative, asking women to try Dove for themselves and compare it with other usual
soaps available in the market and feel the difference.
 1960 - started getting more ladylike, featuring naturally beautiful and thin models
 1970s’s advertising period moved ahead and took a turn toward the anti-aging benefits
of using Dove soap.
 The period of the 80s and 90s focused heavily on comparative advertising, using test
strips to show the difference between the moisturizing qualities of Dove compared to
the harsh chemicals mixed in other soap bars. The same method of advertising still
persists for the company.

Post-2000

 2004 - The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty that defined the brand in a new light, not as
a company focused on selling its products but as a movement passionate about
activating self-esteem, redefining beauty, and challenging its image. This campaign gave
birth to the Dove Movement for Self-Esteem and the Dove Self-Esteem Fund,
committed to mentoring children and helping them to have confidence and self-pride,
and to believe in their own beauty.
 A Dove TV advertisement in 2006 was launched showing the photograph of a
real woman after she had her hair and makeup done, and lighting adjusted. This
ad was also a part of Dove’s earlier Campaign for Real Beauty.
 In 2013, Dove beauty bar ad conducted an experiment that directly differentiated
Dove soap from one of its leading competitors, Ivory. The woman in the ad used
a test paper to show how ordinary soaps strip the skin saying, “If it can do that to
test paper, imagine what it can do to your skin.” The ad was very well
concentrated on differentiating Dove from other soap bars. This ad brought back
the aromatics of Dove’s previous ads which were very much experiment-based
and directly compared Dove with other top soap brands.

 The brand portfolio has reduced from 1600 brands to maximum 400 core brands.
 The strategy of Path to Growth categorized management of the brand in two steps i.e.
brand building and brand development.
 It is now more focused on the innovation of the products in order to increase the internal
growth of the organization.

https://www.thecasesolutions.com/dove-evolution-of-a-brand-3-167206

https://iide.co/case-studies/marketing-strategies-of-dove/

Submission: Each student is expected to scan the internet (youtube, blogs etc) for the reactions to
the various Dove campaigns mentioned in the case (you must visit all the URLs mentioned in the
case text and footnotes).