Dove

Introduction

In this paper we clearly specify the problem statement and the contradictions in the Dove ad statements and taglines. Additionally, we have suggested three alternatives for the Dove brand managers to consider with our rationale for each. Finally, we have concluded with our recommended approach and suggested methods for implementation with quantifiable metrics to assess success.

Section 1: Situation Analysis

Unilever launched Dove soap in the U.S. in 1955. Dove was positioned as a beauty bar ‘with one-fourth cleansing cream that moisturizes skin while washing as opposed to the drying effect of regular soap’. When physicians and dermatologists endorsed this functional superiority, Unilever launched a very successful advertising campaign testifying to Dove’s functional benefits and created a brand woven in authenticity. With increased globalization in the late nineties, Unilever wanted to create a unified global identity for its major brands. As a result, it slashed its brand library by 75%, and consolidated the remaining brands under various ‘Masterbrand’ – an umbrella identity for a range of products – responsible for creating a global vision and brand identity.

Dove was chosen tapped to become one such Masterbrand in February, 2000 to leverage its enormous brand equity. After 50 years of steady growth as a cleansing bar, Dove was to lend its name to a wider range of beauty products, such as deodorants, hair care products, and facial cleansers. Over and above the functional advertising of individual products under the Dove umbrella, Dove brand managers felt the need to popularize Dove as a brand with its own distinct identity. Something which would give a ‘point of view’, a meaning, and a direction to all the products it lent its name to. It was time for Dove to innovate.

Under that process, Unilever sponsored a world wide investigation into women’s perceptions of beauty. Responses led to a predominant pop culture or social trend – “to...