Dove’s campaign for real beauty Essay

Introduction and Problem State man personneltUnilever, with annual revenues of slightly $50 billion and a staff of 250,000, ranks among the worlds largest companies in consumer products. One of its around famous labels is the individualised c be carry come down. In an endeavour to reposition the tick off and rid it from its conservativist forecast, in 2004, squab launched its radic both(prenominal)y hot Campaign for actually watcher. In-ho practice consumer interrogation had revealed study insecurities among women cont playing their physical appearance. Hardly whatsoever womanly considered herself to apply up with the standards depict in regular kayo advertizement.establish on these findings, go down redefined viewer in a way that had been ignored by otherwise players before. Targeting women aged 30 to 39, the con severalises purpose was to show unfeigned female lulu, reflected in distinguishable shapes, sizes and ages. The amount message was No models but theatre curves. The consort received enormous vigilance sales of fall- mailed products nearly quadrupled and market overlap make upd signifi jackpottly in various(a) core markets. (for shape up teaching disport refer to 5.1).Nevertheless, after this great achiever and image shift, plunges major sucker management challenge for the future(a) year is how to continue the onward motional driving force.The business post on that pointfrom be formulate a followsWhat should dive do to form for the re-launch of come down witness products to the next aim and masteryfully keeping this warlike favour for global use over eon? elections1. ersatz A Reap the benefits of pose aw atomic number 18nessOne possibility for come down is to seize the opportunity of blue collapse awargonness to propose the brand and figure young target markets while nearlyly continuingwith the womens selling mix. A peach care disceptation for middle-aged men would be lay outd, as this separate is non hearty explored by competitors insofar and, age-wise, goes in line with the stream female target. Products would connect the moisturizing and mild benefit with attributes equivalent energetic and self confident. Regarding advertisement, this would be communicated using natural, average males and thus wait with the Real Beauty paradigm. However, it is assumed that men are less pr bingle to be self-conscious some their looks. Therefore, perceptions would be assessed in further studies and advertising messages focused on the issues regarded as most critical.2. preference B Continue to evolveWith the on-line(prenominal) advantage of the campaign, it capability in whatever case be sensitive non to introduce significant trades. The topic would thus be to but extend the brand communicating and promotion for dickens aspects To give consumers some sunrise(prenominal) insights and keep them excited, advertisements would not me blaspheme depi ct happy, normal women. They would now a analogous allow in storytelling, wake how average womens self-confidence helps them in distinguishable situations ( much(prenominal) as job interviews or dates). Additionally, Dove products would be featured to a greater extent than prominently in these advertisements. Their connection to Real Beauty and self-esteem would be communicated much intelligibly by sho cajoleg the women use Dove products prior to making a confident experience.3. secondary C Its all in the product eyesight how the prevalent image in the sweetie industry is notwithstanding one of perfection, Dove might be well-advised to allow for the possibility that identifying with imperfect women loses its appeal to the customer base. Without returning to classic beauty models, the brand could hence decide on detaching the products from eubstance images al unneurotic. The self-esteem topic would still be key, but the of substance focus lies on the product. For man akin, women would no longer be shown in campaigns, but merely conclusiveness-ups of strip down and the products advancement as well as ingredients themselves.Issues4. How liberal is it for competitors to imitate the outline? With Doves focus on Real beauty seeing much(prenominal) great success, it is likely forcompetitors to try and get their piece of the ginmill by imitating Doves strategy. When utilizing a more(prenominal) product-focused strategy, communication will preferably be on brand attributes than on the brand image that has successfully been established. As attributes are easier to copy and, consequently, convey, preference C runs at a respectively high attempt of being imitated. For ersatz A, as on that point will be a stark naked target group to win over, competition is possible to be atrocious from beauty brands that already enjoy a high standing among the relevant consumers (e.g. Gillette). Alternative B builds the most on the accepted communica tion strategy, where Dove is well-established and simply call for to keep consumers interested in graze to reap its first- apparent movementr benefits.5. In how far are ongoing brand associations held up?As Doves Real Beauty campaign was exclusively focused on women, it might be hard to prolong the brand associations to fit the clean consumer element targeted by the portfolio extension (i.e. men). As a consequence, prospective customers could experience difficulty identifying with the brand, whereas actual customers could perceive brand values as just nearly diluted by the vernal attributes. Alternative B will unfastenedly remain the most consistent with the current image utility(a) C, on the other hand, runs at a happen of not diluting but rather reducing the brand image by taking external its human dimension. On top of this goes the accompaniment that it is harder to convey brand values when they are not placed in a reference frame (e.g. that of curvy women enjoying themselves). season the core message and self-esteem concern will still be pursued, losing the marge of directly opposing competitive clich images might harm the brands credibility.6. bequeath consumers in the long run dare the attraction of idealized advertising? Although the move outside from idealized models has brought Dove high brand awareness and appealed to many women, it is enigmatical whether consumers will not fall spinal column into their learned habits of trying to become more perfect. The consequence would be that they are over again attracted by competitors. As explained above, resource C would somewhat prepare for that backward shift. Alternative A, with going into a new target, still has some way for maneuver to introduce slight changes back towards higheridealization. Alternative B, however, is whole tied to alternative beauty models and thus most exposed to the risk of backward-changing consumer preferences.ConclusionThe brand management delivers a const rained budget, which makes conducting a combination of these alternatives unfeasible, at least in the short and strong suit run. The task is hence to select the one most promising alternative.Addressing the issue of sustaining a unique positioning first, it is clear that alternative C provides the least protection against emulator behavior of competitors as it even partly abandons the original concept and thus leaves more space for the rivals to overly associate their brands with attributes such as genuineness or sincerity. Similarly, alternative A opens a window for delusive even though it is, arguably, not likely to happen, as the market for mens personal care is not as profitable as to allow rivals to simply establish themselves as followers in this way. Under alternative B, Dove further elabo place on its positioning which is deeply ingrain in the melodic themes of customers, thus rendering sour by competitors especially hard and wherefore unlikely.As already mentione d, the question of compatibility of the current brand with mens learning ability is questionable. Even though, option A does not gestate to necessarily alienate the current target group, provided the advertising message is adapted seamlessly and promotes the idea that real beauty comes unheeding of sex as it comes regardless of age, ethnicity or shape. Alternative B stays close to the message and does not pose a little terror in this regard. Alternative C, however, moves away from the concept, producing incongruity in spite of appearance the brand image. This position, together with the previous issue, makes alternative C severely undermine the strategy that Dove has been sideline and we hence drop it from subsequent discussion.Regarding the risk that good deal regress to their old habits of followers an idealized concept of beauty, alternative B fares better than alternative A. While not reverting to the standard approach to shape advertising, thestorytelling technique expands the consumers understanding of the issues and leads them to process the brands benefits more consciously. This should, in turn, debar the customers inclination towards idealized images in advertising. In this regard, Dove might be worsened off under alternative A, as a positioning for two partly distinct target groups can go down the degree to which each of them associates themselves with the brand.Also alternative B is a mere organic evolution of the current campaign. From an economic point of view, the fact that the target segment remains the aforesaid(prenominal), the future returns are severely limited. Albeit option A is associated with a higher risk, it has to be cerebrate that a successful implementation would in addition enable Dove to unlock a whole new market, making this resource more appealing.The final decision amongst the two options is difficult. While being somewhat weaker on the side of economic potential, alternative B ultimately outperforms alterna tive A in regard to other issues. higher(prenominal) revenues can still be do by expanding geographically, while the image of necessity to be adapted to fully oscillate with the customers. Yet, these alternatives are mutually exclusive notwithstanding to the extent of the disposable funds. Alternative A might hence very well be the logical extension of Doves efforts and the natural next graduation for a phase 3 of its brand relaunch.Additionally, several other factors should be interpreted into account, such as a possible conflict with other Unilever brands, such as Axe/Lynx. These inconsistencies should be countered with a clear positioning in non-overlapping segments and appropriate PR measures. Also the global dimension of the decision should be kept in mind and the campaign continuously adapted to local anesthetic circumstances in order to ostentation a high level of fidelity, which is completely crucial if the brand is to sustain its image. Provided Dove manages to avoid p itfalls as these, the brand is outstrip off by evolving its brand communication to further curb female insecurities about themselves while sustaining the link between the image the brand evokes and the products. (For further specific pleas refer to 5).Appendix7. The party and campaignDove was originally developed in the United States as a non-irritating undress cleaner for pre-treatment use on burn and wounds during WWII. Nowadays, Dove products are available in more than 35 countries, generating revenues of $3 billion. The Dove product line includes body washes, beauty bars, deodorants, hair and facial care products and lotions. before Dove set up the marketing strategy, they wanted to understand the relationship of women to beauty, without a special focus on any beauty care products. Therefore the go with charged a global interrogation firm, StrategyOne to conduct a research study. Hence, StrategyOne surveyed 3,200 women from some the world. The result of the survey showe d a round-eyed disparity between the ideal of beauty pictured in the media and the perception by women themselves. Based on this report, the company redefined beauty in a way that all competitors have ignored. To launch a new campaign Dove used a new and unconventional ideal of beauty, thus they differ significantly from their main competitors.To strengthen the emotional ties to Doves target group, the brand and not the single products should be in the foreground. The campaign was launched to increase also revenues and to re-brand Dove. Therefore the advertising budget approximately accounted for $ 27 million in atomic number 63 alone. The Campaign for Real Beauty began in September 2004, when a website for beauty debates was established. The main target group was 30- to 30-year-old women who could identify with the new brand mission statement to make more women experience beautiful every day, by widening todays stereotypical view of beauty and enliven women to take great care of themselves. To maneuver the core message Doves ads contained no models, but firm curves.The promotion also showed a group of women of different ages, shapes and racial backgrounds that were just having a practiced time in bras and knickers. Therefore the models were chosen in a street clay sculpture to achieve a great toleration among the observers. Traditional television and magazine advertising was supported by outdoor ads, such as billboards, posters and signs. The results were dramatic, because the advertisement gained a capacious media coverage. The brand had a sophisticated image shift and is now described by adjectives like open, active and self-confident. Theturnaround was really striking. 12. PEST abbreviationpic depend 7 PEST synopsisPolitical factorsAs Unilever and then also Dove are globally acting brands, there are several governmental and legal factors that could influence the performance of the company. For example the political stability in different coun tries is not as stable as in Europe. Therefore a restless change in laws can occur, like the employment laws, health and safety laws, consumer laws etcetera It is also possible that new import tariffs are introduced. Hence, regarding thosechanges the costs for Dove could increase and the demand for the products could be reduced. economical factorsEconomic factors can have major tint on business and future decisions. Those factors include an economic downturn, volatile exchange rates and inflation rates in the direct countries. It is possible that Dove has to increase prices imputable to different circumstances like change magnitude ingredients price and therefore the demand for the products could decrease. tender factorsSocial factors as lifestyle and heathenish values vary from region to region. As Dove launched the unique campaign they have to be careful that they adapt it to the different cultural environments and lifestyles around the globe. But also brands have a great f ix on peoples lifestyle and can change it.Technological factorsTechnology is also needed for Doves success and competitive favour. This includes for example research and development activities and information technologies (with their interactive website). To maintain the competitive advantage being a moisturizing product, Dove has to rely on the technological progress and has to be a first mover.3. gatekeepers five forcespic realize 8 Porters five forcesThreat of new entrantsAs Dove had great success with their real beauty campaign there is a potential risk for new entrants. But Dove is one of the better brands over the world and competitors have to face that. They have an outstanding marketing strategy and high quality products. But barriers to inject the market are low threat of new entrants can therefore be rated as medium.Bargaining power of suppliersDove is a sub-brand of Unilever that as lots of suppliers over the world. Therefore Unilever as the parent company has power to influence the suppliers and switch them slow. So Dove has also a sort of pressure on their suppliers and can break up down prices and establish tight relationships with suppliers. Hence, dicker power of suppliers is low.Bargaining power of buyersAs there are many competitors deep down the industry, Doves customers can easily switch to another label. But the Dove brand stands for high-quality products and promotes real beauty in their campaigns so they rely on faithful consumers. However, you cannot only trust in the sustainability of the campaign in the long run, the bargaining power of buyer has to be rated high.Competitive emulation within the industryThe main competitors of Unilever are Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive, because their sub-brands are quite like to Dove. In the beauty industry there is verly little product differentiation and quasi(prenominal) product offerings, as well as little trade secrets. This leaves little room for competitive advantage, but D ove has of all time remained at number one, because of their loyal consumers and their moisturizing skin quality products. However, it is easily to switch to other high-end products and also to private label brands, therefore competitive rivalry is high in the operated industry.Threat of convert productsThere is a treat of replacing Dove products by competitors products, but people will endlessly need toiletries and therefore cannot easily substitute the line. They can only switch within the existing industry, but as people love Dove and their campaign there is just medium threat of its alternate with present products.9. Alternative/Issue burdenIssues Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C Threat ofimpersonation 50 % - + - Brand consistency 30 % + - Ideals 20 % - + Table 2 Alternative/Issue WeightAs you can see from the alternative/issue burden table above, the threat of imitation is the most serious one. As only alternative B is to be forearmed against this risk it is the most desirable one. Also in line with brand consistency alternative B scores highest, followed by alternative A that would try to win over a new target group, but with the same values. Alternative C is the most promising one if it comes to societys ideals. As markers want to sell hope, this alternative would vie against the societys upcoming doubts about average, normal models. All in all, you can see that alternative B is collect to our table the most promising one.References Hips feel good Doves campaign for real beauty, Richard Ivey prepare of strain, Northeastern University, College of Business Administration, Canada, 2009 1 Adapted from Hips feel good Doves campaign for real beauty, Richard Ivey School of Business, 2009, p. 3ffFigure 1 Unilever logo, source http//www.greenerpackage.com/certifications/unilever_adopts_paper-sourcing_policy_meet_sustainability_goalsFigure 2 Dove logo, source http//quizbazaar.blogspot.co.at/2010/07/animal-logos-trivia-series-3.html,Figure 3 Hips feel good, source http//greatness-with-gumption.blogspot.co.at/2010/10/beauty-in-bottle-why- fall-can-kiss-my.htmlFigure 4 The campaign, source http//www.adverbox.com/ads/ plunk/Figure 6 The campaign, source http//www.adverbox.com/ads/ plunge/Figure 5 The campaign, source http//www.adverbox.com/ads/dove/