Dove Marketing Strategy :- By Rahul Sipany (PM1405025)

  

Unilever Ltd.

• Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever.
• It started in 1957.
• The brand came to India in 1995.
• It is imported and marketed by Hindustan Unilever  Limited (HUL).
• By the end of the dove firming “Real Women” Campaign, dove has become a national talking point and was ranked number three in the body lotions market, ahead of L’oreal, Garnier, Neutrogena and   Olay.
• In the year 2004, Unilever won the ‘marketer of the year’ award

for its brand Dove.

• HUL is the market leader in Indian consumer products with presence in over 20 consumer categories such as soaps, tea, detergents and shampoos amongst others with over 700 million Indian consumers using its products.

• The "most trusted brands" from HUL in the top 100 list (their rankings in brackets) are:
• Clinic Plus (4), Lifebuoy (10), Fair & Lovely (11), Rin (12), Surf Excel (13), Lux (14), Pepsodent (17), Closeup (19), Pond's (20), Sunsilk (26), Dove (37), Vim (43), Pears (79), Lakme (81), Vaseline (86), Wheel (87), Hamam (95) and Rexona (96).

                Brand:Dove

• Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever.
• Dove products are manufactured in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan, Philippines, South Africa ,Thailand, Turkey and US.
• The products are sold in more than 80 countries and are offered for both women and men.
• The Dove trademark and brand name is currently owned by Unilever. Dove's logo is a silhouette profile of the brand's namesake bird.
• Products include: antiperspirants/deodorants, body washes, beauty bars, lotions/moisturizers, hair care, and facial care products.

General Marketing Strategy

• In 2004, Dove began its Campaign for Real Beauty, followed by the creation of the Dove Self-Esteem Fund in 2006.
• It purports to be "an agent of change to educate and inspire girls on a wider definition of beauty and to make them feel more confident about themselves". Dove have created a number of largely online-only short films, that includes Daughters , Evolution, Onslaught, Amy.

• The essence of Dove is defined as ‘Beauty without artifice’. The brand’s mission is to make more women feel more beautiful every day.
• Therefore, it is crucial to establish a strong and long-lasting bond with  

the consumers and create consumers saying ‘My Dove’.

• Now that’s

         “CUSTOMER DELIGHT” and so far DOVE has shown their ability in doing so.

Price:

If the brand is in Indian market, this factor forms the base for any marketing strategy.

• With the entry in Indian market in 1995 it was priced at Rs. 50. And now it’s Rs 45 in 2014. They have taken the middle class into account and that’s the segment they are targeting to increase their potential market.

Product:

Focused on women(“non-models”) beautiful in their own way.

• They have come up with different varieties of soap bar such as :

White Beauty Bar

Cool Moisture Beauty Bar

Winter Care Beauty Bar.

• Claimed to contain combination of moisturizer and softness so as to satisfy the particular need which was earlier not met.

• Targeted women between the age group of 20-35 as potential byers.

Promotion(Advertisement) :

Considering non models as their product showcasers has benefitted a lot and that’s what a customer needs: “Finding themselves in them”

• As of now, they are targeting the male customers as well.
• They have identified their customers (mostly women) and accordingly the segmentation was done along with the powerful projection of the various Dove bars through sensible advertisements.

Place :

Where is your product available?

• Supermarkets, sari-sari stores, convenience outlets, drugstores
• Nationwide.

They have segmented their product in a brilliant way that caters to the demand of almost all sections of society. In terms of Dove Bar, the women dominant market is now moving towards attracting the males as well due to good overall reviews of the product.

Needs, Wants & Demands

Needs: Women need to be confident of their look and have a healthy beautiful skin in respond to their self esteem needs.

Wants: Woman 20 to 35 choose Dove as it is the only beauty soap with ¼ moisturizing cream, smells good, no soap residues after wash, difference making promise in 7 days, price, availability.

Demands: Soft, moisturized and healthy skin, Good smell, White skin, No remains after wash, known brand, have an appealing look.And the most important part , they all want all these at a minimum price.

CPV(Customer Perceived Value)

The manner in which the product can add perceived value will determine what the customer is willing to pay and whether this will add to customer satisfaction.

• Initially the brand was not successful in India because of its high prices.
• After the ‘Campaign for real beauty’ the brand lowered its prices which had somewhat become reasonable.
• Recommended by dermatologists.
• Dove experiences high brand awareness among the teenage bracket.
• Positive feedback by adult group and teenagers.
• Dove Bar with high product value , affordable price, psychological cost and  good reviews from the users have been able to capture the Indian market in the best possible manner.

USP of DOVE Bar

 Feel the difference with Dove!

New Dove Beauty Bar with ¼ moisturizing milk leaves your skin softer, smoother, fine lines are visibly reduced. Some of the USP for Dove bar that makes it unique with respect to others are :

• It’s an easy way to great skin

As opposed to beauty rituals that are likely to leave a gaping hole in your pocket, moisturizing your skin is an easy way to look beautiful. It is affordable and, best of all, doesn’t take much time or effort! 

• Gives you a better complexion

Sometimes, dry and uneven skin can make a person look aged and dull. That’s why a moisturizing soap or a moisturizer is of utmost importance. 

• It relieves skin tightness

Parched skin that appears dehydrated and feels tight after washing can be put into the dry skin category. The Dove Beauty Bar works well to prevent dry skin as it is enriched with ¼ moisturizing cream that leaves your skin softer and smoother.  

• Switch to Dove and it’s affordable to make a difference.
• Even your friend will feel the difference! 

STP(Segmenting, Targeting & Positioning)of  DOVE Bar

Segmenting:

• HUL have segmented this product keeping in mind their potential customers and the income group.
• Dove has also extended this product in the male category and are targeting them for increasing their market capture.

Targeting:

• Targets girls and women of all ages, shapes and sizes.
• Especially targets the working women.
• Targets the higher and medium income groups.
• With variety of different Dove bars, they are providing customers with variability options like :

Dove Fresh Moisture Bar

Dove Energizing Beauty Bar

Positioning:

• Dove is positioned as a personal care brand.
• Points of differentiation:  maximum moisturizing content.
• As the ad campaign of dove says that “use it on half of your face and see the difference”.
• Image differentiation : considered as a “moisturizing bar” and “beauty bar”.
• Product life cycle stage: Dove is currently at its growth stage.

Conclusion

• Dove has helped women to feel good.
• This good feeling from within helps one to attain more out of life by making them more confident and raising their self-esteem.
• They can embrace life with sincerity.
• It helps women feel beautiful from the inside out rather than from the outside in.
• Dove aims at beauty at every age.
• Dove helps a woman to celebrate her own inner beauty.