Project 2

IMC
Group 4

Dove brand Positioning:

Through its personal care products, Dove sets itself apart by focusing on the natural and real
beauty of women. Their brand positioning strategy emphasizes the way in which all women can
embrace their authentic self through the use of their products. Dove utilizes brand campaigns and
other marketing tactics to position themselves in an impactful way while resonating with their
customers.

Dove shampoo has a potential market at low end consumers; hence it has started to focus on the
base of the consumer pyramid (retailing small sachets). Dove is part of Unilever PLC. They spent
over $100 million on advertising in digital, print, and national TV in the last year. They invest in
premium ad units and advertised over 250 different Media Properties in the last year across multiple
Media formats. Dove launched and advertised 24 new products in the past twelve months.

Positioning
1) Point of Parity (POPs)

POPs are generated by the needs of category membership and are desirable by the consumers.
These are to stand up against the advantage of PODs of the competitors and thus build a strong
consumer base for the product. Dove shampoo is available in different sizes in order to fit the
consumer budget .It focuses on Indian hair problems and hence available for different hair types like
Intense care for repairing intense problem of hair fall, Dryness Care for reducing dryness and
roughness that can be caused due to daily exposure to hostile condition etc. These parities help to
take care the needs of the customers as well as better connect the products and the consumers.
The POPs can be summarized as:-

• Available in different sizes

• Available for different hair types
• Almost at the same prices
• Focuses on Indian hair problems

2) Point of difference (PODs)

i) Relevance:
Target consumers must find the POD personally relevant and important. For Dove hair care
products they position the features as essential to save normal damage that can happen to hair. It’s
not just a shampoo, it's a therapy that repairs your hair & enhances the real beauty in you. Dove
Shampoo has positioned itself as a product of premium quality.

ii) Distinctiveness:

Target consumers must find the POD distinctive and superior. When entering a category where
there are established brands, the challenge is to find a viable basis for differentiation. Dove comes
with features to provide care for preventing damage to hair, reduce dandruff and to arrest normal
hair fall. They create distinctiveness by helping consumers who already have the problems
associated with hair with unique solutions developed outside India (and successfully tested).

iii) Believability:

Dove claims it is not just a shampoo; it’s a therapy that repairs your hair & enhances the real beauty
in you, which gives an emotional selling proposition. It does not use celebrity rather makes regular
women its supermodel, which is just different from the strategy used by Pantene shampoo (P&G),
where they make of bollywood film stars like

Sushmita Sen, Katrina Kaif, etc. This helped the Dove shampoo better relate to the young women
and the targeted customers. Dove shampoo claimed to make hair three times stronger as well as
smoother and softer than other shampoos available in the market. The PODs for the Dove
Shampoo can be summarized as:-

● Three times stronger, smoother, & softer hair.

● Focuses on emotional selling proposition
● It’s not just a shampoo; it’s a therapy that repairs your hair & enhances the real beauty in
you.
● It does not use celebrity rather makes regular women to be its super model.
➢ market performance (sales/ market shares)
➢ brand image and awareness,

Strengths
Product quality and product variety: Dove offers five varieties of shampoos that cater to various hair
problems which Indian women face. The new technologies researched by Dove (micro serum and
fiber actives) nourish hair and provide extra care to damaged hair. Dove has now transformed into a
Therapy for hair.
The prices of dove shampoos are at par to the other shampoo brands like Pantene, Head &
Shoulders and L’Oreal. This had lead to higher volume sales for the company.
Marketing strategy of Dove: Dove is promoting its products by using the “Real Beauty Campaign”.
These campaigns make real women as their super models and focuses on real beauty of women
widening the stereotype view of beauty. Thus, Dove focuses on emotional selling proposition and is
gaining popularity in its target segment.
Weaknesses:
Feedback available on internet forums: Some of the product feedbacks on internet forums claim
that dove leaves the hair oily after wash and the serum in shampoo does not get washed from hair
which makes the hair brittle.
Opportunity:
Growing market opportunities: From the available data the middle class population has increased
from 18% in 1995 to 41% of total population in 2005. This is expected to further grow till 43% of
total population in 2015. The emerging strength of middle class in India also shows an expected
growth in the market potential for shampoo industry.
Expansion opportunities: Shampoos for colored hair from L’Oreal and Garnier Fructis are available
in the market. But, no such shampoo is offered by Dove. Dove can utilize its brand image to launch
a shampoo for colored hair.
High product adoption ratio: Within 15 months of its launch Dove had become the fastest growing
shampoo brand in the country. Majority of the women, who tried Dove, appreciated the product. So,
Dove should try to attract more first time users. One of these attempts is the dove samples available
on “Cheapfree.com”.
Threat:
Intense Competition from other brands: The shampoo industry is highly competitive. Pantene,
Head and Shoulders and L’Oreal are the prime competitors for Dove shampoo. Dove had already
faced the situation of price-wars with Pantene in 2004.
Sharing potential market with herbal shampoos: Indian shampoo users still feel that shampoos
contain chemicals that damage hair. So, herbal shampoo brand like Vatika, Nyle and Himalaya are
preferred in comparison with normal shampoos.
➢ communication expenditures over the years
2022 & 2023

2020 & 2021

2018 & 2019

2016 & 2017

2014 & 2015

2011 & 2012

➢ Try to find its previous campaigns and analyze them.

Real Beauty Campaign

In 2004, Dove published a study: "The real truth about beauty: a global report." Conducted on a
sample of 3,200 women across 10 countries aged between 18 and 64. This study highlighted
dreadful facts about how women perceive themselves. Some stats:
● Only 2% felt confident to call themselves as beautiful
● 72% rated themselves as average in beauty
● 68% strongly agreed that the media and advertising sets unrealistic and unachieveable
beauty standards
● 75% acknowledged that "the media is not portraying beauty correctly; it should promote
women of diverse physical attractiveness

To uplift women's self-esteem and change the narrow definition of beauty, Dove launched the Real
Beauty campaign in 2004 and founded the self-esteem project. This campaign targeted women; the
campaign resonated deeply with those who felt marginalized by conventional beauty ads. With its
new and unconventional approach of beauty, it appealed to all ages and demographics, reflecting
everyday women with whom the audience could identify and relate to.

Key Highlights:
● Dove used “real” women, rather than models, in its advertising campaigns, which featured
different sizes, ages and races, in order to demonstrate a more holistic view of beauty.
● The focus was on creating a cultural shift in the perception of beauty, with messages aimed
at boosting confidence and debunking beauty stereotypes.
 ● On a societal level, it started discussions among people about existing beauty standards
and self-esteem issues, influencing other brands to adopt more inclusive marketing
strategies.
● Started campaigns like 44 and hot or not? This broke age-related stereotypes of beauty
standards and worked towards stereotypical-free standards of beauty.

Fig: Dove beauty campaign

Results:
● In 2006, the Dove was rated 4.3 points, which was a significant improvement from their
previous less than average score of 3.9 in the scale of perceived femininity of the brand.
● According to reports, Dove gained media attention, which was 30 times higher than Dove’s
spending.
● The campaign's website attracted a significant 1.5 million visitors, reflecting a strong public
interest and active engagement as people sought more information about the campaign's
initiatives and messages.
● The company noticed a 10% increase in revenues within a year. The campaign was not only
effective in promoting real beauty but also helped in getting sales.

➢ Try to understand the consumers/ key target audience’s behavior.

 Consumer Behavior & Key Target Audience

Dove mainly appeals to people who value natural skin and hair products, self-care, and true beauty. Key
demographics for the brand often consist of:

● Age: Usually women between the ages of 18 and 50, however certain campaigns may focus on
other subgroups (e.g., youths or older persons).
● Gender: Dove primarily focuses on women, though Dove Men+Care targets male consumers.
● Lifestyle & Values: Customers who support companies that promote genuineness,
self-assurance, and a positive body image.
● Psychographics: Pay attention to people who are aware of societal issues, especially those
pertaining to ethics in personal care and beauty standards.

➢ Their familiarity and favorability based on past researches available, if

any/ from secondary published sources/ by collecting primary data by
qualitative interviews.

Key Findings on Familiarity and Favorability

We circulated a survey form with the around 110 respondents and below are the key findings:

● High Brand Awareness: An estimated 85% of the subjects reported high awareness of Dove's
core product line, which includes soap, body washes, and shampoos. Of special interest, 90%
was aware of the "Real Beauty" campaign from the Dove brand.
● Positive Brand Association: The majority of the respondents perceived the Dove brand as
having authentic, trustworthy, and body-positive assets. "Natural, empowering and inclusive"
were the terms used most often for that brand.
● Iconic Campaigns Recall: The "Real Beauty Sketches" and "Self-Esteem Project" campaigns
are popular among many respondents, as is depicted in the graph above; several praised Dove
for having diverse body types and the questionability of beauty stereotypes.

Behavioral Insights

● Buying Habits: This survey revealed that the majority of 65% of respondents confirmed that
they choose Dove products mainly because of their formula is gentle and moisturizing. Repeat
purchase was attributed to the effectiveness of the product and the ethical value standing of the
brand.
● Emotional Connection: Survey reveals that consumers connect with the message of Dove.
Such comments like: "I feel represented" and "It's refreshing to see real women, not just models"
by respondents are very usual.
 ● Trust and Loyalty: Over 70% participants said they loved the brand because of Dove's
continuity in social causes. The "Self-Esteem Project" was also welcomed by mothers, who
appreciated the appeal to create self-esteem among young girls.

Survey Statistics

● Brand Favorability: 78% rated their favorability towards Dove as “high” or “very high.”
● Ad Campaign Impact: 82% felt Dove’s advertising effectively communicated values of
self-worth and natural beauty.
● Product Satisfaction: 74% reported satisfaction with product quality, especially noting its
moisturizing properties and skin-friendly formulas.

➢ Develop communication objectives for the next round of advertising

campaign for the brand

Communication Objectives

● Educate and empower audiences to resist narrow beauty ideals, highlighting Dove as a brand
that embraces authentic beauty and celebrates diversity. Show the significance of Dove’s
commitment to real beauty and self-acceptance, extending these values to hair care with the
“therapy for hair” concept.
● Highlight Dove’s advanced formulations (micro-serum and fiber actives) to address common hair
issues like damage repair, dryness, and shine enhancement.
● Build a stronger emotional connection with younger women (17-30), promoting the message that
true beauty is authentic, diverse, and unique to each individual.
● Establish Dove as a unisex brand by introducing a product line for men, emphasizing the
relevance of gentle care and damage repair for everyone or showcase Dove’s commitment to
inclusivity by representing diverse ethnicities, appealing to audiences feeling underrepresented.
● Raise awareness about the impact of digital alterations on beauty standards, helping consumers
recognize and reject unrealistic media portrayals.

➢ Develop a communication strategy (creative brief) very clearly

specifying and substantiating each element of creative brief as
discussed. Also, detail and substantiate your decisions with regard to
source and appeals.

Copy Strategy

Key Message

“Dove isn’t just a shampoo—it’s a therapy that cares for your hair and nurtures your confidence.”
Target Audience

Primary: Urban women aged 17-50, who are navigating career, social lives, and self-expression
and are struggling from damaged hair problems

Secondary: Men interested in self-care and personal grooming who want effective, no-fuss
solutions to common hair damage problems

Brand Insight

Dove will empower individuals by challenging traditional beauty norms. The brand will focus on
reinforcing the notion that confidence and self-worth are as important as outer appearance. For
hair care, Dove leverages high-quality formulations to repair, protect, and enhance natural
beauty.

Support Points (Reasons to Believe)

● Real Beauty Commitment: Dove’s ongoing dedication to showcasing real, diverse women rather
than models resonates with consumers who seek authenticity and relatability.
● Unique Formulations: Dove shampoos use advanced ingredients (e.g., fiber-actives,
micro-serum) to target specific hair issues, positioning Dove as a hair therapy brand rather than
a mere shampoo.
● Mild, Effective Formula: With a pH level of 6, Dove shampoo provides effective cleaning and
conditioning without harsh chemicals, appealing to consumers concerned about hair health.

Tone of Voice

Dove’s message will be full of warmth and genuine care, maintaining an empathetic tone that
resonates emotionally with customers. The message will inspire confidence in their natural
beauty and self-acceptance.