Introduction

Dove was developed in the United States as a non-irritating skin cleaner for pre-treatment use on burns and wounds during World War II. In 1957, Dove bar reformulated as a beauty soap bar. In 1970s, the company launched promotional campaign for shop’s mildness as found in the study that Dove to be milder than 17 leading bar soaps. Through the years, Dove has expanded its product line to body wash, facial cleansers, moisturizers, deodorants and hair care products. In 2005, Unilever’s Dove product line revenue reached $3 billion. However, even though these events make Dove appear as a flawless brand, both Dove’s sales and market share were dwindling and the competition remains on the rise. Thus, under the management of …show more content…

This campaign was also appealing in the marketing arena because it was the first campaign of its kind to be launched. Nivea, L’Oreal, and Garnier had never explored using “real women” of different shapes, sizes, and ages to market their products. These competitors were known for using young, perky, extremely skinny models. Their models fit the stereotypical idea of beauty. The very stereotype that Dove decided to work on breaking. With Dove’s new campaign they were also able to reach out to the younger generation. Through their “Self-Esteem Fund” they worked with programs that helped girls between the ages of 8 and 17 with eating disorders, body image, and finding their inner beauty. This campaign allowed Dove to broaden their marketing arena and add youth to their fairly dated product. Their work in younger generations served as more competition with their competitors because it focused on women in the same age group as their competitors but their work still focused on breaking the stereotypes and building up the self-esteem of women starting at an early age. This aspect not only targeted the same age group as Nivea, L’Oreal, and Garnier, but it went above and beyond by expanding into the emotional appeal of these consumers. The product itself was not the highlight of their marketing anymore. They focused more on what the product would do for their consumers. Many of Dove’s competitors have