Real Beauty

1. What prompted Dove to consider a new campaign?

For nearly a decade, Dove has successfully run the “Real Beauty” campaign focussing on inner beauty and boosting women’s self-esteem. Dove is not just selling personal care products but supporting and perhaps driving, a movement toward celebrating real beauty. But in the past, Dove had followed the traditional marketing gimmick and emphasised on ‘Dove making one prettier due to its moisturising effects.’ This contrasts later ads from Dove’s campaigns for ‘Real Beauty’ which focusses on beauty as coming from the inside. This transition along with the negative backlash due to contrasting ad campaigns of Axe which epitomised the stereotype that Dove is attempting to change prompted Dove to consider a new campaign.

1. What are the options Dove is having?

Currently, Dove is considering three options.

1. The Selfie Documentary: a Similar campaign to Dove Real Beauty Sketched but focusses on the mother-daughter relationship and is also in line with the current trend of taking selfies.
2. The Mirror Campaign: A promotional event, encouraging people to take photographs in front of the mirror and post the photos on social media outlets using the hashtag #dovetruebeauty. This would increase the online presence of the brand.
3. Overhaul Dove Strategy: To shift Dove’s marketing strategy from real beauty to something more conventional so as to decrease tension between brands.

1. What according to you must the brand attempt to do?

Dove is a brand which focusses its advertising on its beliefs and emotional appeal in creating an image as being supportive and compassionate as an effective way of gaining loyalty. The campaigns run after 2004 focuses on the brand and not on the products. Dove has transformed itself into a powerful platform supporting women’s confidence and self-esteem. Now if Dove overhauls its marketing strategy to reduce the tension between the brands it would undermine the effect of years of planning and the perception that Dove has built in the minds of its customers. Dove should continue with its existing theme of ‘Real Beauty’ and keep spreading awareness about the true meaning of beauty. Unilever should try and distance the competing brands as far apart as possible and maintain the stand that they cater to different needs and different segments. Also, Dove can go ahead with the Selfie Documentary as that is more aligned with it theme and will help gain more customer loyalty by emphasising on the delicate bond between mothers and daughters.