Dove

Marketing Strategy of Dove

The personal care & skincare brand Dove is the flagship brand of the FMCG giant Unilever. It
was introduced by the MNC in the year 1957 & initially the products were launched for women
later on the brand has extended its product lines by making products available for Men and Baby
segment.

Dove products are manufactured in more than 21 countries globally and are being sold &
marketed by the parent company Unilever Ltd. in 80+ countries worldwide.

The brand has been in controversy due to its ads of Body lotion prompting racial discrimination
and due to its Campaign for Real Beauty.

Segmentation, targeting, positioning in the Marketing strategy of Dove –

Dove has specifically defined the segments of customers which it has to focus on Men, Women
and Baby are the categorization of customers it is catering to. These customers are from the
middle and upper-middle-income class.

The brand has been using selective targeting strategy by targeting the customers from the
emerging nations to whom how they look is of utmost importance.

Mission- “To ensure that the next generation grows up enjoying a positive relationship with the
way they look—helping young people raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential.”

Vision- “To help women everywhere develop a positive relationship with the way they look,
helping them raise their self-esteem and realize their full potential”

Competitive advantage in the Marketing strategy of Dove –

1. Parent Brand:

The Unilever is the well-known brand in the Consumer Goods industry selling more than 400
brands in 190+ countries globally and serving more than 2.5 billion consumers every day. Also,
13 of the world’s top 50 brands are owned by Unilever.

2. R & D Spend:

Tracking consumer sentiments, partnering with experts in the fields of Health&

nutrition, psychology and body image along with cracking the inter-linkages relationship through
25 data centers around the world is what helps the brand Dove in being ahead of the beer brands
in the market.

BCG Matrix in the Marketing strategy of Dove –

Dove operates in business segments such as Skincare, Haircare and Deodorants.

In Skincare it has the complete portfolio of products for all customer groups i.e. for Men,
women, Baby in form of body wash, skin cleansing, lotion, Body cream and body bar. This
segment of business along with Hair care products generates a majority of the business of the
brand and hence, therefore, is stars in the BCG matrix.

Its Deodorant product category is struggling as the company have the very thick presence in the
antiperspirant deodorants segments competing with various National and International brand, so
it is the question mark in the BCG matrix.

Distribution strategy in the Marketing strategy ofDove –

The company closely work with Smallholders farmers and small-scale retailers through
initiatives such as Kabisig and Shakti amma. 58% of the turnover of the brand comes from the
emerging markets where there is exponential growth in the migration of people and hygiene
factors.

The brand has been distributing the products through Wholesalers/distributors, Retailers,
supermarket chains and e-commerce websites.
The brand successful distribution strategy lies in the fact that the products are distributed through
the network of 410 warehouses to 26 million retail outlets worldwide.

Competitive analysis in the Marketing strategy of Dove –

The parent company of the brand Dove i.e. Unilever strives to create sustainable value through
Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP) in order of being an environment-friendly company
having the positive social impact on the society through highlighting the nourishing and
environmental & natural benefits of the Dove products.

Market analysis in the Marketing strategy of Dove –

In 2017 Dove has introduced the Babycare Dove which it rolled out in 19 markets and with the
help of the research, Survey and its findings, company has been doing product development and
market development to strengthen its presence in the emerging markets.

Increasing awareness about the Hygiene factors, Changing Sociocultural thinking of the
customers shaped by the social networking sites and self-awareness among the people of the
emerging nations are some of the factors contributing to the expansion of the skincare and
personal care segment of the brand Dove.

1) Pantene

An American brand of hair care, Pantene is owned by Procter & Gamble (P&G). The company
was established during the year 1945 in Europe. It was an independent and was acquired by
P&G during the year 1985. Pantene is the top hair care category for P&G and is the biggest
revenue contributing brand for P&G. This brand is popular for its stylish range of shampoos that
provides nutrition to hair so that the hair becomes silky and smooth.

The company produces about 100 products and has a strong distribution across the globe. The
company has an excellent research line and they keep improving the products to new ones. Their
many hair products are dry shampoos, hairsprays, gels, creams, detox shampoos, creams, gels, 2-
in-1 shampoos, and many more.

Each of their shampoo serves a different purpose. Due to their excellent products and their brand
value, Pantene is considered one of the top Dove competitors.

2) L’Oreal

L’Oreal is a personal care industry that was established during the year 1909 and is
headquartered in Clichy, France. L’Oreal is the world’s largest cosmetics company and has
developed many products related to skin care, hair color, sun protection, perfume, hair care, and
makeup.

The company sells products through their brand name L’Oreal and also through various other top
brands like Maybelline, Essie, Garnier, and many more.

Due to their great brand value and their quality of products, L’Oreal is considered one of the top
Dove competitors.

3)Sunsilk

March 3, 2018 By Hitesh Bhasin Tagged With: Strategic Marketing Articles

Sunsilk is one of the successful personal care brands under the umbrella brandarchitecture of
Unilever co. Due to its stylish range of shampoos that provides nutrition to hair, Sunsilk is
considered to a competitor of Dove