This is Dove.

W hy w e cre at e d this book.

TO DEFINE TO ALLO W

w hat D ove is, w hat it isn’t, us to sp e ak w ith on e voic e .

w hat w e w ant it to b e .
TO HELP

TO INF ORM us sustain th e level of gro w th

e v er ything cre at e d D ove has e njoye d in re c e nt ye ars.
in th e na m e of D ov e .
TO IN SPIRE

TO PROVIDE us to produc e w ork that m ake s

a vision to guid e us as w e take our consu m ers take notic e ,
D ove into n e w cat e gorie s. that m ake s our co m p e titors je alous,
and that m ake s us proud.
 This is Dove.

HO W DOVE CA ME TO BE 07

T H E TA R G E T 13

THE INSIGHT 25

THE PRO MISE 29

T H E D O V E W AY 35

VA L U E S & P E RS O N A LITY 39

VOICE 69

B E AUTY T H E O RY 75

T H E D I S C R I M I N AT O R 10 5

THE ESSENCE 10 9

IN CLO SIN G 11 3
 1 9 9 9 , D O V E B A R , U. S .
6

Ho w Dove cam e to be.

 19 9 9, D O V E B A R , JA PA N
Ho w Dove cam e to be.

I N 1 9 5 7, T H E D O V E B E A U T Y B A R W A S I N T R O D U C E D I N T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S .

I T P R O M I S E D W O M E N T H AT I T W O U L D N ’ T D R Y T H E I R S K I N

T H E W AY S O A P D I D . W O M E N T R I E D I T . A N D I T D I D N ’ T . T H U S B E G A N A V E R Y

T R U S T I N G R E L AT I O N S H I P B E T W E E N T H E B R A N D A N D I T S U S E R S .

I N 1969, Testimonials from real wom en w ere used for
the first tim e to advertise Dove. W ith each decade,
more wom en heard Dove’s promise, more wom en
tried it, and more wom en w ere converted. Its creamy
pouring shot becam e a Dove brand property.
I N 1979, an independent clinical study proved the
Dove bar milder than sevente en leading bar soaps.
D ermatologists recom m ended it. N e w spaper articles
featured it. Friends told friends about it. A year later,
I N 1981, D ove’s first dire ct m arke ting e ffort, w hich
includ e d an at-ho m e Lit m us t e st, w as m ail e d to
U.S. consu m ers.
I N 19 8 8 , a charismatic and m e morable ( and anything
but stereotypical ) “ beauty ” nam ed Jean Shy joyfully
shared her discovery of Dove’s benefits w ith televi-
sion vie w ers, and Dove’s “ Conviction of Users ” testi-
monial campaign was born. Dove bar achieved its first
double -digit share in the U.S.

Dove started its formal m edical program in the U.S.

 1 9 9 7, D O V E D E O D O R A N T , I T A LY

19 9 9 , D O V E L A U N C H , J A P A N
1 9 9 1 , L I T M U S T E S T, C A N A D A
1 9 8 9 , D O V E B A R , I T A LY
1 9 5 0 S , D O V E B A R , U. S .

1 9 8 0 S , D O V E B A R , U. S .
1 9 5 7, D O V E B A R , U. S .

1 9 8 8 , J E A N S H Y, U . S .
I N 198 9 , D ove w as launch e d in Italy using th e I N 1995, Dove took its first significant step outside D O V E E X I S T S T O D AY in over 8 0 countrie s and is on e
“ C onviction of U s ers ” t e stim onial ca m paign, as w ell the cleansing bar category in the U.S. w ith the launch of U nilever’s fast e st-gro w ing brands. D ove is a brand
as th e m e dical progra m. Te st m arke ts in Franc e and of M oisturizing Body Wash. Around the w orld, addi- built on a sim ple and e nduring principle: m ake th e

2 0 0 0, D O V E H A IR , TA I W A N
G erm any follo w e d in 1990. tional categories s w iftly follo w ed: deodorants in 19 9 7 consum er a real promise, and ke ep it. Consistently.
and body lotions in 19 9 8 .
I N 1991, D ove b e gan its global rollout. A n e w adver-
tising id e a d evelop e d in C anada — “ Litm us Te st ”— I N 1999, D ove w as succ e ssfully launch e d in Japan.
add e d a po w erful w e apon to D ove’s co m m unication A nd in 2000, th e D ove H air C are launch took plac e in
ars e nal: th e us e of obje ctive proof. Tai w an, follo w ed by an aggressive rollout during 2 0 01
and 2 0 0 2 .
12

The Target.
15 th e targ et

“ O N E I S N O T B O R N A W O M A N ; O N E B E C O M E S O N E .”
— Simone de Beauvoir
 16 17 th e targ et

SAFFRO N “I’m very happy with the way I am.

I certainly don’t go around
thinking, ‘Oh my God, does my bum
look big in this.’ ”

There is a point w hen a w oman discovers w ho she is. W hen she

stops the frantic search and accepts herself, imperfections and all.
W hen she is guided by w hat fe els right to her, not by w hat fe els
right to others. This understanding com es to som e w om en at 20 ,
to others at 50 , to som e, never.

O ur targ e t is m ore m ature , m ore acc e pting of h ers elf. That ’ s not
to say sh e ’ s p erfe ct, or w ithout h er share of ins e curitie s. It just
m e ans sh e is m ore c e nt ere d.
 18 19 th e targ et

FERNANDA “ When you have an active life, when you’re fine

with your family, you get more open to
meeting people. I think you get more beautiful.”

Th e “ c e nt er of gravity ” of h er s elf- e st e e m lie s m ore in ho w sh e

fe els than in ho w sh e looks. It has m ore to do w ith ho w co m p e-
t e nt sh e fe els in d e aling w ith life ( b e it w ork, play, relationships,
or pare nting ) and w ith ho w good sh e fe els about h ers elf.

Sh e w ill b e flatt ere d by a co m plim e nt about h er looks, but sh e

m ay not notic e if sh e do e s not g e t on e for a fe w days. Sh e is
unlikely to ch e ck h er lipstick s everal tim e s in a day.
 21 th e targ et

Th e fact that ho w sh e fe els is para m ount to our targ e t do e sn’t

m e an sh e’s give n up on ho w sh e looks. Sh e’s ke e nly int ere st e d
in b e auty. B ut sh e w on’t us e it as a tool, nor n e e d it as a crutch.

Is sh e w illing to transform h ers elf in th e na m e of b e auty ? Ye s.

Just not into so m e on e oth er than h ers elf. Is sh e w illing to sp e nd
DANIELA “ I’d do things for beauty e norm ous a m ounts of tim e or m on ey, or to w ithstand pain for
but I wouldn’t go to
an extreme, you know?” th e sake of b e auty ? N o. H ers is a b e auty qu e st w ith limits.
 22 23 th e targ et

She can discern hype from quality, and w ill happily pay a pre mium
for the latter. She is in that group of wom en w ho could be called “ I’d rather have fewer quality items than JULIA

a whole wardrobe full of cheap T-shirts.”

“ beauty pragmatists.” To her, the cost of a beauty product isn’t the
main issue. W hat she is interested in is w hether it is going to work.
24

The Insight
27 th e insig ht

T H E W O R L D I S E X P L O D I N G W I T H T E C H N O L O G Y, fake ingredients, pseudo solutions, and virtual everything.

Credible authorities are harder and harder to find, in any culture. There is decreasing opportunity for real human
contact, for real ans w ers, for the joy of real sensation. As a result, consum ers are increasingly attracted to the
authentic, the “ un-hyped ,” to people, institutions and brands that represent the real deal.

DOVE’S G UIDIN G INSIGHT IS: THE YEARNIN G FOR THE REAL

D ove can ans w er this ye arning . W ithout any re d e fining , w ithout

any stre tching . D ove is firmly root e d in re alit y. Fro m its e arlie st
b e ginnings as a cle ansing bar, D ove d elivere d re al b e n e fits, re al
satisfactions, both functionally and e m otionally.
28

The Promise
31 th e pro m ise

FU NCTIO N AL PRO MISE

D ove w ill constantly elevat e and th ere fore re d e fin e th e standard

of care in every cat e gory it e nt ers. D ove pro mis e s its consu m er
that it w ill m ake no product that do e s not g e nuin ely im prove th e
condition and fe el of h er skin / hair.

W H AT A D O V E P R O D U C T WILL DO: _It w ill w ork. It w ill b e highly e fficacious.

_It w ill b e p erc eivably sup erior.
_It w ill m ake a g e nuin e , notic e able differe nc e in th e skin / hair fe el.
_It w ill have “e ndorsable” mildn e ss.
_It w ill look and fe el good. Th e product and packag e w ill b e
b e autifully tactile , and w ill re w ard th e s e ns e s.
32 33 th e pro m ise

E M OTIO N AL PRO M ISE

D ove give s a w o m an a highly p ersonal, un exagg erat e d, uplifting

little fe eling about h er o w n b e auty. A nd b e caus e it is a privat e and
s m all fe eling, it is actually bigg er and m ore m e aningful to h er.
34

The Dove Way

37 th e d ov e w a y

Th ere is a distinctive D ove Way, and it inform s and guid e s every-

thing to do w ith th e brand. It e nco m pass e s : D ove ’ s valu e s and
p ersonality, D ove ’ s voic e and D ove ’ s point of vie w on b e auty.

I T I S W H AT M A K E S T H I S B R A N D W H AT I T I S .
38 39 th e d ov e w a y

T H E D O V E W AY

Valu e s & Personalit y

“ P E R S O N A L I T Y I S A N U N B R O K E N S E R I E S O F S U C C E S S F U L G E S T U R E S .”

— T he Great Gatsby
40 41 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality

D ove is Re al.
Dove is a Ke eper of Promises.
D ove is B e autifully U nco m plicat e d.
D ove is O ptimistic.
D ove is Tim ele ss.
 42
Dove is Real.
D O V E S E E K S R E A L M E A N I N G. R E A L R E L E VA N C E.
D ove w on’t m ake a product unle ss it und erstands its d e e p er
m e aning and relevanc e in a consu m er’s life . D ove w ill b e b e tt er
than its co m p e titors at uncovering tru e insights. D ove’s product
and advertising conc e pts w ill hold m e aningful pro mis e s. Its cre-
ative brie fs w ill offer th e cle are st dire ction to cre ative t e a m s.
43 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality
D O V E I S F I R M LY C O N N E C T E D T O T H E R E A L W O R L D .
Dove is “alive”, a w are of the issues facing its consum ers. And it
w ill often share a point of vie w about the m. Dove dra w s its cre-
ative inspiration from lived experiences and e motions. It w ill never
us e “ ad-land ” sp e e ch. B e caus e it b elieve s that languag e dra w n
from reality w ill al w ays hold more m eaning.
N.B. Dove’s Real is never ugly or depressing. Nor passive or boring. Real is not a value to be talked about,
it is a value to be demonstrated. It is much more than a look or feel.
44 45 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality

Dove is a
Ke eper of Promises.

D O V E ’ S P R O M I S E S A R E TA N G I B L E , P E R C E I V A B L E A N D P R O V A B L E .

Dove’s p erform anc e drive s an e nduring relationship w ith its us ers.

U nlike w hat sh e do e s w ith m ost brands, th e D ove consu m er fe els
little , if any, n e e d to “discount ” th e pro mis e s m ad e by D ove to a
level she is prepared to believe in. There is a perception that “ if Dove
says it, it must be true.” This should be nurtured and protected.
47 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality

Dove is B eautifully
Uncomplicated.
48 49 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality b e a utifully u nco m plicate d

D O V E I S C O N F I D E N T E N O U G H T O B E U N C L U T T E R E D.

S e lf-assure d e nough to b e unco m plicat e d. It is cl e an. Pure .

E l e gantly si m pl e . Its si m plicit y do e sn’t translat e to cold, basic
or boring . Rath er, th ere’s a m od ernit y to it. A stunningly si m pl e
b e aut y. A look and fe e l that lacks e m b e llish m e nt, b e caus e it
si m ply do e sn’t n e e d it.
50 51 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality b e a utifully u nco m plicate d
 52 53 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality b e a utifully u nco m plicate d

THIS IS. T H I S I S N ’ T. THIS IS. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s simplicity doesn’t need Dove’s simplicity should never

gratuitous touches. ( T O P ) be basic or boring.
…And should never feel cold. ( B O T T O M )
55 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality

Dove is O ptimistic.
57 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality o pti m istic

D OVE IS A BEARER O F G O O D NE W S.

It s e e s th e pot e ntial in its consu m er and s e ts out to m ake th e

m ost of w hat sh e has, rath er than to fix w hat sh e do e sn’t. D ove
is uplifting , right do w n to its na m e . It is a brand na m e that sy m-
bolize s hop e , happin e ss, p e ac e and all things positive . Th ere is
nothing contrive d or over th e top about D ove’s optimis m .
 60 61 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality o pti m istic

T H I S I S N ’ T. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s optimism isn’t the superficial

“spring in your step,” “ happy face” kind.
63 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality

Dove is Tim eless.

64 65 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality ti m eless

D O V E I S N O T T H E F L A V O R O F T H E M O N T H . R AT H E R ,

I T I S I C O N I C. I T I S E N D U R I N G.

B e caus e it is e nduring , D ove’s

tim ele ssn e ss can b e very “ hip .”
B ut not tre ndy, funk y, or trying
too hard to b e m od ern. D ove is
a cont e m porary classic.
th e d ov e x x x x x x x x x & x x x x x x x x: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 66 67 th e d ov e w a y v alu es & p erso n ality ti m eless

THIS IS. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove should never be seen as trying to be trendy,

or trying too hard to be modern.
th e d ov e x x x x x x x x x & x x x x x x x x: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 68 69 th e d ov e xwxaxyx x x x x x & x x x x x x x x: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

T H E D O V E W AY

Voic e
70 71 th e d ov e w a y voice

W hatever Dove says must ring true. Its voice is clean and clear,
pure and uncluttered. It is eye level and unpretentious.

Dove speaks only w hen it has som ething to say. Its vocabulary con-
tains no mumbo jumbo, no “ ad-land ” clichés, no hype, no puffery.

Dove doesn’t “sell itself ” or boast. This in no way m eans Dove

doesn’t indict its competition. This is the brand that was built on
indictm ent. (“ Dove doesn’t dry your skin the way soap can.”) But its
purpose in using indictm ent is to let the consum er know w hat un-
m et ne ed has now be en m et, not to point a finger at the competition.
 72
D ove is n ever pre su m ptuous or patronizing. It do e sn’t take it
upon its elf to t ell consu m ers that it “ kno w s w hat th ey w ant ” or
w hat to think. D ove is n ever judg m e ntal. A nd though it’s sinc ere ,
it’s far fro m overly e arn e st. D ove has a s e ns e of hu m or, but it
do e sn’t try to b e “ funny.”
D ove sp e aks to on e p erson at a tim e , no m att er ho w m any p e o-
ple m ay b e list e ning. Its voic e is p ersonal, intim at e . It m ake s th e
consu m er fe el sh e’s b eing talke d to as an individual.
73 th e d ov e w a y voice
O ft e n, and as m uch as possible , D ove w ill e m brac e th e voic e of
its us ers, rath er than im pos e its o w n. W h e n D ove us ers sp e ak for
th e brand, it is a voic e of share d discovery — on e w oman to
anoth er— about ho w D ove has prove d its elf to h er.
W h e n D ove offers obje ctive evid e nc e , it is just that — obje ctive .
It pre s e nts th e facts and le ts th e consu m er re ach h er o w n con-
clusion. It is never an onslaught of information, rather, an offering.
And as Dove begins to speak in ne w voices, these should fe el
fresh and ne w, but still true to Dove.
th e d ov e x x x x x x x x x & x x x x x x x x: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x 74 75 th e d ov e xwxaxyx x x x x x & x x x x x x x x: x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

T H E D O V E W AY

B e aut y Th e or y
 76
U nlike its co m p e titors, D ove m ake s it cle ar that it s e e s b e auty in
im p erfe ctions, and do e sn’t w orship st ere ot yp e s. D ove’s b e aut y
is s elf-d e fin e d, b e aut y w ith brains, d e m ocratic. D ove re cognize s
not only th e ext erior, but also th e w o m an w ithin. Th ere is d e pth
of charact er b e hind th e eye s, a stre ngth and vit alit y of p erson-
alit y sho w ing through.
77 th e d ov e w a y b e a uty th e ory is
D ove do e sn’t insult w o m e n by d e picting th e m w ith arro w s or
squiggle s dra w n across th eir fac e s. Although it is natural, D ove’s
b e auty do e s not look like th e clich é of natural b e auty, of “ fre sh
fac e s,” or of “ w ind blo w ing across th e fac e .”
A N D I N C A S E YO U A RE W O N D E RI N G ,
D OVE’S BEAUTY LO OKS BEAUTIF UL .
CAPTURES A M O M ENT

When Dove captures a moment of emotion, it feels

unguarded and very personal. It is never faked.
CAPTURES A M O M ENT CAPTURES A M O M ENT
CAPTURES A M O M ENT
STYLE O F PH OTO GRAPHY

Dove’s beauty should be portrayed with uncluttered

photography that does not camouflage the depth
of a woman’s beuty.
STYLE O F PH OTO GRAPHY
STRE N GTH O F C H ARACTER

Dove’s beauty captures the strength

of character behind the eyes.
STRE N GTH O F C H ARACTER STRE N GTH O F C H ARACTER
STRE N GTH O F C H ARACTER
 94 95 th e d ov e w a y b e a uty th e ory is n ot

T H I S I S N ’ T. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is not the cliché,

fresh, natural beauty.
 96 97 th e d ov e w a y b e a uty th e ory is n ot

T H I S I S N ’ T. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is natural,

but never unattractive.
 98 99 th e d ov e w a y b e a uty th e ory is n ot

T H I S I S N ’ T. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is not the seen-everywhere,

undistinctive, clean look.
 100 101 th e d ov e w a y b e a uty th e ory is n ot

T H I S I S N ’ T. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty should never

feel posed.
 102 103 th e d ov e w a y b e a uty th e ory is n ot

T H I S I S N ’ T. T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is not the stereot ypical

model beauty.
104

The Discriminator
106 107 th e discri m in ator

_In each of its categories, Dove w ill have an important, m eaningful

functional discriminator of superior care. This w ill most often be
related to moisturization.

_Dove’s value of Real.

_Dove’s B eauty Theory.

108

The Essence.
110 111 th e esse nce

B eauty W ithout
Artifice
This E ss e nc e guid e s us to build D ove into a tru e b e auty care
icon, w hile honoring our uniqu e point of vie w on b e auty, st e ering
a w ay fro m puffery, clutt ere d m e ssag e s and clich é s. It guid e s us
to give our consu m ers b e auty pro mis e s and products that hold
re al m e aning and p erform anc e .
112

In closing.
114 115 in closin g

“ I F Y O U S E A R C H F O R T R U T H , Y O U W IL L F I N D B E A U T Y.

I F Y O U S E A R C H F O R B E A U T Y , Y O U W I L L F I N D V A N I T Y .”

— Moishe Safvie
116 117 in closin g

This book has b e e n d evelop e d by th e D ove Global Brand Te a m s

(Skin, H air, D e odorants )— to inspire our e fforts to build D ove into
a C 4 billion b e auty care brand by 2006 . It is d e dicat e d to all thos e
w hos e past e fforts have m ad e th e brand w hat it is today, and to
thos e w hos e future e fforts, passion, im agination and p ers ever-
anc e w ill m ake this brand eve n gre at er.
© 20 02 L E V E R B R O T H E R S C O M PA N Y