Dove Case Study
A brand is the symbol, name, or sign that identifies a specific product or business. Unilever had many different types of brands across the world. And controlling all of them was becoming harder and harder, so Unilever decided to reduce its brands from about 1600 to 400. Then a few of them will be selected as Masterbrands, and each of them will represent a meaningful unified unit on a global scale.
Dove was one of Unilever’s many brands. The first Dove campaign was launched in the 1950s, and as mentioned in the case study, its message was “Dove soap doesn’t dry your skin because it’s one-quarter cleansing cream”; it was focused on its functional benefits and honesty. And soon Dove became one of the most recognizable brands in the world, and was tapped to become a Masterbrand in the year 2000.
When Unilever’s Dove launched its “Campaign for real beauty”, the promotion strategy used was cultural branding. However, the message seemed to lack any corporate control when it was released to the public. Cultural branding can take our brand’s image and vision to places that the company may not want to go to, which what happened with Dove. It was critical for Dove, Unilever’s new Masterbrand that it does not become the brand for “fat girls” or the “ugly girls”; instead it wanted to allow women “freedom to dream.”
One of Dove’s solutions is that it could continue with cultural branding; however have a greater influence on the dialogue. For Dove to use cultural branding they must be prepared to “walk the walk”, “practice what they preach”, and remember that “actions speak louder than words.” If Dove follows its mission statement: “Dove’s mission is to make more women feel beautiful every day by broadening the narrow definition of beauty and inspiring them to take great care of themselves”, they have an opportunity to actually challenge the perception regarding beauty held by women throughout the world. Public relations must be better controlled through careful, thoughtful
Dove was one of Unilever’s many brands. The first Dove campaign was launched in the 1950s, and as mentioned in the case study, its message was “Dove soap doesn’t dry your skin because it’s one-quarter cleansing cream”; it was focused on its functional benefits and honesty. And soon Dove became one of the most recognizable brands in the world, and was tapped to become a Masterbrand in the year 2000.
When Unilever’s Dove launched its “Campaign for real beauty”, the promotion strategy used was cultural branding. However, the message seemed to lack any corporate control when it was released to the public. Cultural branding can take our brand’s image and vision to places that the company may not want to go to, which what happened with Dove. It was critical for Dove, Unilever’s new Masterbrand that it does not become the brand for “fat girls” or the “ugly girls”; instead it wanted to allow women “freedom to dream.”
One of Dove’s solutions is that it could continue with cultural branding; however have a greater influence on the dialogue. For Dove to use cultural branding they must be prepared to “walk the walk”, “practice what they preach”, and remember that “actions speak louder than words.” If Dove follows its mission statement: “Dove’s mission is to make more women feel beautiful every day by broadening the narrow definition of beauty and inspiring them to take great care of themselves”, they have an opportunity to actually challenge the perception regarding beauty held by women throughout the world. Public relations must be better controlled through careful, thoughtful