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‘Evolution of beauty’ Dove Case Study
An applied buzz & brand activation research model
IS-2007-008
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‘Evolution of beauty’: Dove Case Study
An applied buzz & brand activation research model
Summary / Abstract
In traditional campaign post-testings only the impact of direct exposure (people actually having seen the creative) is measured. By doing so, all dynamics behind the buzz in terms of word-of-mouth and word of mouse and how this influences consumer dynamics remains unknown. Insights in the content and dynamics of these conversations could be very useful to understand the success (or failure) of a campaign however. Traditional approaches also neglect the actions people undertake after having viewed a commercial message, while commercials can be found on sites like YouTube and are shared around the world. This study tests Dove’s viral movie ‘Evolution’ and confirms that measuring indirect exposure as well consumer actions undertaken after ad exposure provides advertisers with new and useful insights.
3
Introduction
The consumer 2.0 the cocktail party goes digital
Today’s empowered 2.0 consumer is very well informed, strongly connected with peers (and millions of surfers in general), has the ability to unify with them & share ideas but also has the tools to create proper content beyond control of marketers. This consumer is more sceptical, questions many things and uses intelligent ways to see through the facade of marketing actions (Jaffe, 2005). With the rise of this “new” consumer a recent trend in marketing called “word of mouse” (WoMo) has emerged. Verhaeghe et al. (2007) defined word of mouse as “the act of a consumer receiving, creating and/or distributing marketing-relevant content through online channels (both textual and audio-visual)”. WoMo is part of “buzz” defined as the act of consumers providing information about brands, products and services to others in an informal, noncommercial way. Buzz has
‘Evolution of beauty’ Dove Case Study
An applied buzz & brand activation research model
IS-2007-008
2
‘Evolution of beauty’: Dove Case Study
An applied buzz & brand activation research model
Summary / Abstract
In traditional campaign post-testings only the impact of direct exposure (people actually having seen the creative) is measured. By doing so, all dynamics behind the buzz in terms of word-of-mouth and word of mouse and how this influences consumer dynamics remains unknown. Insights in the content and dynamics of these conversations could be very useful to understand the success (or failure) of a campaign however. Traditional approaches also neglect the actions people undertake after having viewed a commercial message, while commercials can be found on sites like YouTube and are shared around the world. This study tests Dove’s viral movie ‘Evolution’ and confirms that measuring indirect exposure as well consumer actions undertaken after ad exposure provides advertisers with new and useful insights.
3
Introduction
The consumer 2.0 the cocktail party goes digital
Today’s empowered 2.0 consumer is very well informed, strongly connected with peers (and millions of surfers in general), has the ability to unify with them & share ideas but also has the tools to create proper content beyond control of marketers. This consumer is more sceptical, questions many things and uses intelligent ways to see through the facade of marketing actions (Jaffe, 2005). With the rise of this “new” consumer a recent trend in marketing called “word of mouse” (WoMo) has emerged. Verhaeghe et al. (2007) defined word of mouse as “the act of a consumer receiving, creating and/or distributing marketing-relevant content through online channels (both textual and audio-visual)”. WoMo is part of “buzz” defined as the act of consumers providing information about brands, products and services to others in an informal, noncommercial way. Buzz has
References: Anderson C. (2006). The Long Tail. The future of business is selling less of more. Hyperion, New York. Beelen P. (2006). Advertising 2.0. What everybody in advertising, markeing and media should know about the technologies that are reshaping their business. www.paulbeelen.com Damani R. and Damani C. (2007), Ecommerce 2.0. The revolution of Ecommerce. Imano, London, New York. Debapratim P. and Rajiv F. (2007). Unilever’s ‘Campaign for Real Beauty’ for Dove. ICFAI Center for Management Research. In press. Etcoff N., Orbach S., Scott J. and D’Agostino H. (2004) The Real Truth about Beauty. Unilever. Etcoff N., Orbach S., Scott J. and D’Agostino H. (2006). Beyond Stereotypes: Rebuilding the Foundation of Beauty Beliefs. Unilever. Himpe T. (2006). Advertising is Dead, Long Live Advertising. BIS Publishers, Amsterdam. Hughes M. (2005). Buzzmarketing. Get People to Talk about Your Stuff. Portfolo, New York. Jaffe J. (2005). Life After the 30-Second Spot. Energize Your Brand with a Bold Mix of Alternatives to Traditional Advertising. Wiley, Hoboken (New Jersey). Rosen E. (2000). The anatomy of buzz. How to create word of mouth marketing. Doubleday, New York. Verhaeghe A., Schillewaert N., Van Belleghem S., Vergult C. and Claus D. (2007). A New Approach for Measuring “Buzz”. Word of Mouth and Word of Mouse. Esomar (WM³ Dublin), Amsterdam. www.escape-reports.com (2007), InSites Consulting. Data and information provided by Unilever Canada and Unilever Belgium InSites Consulting R&D White Paper series Through its R&D department, InSites Consulting regularly publishes white papers related to various methodological and/or marketing content issues, aiming to provide you with relevant and up-to-date marketing (research) insights that are based on scientifically grounded methods. Our white papers result from research data collecting by InSites Consulting itself, by cooperation with third parties (e.g. universities or business schools), or by cooperation with InSites Consulting customers. While each white paper has a scientific flair, it essentially offers you applicable insights on specific marketing research subjects, in a crisp format and lay-out. For additional questions, suggestions, or further readings, please do not hesitate to visit us at www.insites.eu or contact us on info@insites.eu - +32 9 269 15 00.