This case is about Unilever 's "Campaign for Real Beauty" (CFRB) marketing campaign for its leading personal care brand 'Dove '. CFRB was a multi-faceted campaign that sought to challenge the stereotypes set by the beauty industry. This campaign featured regular women (non-models) who were beautiful in their own way and did not fit in with the idealized images of models, super-models, and celebrities. Unilever developed the CFRB campaign based on a global study on the perceptions and attitudes of women with regard to their personal beauty and well-being. This campaign was a huge success as it was appreciated by many consumers and resulted in increased sales of Dove products. It also generated plenty of buzz and wide media coverage for the Dove brand.
However, critics felt that this campaign could prove counter-productive as marketing messages in the beauty industry were largely aspirational and Dove could be perceived as a brand for fat and ugly girls. Some critics also felt that CFRB was a contradictory as it strived to sell Dove Firming Range of products in the guise of debunking beauty stereotypes.
Issues:»
Understand the factors that contributed to the success of Unilever 's "Campaign for Real Beauty" for Dove
» Appreciate the importance of market research and application of consumer behavior insights in the development of a marketing strategy
» Understand the issues and challenges faced in the implementation of a cause-related (Societal) marketing campaign
Defying Beauty Stereotypes
In June 2005, consumer products major Unilever launched an ad campaign in the US for its Dove Intensive Firming5 range (Firming range) of products.
This campaign, which featured regular women (non-models), was part of Dove 's "Campaign for Real Beauty" (CFRB).
According to the company, the main purpose of CFRB was to challenge the stereotypes set by the beauty industry over the years. The beauty industry, it was felt, had showcased an image of women, too