Dove Brand Equity & Brand Image

In order to know and understand its consumers Dove conducted a study in 2004, interviewed women all over the world: “THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY: A GLOBAL REPORT”.  Thus, Dove decided to launch the Campaign for real beauty by observing that only 2% of women considered themselves as beautiful person.

Dove would like to give an answer to customers’ emotions and feelings about their beauty point of view. This campaign is not to promote Dove’s products; this is an engage video to show the truth about their beauty, their perception is completely messed up by advertising on television and magazines.

Dove’s target is real men and women, meaning with a natural beauty, with the real beauty. Dove wants to change the way people are looking at their beauty and want to increase their self-esteem: “You’re more beautiful than you think”.

Dove uses a lot of media to promote its campaigns: viral video on its Youtube channel, on its Facebook page, and forums. These platforms are used by most of the population and easy to use. Thanks to these viral videos, million people all over the world had watched Dove. By digital promotion and beauty campaign, Dove creates a community. Moreover, consumers are youth and middle age people, thus Dove uses less adverts on television.

                             

  

Source : http://www.youtube.com/user/doveunitedstates/featured

Source : https://www.facebook.com/DoveFR

Moreover, people emotions are associated with colours. Dove products are blue and white, perceived as clean, pure, fresh, natural and youthful. It also perceived on Dove’s website: “participants identified concepts like satisfaction, contentment, natural beauty, freshness, youth, simplicity, and self-esteem” (Case study: The Emotional Pull of Beauty Brands, 2012).

                           

 

Source: http://blog.usabilla.com/case-study-the-emotional-pull-of-beauty-brands/

 Source : Dove’s Facebook page http://contently.com/strategist/2013/04/25/how-doves-real-beauty-video-touched-a-nerve-and-went-viral-video/

In this case study, 100 women had been interviewed. Thanks to their campaign, Dove makes women seeing themselves as women in the adverts, concerning their physic, their confident, their power and their beauty.

Moreover, respondents considered Dove as “honest, sincere and real”, “a young brand with energy, freshness, and high spirit”, but mostly focusing on women, even if the brand offers males’ products.

Consumers also consider some other characteristics as contemporary, enduring, modern, dynamic, secure and unique brand, especially from the young consumers.

Dove is associated with high self-esteem, purity and all women are beautiful on their own way. To increase these associations, Dove uses a lot of images and pictures which represents “girls next door”, and also emotions through their testimonies.

                                  

Source: Dove’s Twitter page http://contently.com/strategist/2013/04/25/how-doves-real-beauty-video-touched-a-nerve-and-went-viral-video/

Source: Dove Youtube channel, discussion http://www.youtube.com/user/doveunitedstates/discussion

Even if Dove gives a good impression on consumers’ minds, some of them are reluctant concerning some aspects.

Referring to the survey, late middle age respondents do not feel include in Dove’s community. Dove should integrate this age group of 45-55 years old to cover a larger community of consumers.

Moreover, Dove is appreciated by the fact that no products appears in their adverts, but may Dove should create more adverts on television to press on their products benefits and specifies.

Another aspect would be that Dove sell male product, but never address to this target. Thus, for most of men, Dove is a feminine product. It would be a great opportunity for Dove to create brand extensions addressed to men like shaving gel for example.

Finally, here is below an abstract from the article Why Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” Video Makes Me Uncomfortable… and Kind of Makes Me Angry. In this blog, a young girl, Jazzylittle Drop, described the video “Dove Real Beauty Sketches” by criticising the Dove point of view on what is beautiful or not. There is a controversy on Dove message and the way it is delivered.

Source:

http://jazzylittledrops.tumblr.com/post/48118645174/why-doves-real-beauty-sketches-video-makes-me

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SOURCES :

Dove. The Dove® Campaign for Real Beauty, 2012. http://www.dove.us/social-mission/campaign-for-real-beauty.aspx

Arleen/Susan, Dove Real Beauty Sketches Connecting with Customer Emotions, http://www.garrettspecialties.com/blog/promotional-products/dove-real-beauty-sketches-connecting-with-customer-emotions/

Dawn Papandrea, April 2013, How Dove’s Real Beauty Video Touched a Nerve and Went Viral, http://contently.com/strategist/2013/04/25/how-doves-real-beauty-video-touched-a-nerve-and-went-viral-video/

Jazzylittle drops, Why Dove’s “Real Beauty Sketches” Video Makes Me Uncomfortable… and Kind of Makes Me Angry, http://jazzylittledrops.tumblr.com/post/48118645174/why-doves-real-beauty-sketches-video-makes-me

Sabina Idler, March 2012, Case Study: The Emotional Pull of Beauty Brands, http://blog.usabilla.com/case-study-the-emotional-pull-of-beauty-brands/
Anuja Pandey, July 2009, Understanding Consumer Perception of Brand Personality, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1441824
Dr. Nancy Etcoff, Dr. Susie Orbach, Dr. Jennifer Scott, Heidi D’Agostino, September 2004, “THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT BEAUTY: A GLOBAL REPORT”, Findings of the Global Study on Women, Beauty and Well-Being, Commissioned by Dove, a Unilever Beauty Brand, http://www.clubofamsterdam.com/contentarticles/52%20Beauty/dove_white_paper_final.pdf