Question

Dove’s Global ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign
The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty is a worldwide marketing campaign launched

by Unilever in 2004 that includes advertisements, video, workshops, sleepover events and the publication of a book and the production of a play. The aim of the campaign is to celebrate the natural physical variation embodied by all women and inspire them to have the confidence to be comfortable with themselves. Dove's partners in the effort include such marketing and communications agencies as Ogilvy & Mather, Edelman Public Relations, and Harbinger Communications (in Canada) along with other specialized consultants. Part of the overall project was the "Evolution" campaign. Please read the full description from WIKIPEDIA

This case explores how Unilever’s reconfigured its marketing mix for its Dove brand. Historically, Unilever had customized its products and marketing campaigns for each market, a strategy that not only resulted in duplication of effort, but also in organizational complexity. In 2003, Unilever shifted its strategy to develop a more globally standardized approach for Dove. The company now uses a basic message for the brand, and allows some customization at the local level. Discussion of the feature can begin with the following questions:

Discussion Questions

1. How would you describe Unilever’s approach to international markets prior to 2003? What were the advantages of this strategy? What were the drawbacks of this approach?

2. In 2003, Unilever adopted its Real Beauty strategy. Explain how this new strategy differed from its traditional approach to foreign markets? How should this new approach help Unilever’s international sales?

Answer 1

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1. How would you describe Unilever’s approach to international markets prior to 2003? What were the advantages of this strategy? What were the drawbacks of this approach?

Prior to 2003, Unilever more or less approached each market individually. The company often developed entirely different products and marketing campaigns for each market. In India for example, the company developed a shampoo designed to clean hair that had been oiled. But it also developed entirely different products for both Hong Kong and China. This strategy of customizing products, packaging, and messages to individual markets while allowing the firm to cater to the individual needs of customers also led to high costs, complexity, and confusion within the organization.

2. In 2003, Unilever adopted its Real Beauty strategy. Explain how this new strategy differed from its traditional approach to foreign markets? How should this new approach help Unilever’s international sales?

Unilever’s Real Beauty strategy involved establishing a basic product and message that could be used across several markets, but that allowed for tweaking at the local level. So, rather than developing a Dove shampoo and message for the Indian market, and for the Chinese market, and so on, the company used a basic message that Dove stood for the beauty of all women, and then the product and message was adapted to local markets. So, while the basic message is the same, in the Latin America, ads might show women touching each other, but in the United States, the ad might show women standing apart from each other. Moreover, the Real Beauty message was carried through other products like body gels and skin creams allowing Unilever to further reduce its costs. So far, the new strategy seems to be working. Dove is now a leading brand in the global market place.

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