Dove TV Advertisements- 1950’s

In 1957, the first advertisement for the Dove beauty bar ran, boasting its “1/4
Cleansing Cream”. The comparative ad states that ordinary soaps leave the skin
feeling dry, but Dove “creams your skin while you wash”. The ad encourages users
to try an experiment themselves by cleansing half of their face with ordinary soap
and the other half with Dove soap to notice the difference in how velvety and
smooth their skin feels.

Dove TV Advertisements- 1950’s

Another advertisement from the 1950’s demonstrates how “even the shape” of
the Dove beauty bar is different from ordinary soaps. It is described as being
“different, modern, and curved to fit your hand”, “revolutionary”, and “much
better for your skin”. Its cleansing and cleaning properties are used to
differentiate the product and the bar is described as “two blessings in one”. The
tagline of this commercial is “creams while you wash”.
Dove Print Advertisements- 1950’s
A print advertisement from the May 9, 1957 issue of The Pittsburgh Press uses the
tagline, “Suddenly DOVE makes soap oldfashioned!” This advertisement, like the
other ads of the 1950’s, places the emphasis on Dove’s creaming qualities and
differentiates it from other soaps. In fact, Dove does not refer to itself as a soap at
all. It calls itself a “bath and toilet bar” as a way of differentiating itself as a new
product.

Dove Print Advertisements- 1950’s

This series of ads from 1958 continues with the comparison of Dove to other
soaps. The picture of cream being poured into the Dove beauty bar to emphasize
its moisturizing qualities is a technique still used in Dove’s advertising today. The
lathered up women in the forefront of flying doves conveys a sense of purity,
calm, cleanliness, and moisture. The use of these beautiful women with bright red
lipstick and polished nails sensually caressing their Dove beauty bar places an
emphasis on beauty and pampering. Dove’s focus is not just on the end result of
using the bar but on enjoying the experience of using it.

While Dove advertising does begin to evolve from the 1950’s to the 1960’s, many
elements remain the same. Dove Print Advertisements- 1960’s The “simple face
test” in this 1964 print ad mimics the same idea as in the 1957 television
advertisement which challenges viewers to try the test at home.
 This 1966 ad relies on the same concept. Additionally, the picture of cream being
poured into the Dove beauty bar to emphasize its moisturizing qualities is carried
through these advertisements.

This 1966 ad relies on the same concept. Additionally, the picture of cream being
poured into the Dove beauty bar to emphasize its moisturizing qualities is carried
through these advertisements.

Dove Print Advertisements- 1970’s

This 1972 print advertisement takes a new approach, asking “What part of you
ages first?” This copy-heavy ad discusses dryness as a factor that makes skin look
older and harsh soaps as being the culprit for dry skin. The ad then asks the
reader to try an experiment reminiscent of its older ads: “put your bar of soap
away and wash daily for 4 weeks with Dove”. Throughout the ad, Dove is
described as “gentle as rainwater” and able to make skin “softer, smoother, and
youngerlooking”. This advertisement uses the same side by side comparison
technique as used by Dove in past advertisements. This ad, however, is set up like
an article, offering scientific information as to why Dove is better and gentler than
soaps and why it will deliver better results. The emphasis on this ad is anti-aging—
to moisturize skin as a way to keep it from looking “wrinkled and old”.

Dove TV Advertisements- 1980’s This 1985 Dove ad asks women across America
to take the Dove 7 Day Test by switching from their ordinary soap to Dove for
seven days. In this ad, Dove is described as being “one thousand times better than
soap”. The woman in the ad says “Soap dried my skin out. Dove made it feel soft”
and the ad concludes with the line, “Dove makes you feel prettier because it
makes your face feel so soft and touchable.” In this ad, the emphasis is on Dove
making you prettier due to it’s moisturizing effects. This contrasts later ads from
Dove’s campaign for Real Beauty which focus on beauty as coming from the
inside. However, the use of challenges or tests for the viewer to try continues to
be a running theme throughout Dove’s advertisements.
 Dove TV Advertisements- 1990’s This 1991 advertisement shows a focus group in
progress. Participants conduct an experiment by using test strips to determine the
harshness of different soaps. It begins with a focus group participant saying “I
consider myself an Ivory girl” and after testing Ivory, saying “That’s very
disappointing… I don’t want to be an Ivory girl anymore. I want to be a Dove girl
now”. This advertisement uses the same comparison technique as Dove used
when they first began advertising. The ad is believable because it is real women
doing a real experiment and giving their true, uncensored opinions.

Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty In 2004, Dove’s advertising changed. The brand
launched its “Campaign for Real Beauty” in an effort to widen the definition of
beauty after studies conducted by Dove proved that “the definition of beauty had
become limiting and unattainable” (Dove.com) and findings concluded that “only
2% of women around the world would describe themselves as beautiful”
(Dove.com).The campaign uses unconventional women of all shapes, sizes, races,
and ages to celebrate “real” beauty
Dove TV Advertisements- 2000’s
A 2006 Dove advertisement shows the evolution of a photograph of a real woman
after she has her hair and makeup done, lighting adjusted, and after she is heavily
photoshopped before her face is printed onto a billboard. This advertisement is
part of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. The tagline is “No wonder our
perception of beauty is distorted”. The ad functions as a way to show how
unrealistic and unattainable beauty is as depicted in magazines and on billboards.
Dove TV Advertisements- 2000’s
A 2006 Dove advertisement shows the evolution of a photograph of a real
woman after she has her hair and makeup done, lighting adjusted, and after she is
heavily photoshopped before her face is printed onto a billboard. This
advertisement is part of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty. The tagline is “No
wonder our perception of beauty is distorted”. The ad functions as a way to show
how unrealistic and unattainable beauty is as depicted in magazines and on
billboards.
Dove TV Advertisements- 2013
This 2013 Dove beauty bar ad conducts an experiment that directly compares
Dove soap to one of its leading competitors, Ivory. The woman in the ad uses test
paper to show how ordinary soaps strip the skin saying, “If it can do that to test
paper, imagine what it can do to your skin”. The ad concludes with grey text on a
clean white background saying, “Dove doesn’t strip your skin like Ivory” and then
moves to the tagline: “Dove is different”. The ad is very focused on differentiating
Dove from other soap bars and does so by use of a direct comparison. This ad is
highly reminiscent of Dove’s previous ads which are very experiment based and
directly compare Dove to other leading soap brands.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches Dove’s most recent campaign effort is the Dove Real
Beauty Sketches video. The purpose of the video is described as follows:
Throughout the years, Dove has transformed itself into a powerful platform
supporting women’s confidence and self-esteem. The focus comes off of
advertising products and turns to advertising Dove’s beliefs and emotional appeal
and creating an image as being supportive and compassionate as an effective way
of gaining loyalty. “Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women
around the world consider themselves beautiful. At Dove, we are committed to
creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. So, we
decided to conduct a compelling social experiment that explores how women
view their own beauty in contrast to what others see.” Dove on Facebook- 2013
Dove’s social media presence is very large and interactive. Their Facebook page is
updated frequently with an impressive 19 million likes. Their Facebook page is
less about directly selling products and more about selling the brand image,
Dove’s commitment “to help all women realize their personal beauty potential by
creating products that deliver real care”. Facebook posts are all about confidence
and about celebrating who you are just as you are. Dove celebrates real women,
using images of women who do not fit the stereotypical measurements of a
model, and receives a lot of respect and followers for its commitment to
celebrating real women. Every comment on the Facebook page is responded to,
creating a brand to consumer relationship that feels personal. Dove’s social media
presence is crafted so that the consumer feels genuinely cared for on both a
physical and emotional level. Dove is not just selling personal care products but
supporting, and perhaps driving, a movement toward celebrating real beauty.
Dove on Twitter Dove’s Twitter page is full of empowering messages in 140
characters or less and has over 100,000 followers. The consistent message being
tweeted out is to have confidence and be yourself. There is very little product
promotion on Dove’s Twitter page—like their Facebook page, the emphasis is on
creating a brand personality and defining and broadcasting their beliefs.

The Dove Website Dove’s website focuses on showing how Dove works and how
it helps to improve the skin. Their site also contains information about their social
missions, which celebrate real women, support positive self-esteem, and define
beauty as confidence. The women featured in their advertisements are fresh-
faced, natural, and of all ages. The site also allows the user to unlock special offers
after becoming a “Dove Insider”. The Dove Insider program encourages
interaction with the brand and develops a sense of community. The website also
has numerous self-esteem toolkits that can be accessed to help encourage young
girls to “embrace their unique beauty” (Dove.com).

The Dove App Dove launched a 2012 mobile campaign as a way to “capitalize on
the proliferation of mobile devices” (Elani). The campaign uses the same premise
of comparison advertising where consumers can download an app that allows
them to watch videos comparing different body washes on the market to Dove.
The app provides information on why Dove is the best choice and allows
consumers to make a purchase right from their mobile device. Through this app,
women are also able to upload photos of themselves to celebrate real beauty.
These photos become a part of the app, creating a sense of community and
belonging.
The Dove Facebook App Another interactive app available on Facebook
encourages users to replace a negative body image ad with one that has a positive
message and then send it off to a friend. This app is aligned with Dove’s efforts
toward promoting positive self-esteem and body image while also promoting
Dove as a strong moral brand.
At the very beginning,Dove focused its advertising on the benefits of their beauty
bar—that it is made with ¼ cleansing cream and that it creams while it cleans. The
ads are strongly comparative, urging women to try Dove for themselves and
compare it to other ordinary soaps to feel the difference. Dove is all about being
different (as one of their current taglines is simply, “Dove is Different”). The
advertisements from the 1960’s begin to get more feminine and flirty, featuring
classically beautiful, made up, and thin models and focus on feeling girly and
pampered when using Dove. The 1970’s advertising begins to take a turn toward
the anti-aging benefits of using Dove soap, making consumers feel self-conscious
about their skin being dry and thus looking aged and wrinkly. Dove is promised as
the solution to staying young and beautiful looking. This advertisement goes
strongly against what Dove stands for today. The 1980’s and 1990’s focus heavily
on comparative advertising, using test strips to show the difference between the
moisturizing, gentle qualities of Dove compared to the harsh chemicals in other
soap bars. This method of advertising still remains, often with candid footage of
real woman reacting in a focus group type of setting.

How Dove Has Evolved Continued?

In 2004, the brand changed completely. The introduction of the Dove Campaign
for Real Beauty defined the brand in a new light, not as a company focused on
selling their products but as a movement passionate about activating self-esteem,
redefining beauty, and challenging stereotypes. From this campaign branched the
Dove Movement for Self-Esteem and the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, dedicated to
mentoring children and helping them to confidence and self-esteem, and to believe
in their own beauty.The focus comes off of selling the products themselves and
instead focuses on the message of the campaign behind the brand. In fact, Dove
promises that “each time you buy Dove, you help us and our charitable partners
provide inspiring self-esteem programming for girls” (Dove.com) Dove has also
conducted studies throughout the years about “women’s relationship with beauty”
called The Real Truth About Beauty.
These studies reveal startling facts about women and girls and their
feelings about themselves and their bodies. Dove actively works to improve these
statistics through their campaign efforts. Dove has defined itself as an emotional
supporter rather than a brand. Most women are affected by the issues that Dove
addresses so they are extremely relatable. Self-esteem is a topic often ignored but
Dove tackles this issue head-on with strong emotional appeal. This is done without
trying to manipulate women into buying their products to achieve an unrealistic
beauty ideal. Instead, Dove has evolved to celebrating realness, an entirely original
and refreshing brand concept which has been remarkably successful and impactful.
Although Dove’s men’s care ads take an entirely different approach, Dove’s
advertising targeted at women has been extremely focused on these efforts.

Dove Targeting Men Although Dove has always been a brand that
targets women and girls of all ages, recent efforts have been made to promote
awareness of their line of men’s care products. This has been accomplished
through a new campaign, “Journey to Comfort” (Elani) which features famous
athletes endorsing their products. Dove’s ads targeted at men are significantly
more lighthearted than the commercials targeted at women and often incorporate
humor:
Another recent ad for Dove’s men’s care uses humor to
show that using women’s hair products can make your hair too shiny and lustrous,
featuring a male office worker with that kind of hair you’d expect in a women’s
hair ad:

Although Dove’s initial approach to advertising targeted

toward men does not have the same deep emotional appeal and strong beliefs
behind it, Dove does seem to be making strides toward creating a softer advertising
campaign targeted at men. Dove’s recent Mission Care campaign shows a man in
service being surprised by a visit from his wife and two young children, including
his baby who he has not met yet. The campaign helps to reunite families on
Father’s Day.

Dove's emphasis on self-esteem among younger women

Unilever has also made a significant effort to incorporate this into its social
marketing campaigns and to make it okay for girls and women to be comfortable
with themselves. This strategy makes them the most approachable brand, rather
than a judgmental brand that promises changes it will never make. Of course, some
consumers will steer towards more glamorous brands, but there are significantly
more ‘normal’ women in the world who just want to feel good about being normal
than there are models.
 Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever, a
multinational corporation that owns more than 400 brands mostly selling either
food and beverages or toiletries. Dove is sold in more than 35 countries and is used
by both men and women. Dove has segmented and targeted the market towards
urban areas as it is being positioned and repositioned as the premium brand like,
mildest soap, trail for result. Globally it is not soap but a cream bar.

Positioning of the Brand 

Brand managers the world over are understandably jealous. Imagine having the
gumption to unearth and expose some of the neuroses women have about
themselves, create a sensitive and believable marketing campaign, and then yes
inspire change. In 2004, Unilever's Dove dared to launch this as its new
positioning.
Brand managers the world over are
understandably jealous. Imagine having the gumption to unearth and expose some
of the neuroses women have about themselves, create a sensitive and believable
marketing campaign, and then - yes - inspire change. In 2004, Unilever's Dove
dared to launch this as its new positioning. Research has shown that 80% of all
purchase decisions are made by or influenced by women.

 Dove realized that it is critical to position the brand and market it to women. 
 Since 2003, Dove positioned itself through a gender-specific brand
positioning.
 Dove Deep Pure face wash has been positioned as a beauty product in the
market.
 In 2004, dove launched the ‘Real Beauty Campaign’. The brand realized that
women are not interested to know about products that will help them look
younger and prettier. Instead, they want to feel beautiful in their own skin.
 The Real Beauty Campaign celebrated women in their own sensual skin
with a series of advertisements that without any Photo Shop elements used
on women in the ads.
 The campaign took a step further, when Dove launched a video where they
showed evolution of a woman in an advertisement when different Photo
Shop elements are applied on her body.

Thus, from a brand in skin care category which was positioned as a personal care
brand completely transformed itself as a beauty brand and gained momentum in
the market. It is a good example of how good positioning can be a boon to a
brand’s strategy. Dove’s success is, of course, driven in large part by a business
strategy that involved brand extensions, product innovation and geographic
expansion. The energized brand with its higher purpose and clear value
propositions supported by branded innovations simply amplified a remarkable
business strategy.