A Report on Integrated

Marketing Communication
Plan for Dove Baby Care
Products in India

By
Sukanya Bhattacharjee

Faculty Guide
Prof. Amarjeet Patpatia

Date of Submission: September 19, 2016

Executive Summary:
Dove is one of the well know brand of HUL which is mainly popular for showing real beauty
of women. The products they have created for women are one of the best products which
shows real women with their real skin.
As Dove is launching baby care products what I have found that they always inspire women
but they have a drawback because the brand like AXE, Fair & Lovely form the same parent
company shows women in their products in a totally controversial way which is a con for
Dove.
But Dove has created an image by showing real women in their advertisement and with their
self-esteem website. Now as they are coming in baby care products people will be relating
their baby care products with the quality they prefer for adult skin care products.
The learning I have got while doing this project is that how Dove can create a new and
innovative IMC plan for their baby care products as their main competitor will be Johnson &
Johnson. I have learned how they can create budget for the products and how they can create
the USP for their baby care products. And also this project has helped me to learn how I can
create an innovative IMC plan for new products in the market.

Situation Analysis:
Company and Product History:
Dove is a personal care brand owned by Unilever originating in the United Kingdom.
Dove products are manufactured in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China,
Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Ireland, Mexico, Netherlands, Pakistan,
Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and United States. The products are sold
in more than 80 countries and are offered for both women and men. Dove's logo is a
silhouette profile of the brand's namesake bird.
Vincent Lamberti was granted the original patents related to the manufacturing of
Dove in the 1950s while he worked for the Lever brothers.
The formula for Dove was originally developed during World War II. It was actually
designed for the US Army, which required a detergent for soldiers that would lather
with sea-water. After the war, scientists at Lever Brothers continued to experiment
with the formulation in a bid to reduce the scum produced by ordinary detergents.
However the original product was found to have an unfortunate irritant effect on skin.
To counter that, Lever's researchers added stearic acid, one of the main ingredients in
cold cream, to the mix. The resulting combination, part-skin cream and part-soap,
offered huge marketing opportunities, and it was launched in the US in 1956, priced at
twice the cost of the company's existing Lux soap. The accompanying advertising,
from what was then the agency Hewitt Ogilvy Benson & Mather, promised that
"Dove creams your skin while you wash" and "Soap is suddenly old-fashioned". That
approach proved hugely successful, quickly establishing Dove as a core household
brand. It was marketed primarily for facial cleansing, with that the fact that it doesn't
dry out the skin as its key selling point. "Real women" were first used in its marketing
from the late 1960s, endorsing its benefits for what was supposedly a hidden camera.

Past Advertising Themes:

In 1965, Unilever attempted to broaden its portfolio by extending the Dove brand into
dishwashing liquid in a bid to compete with Palmolive dishwashing liquid which
claimed to "soften hands while you do dishes". However the new line was not a
success, and the company dropped its price. This created something of a contradiction
for the brand, since Dove bar-soap was positioned as a premium beauty product,
while Dove dishwashing liquid was perceived as a low-price household cleaner.

These two conflicting messages seemed to confuse consumers and gradually the
product began to lose market share, battered by competition from Dial and another
Unilever brand, Caress. Although Dove soap had already been launched successfully
in Canada, plans to introduce the product in Europe were abandoned in the light of its
declining US sales.
In 1979, however, Dove received a huge boost when an influential independent
survey from the University of Pennsylvania concluded that Dove dried and irritated
skin significantly less than other soaps. This encouraged Unilever to mount an
extensive marketing programme promoting the brand to dermatologists. (Even as
recently as 2004, Unilever claimed that 25% of Dove users said they bought the soap
because a doctor recommended it). On the back of this medical endorsement, Dove's
sales soared once more. In 1986, the brand became the best-selling soap brand in the
US, over-taking Dial and P&G's Ivory.
New competitive pressures came in 1990. That year, the patent on the primary
synthetic ingredient in Dove expired, allowing competitors to leap into the synthetic
cleanser market for the first time. Procter & Gamble was the most aggressive of these
new rivals, borrowing the synthetic cleanser technology to create an Oil of Olay
beauty bar with moisturizing properties similar to Dove. After testing in 1991 and
1992, the Olay bar was launched in 1993, followed by a hugely successful body wash
in 1994. Unilever countered a year later with their own Dove body wash. However,
this proved a big disappointment. Even Unilever's own developers later conceded that
their product was inferior to the Olay body wash, more like a shampoo than a soap.
After a series of reformulations, an improved and arguably superior Dove body wash
was introduced in 1999.
However that year, bolstered by a string of further product extensions, Olay brand
sales overtook Dove in the US. In response the Anglo-Dutch company began
developing a new brand line that would combine Dove's moisturizing and cleansing
properties with "skin nourishing" Vitamin E. The Nutrium range was introduced in
2000, initially as a body wash and later as a soap bar. A flood of further brand
extensions followed as Dove entered the deodorant, haircare and facial cleaning
markets. The launch of the "real women" campaign in 2004, and its evolution into the
Campaign For Real Beauty, gave further support to Dove's sales.

Dove Campaigns:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

2004- Campaign for real beauty

2005- Real women in the spotlight
2006- Evolution
2007- Pro Age
2010- Self Esteem Weekend
2013- Real Beauty Sketches
2014- Selfie #realbeautyis

 Dove Campaign for Real Beauty:

In 2004, Dove began its Campaign for Real Beauty, followed by the creation of the
Dove Self-Esteem Fund in 2006 by Geyner Andres Gaona. It purports to be "an agent
of change to educate and inspire girls on a wider definition of beauty and to make
them feel more confident about themselves". Dove have created a number of largely
online-only short films, including Daughters (which was also broadcast during the
Super Bowl XL), Evolution (which won two awards at the Cannes Lions International
Advertising Festival), Onslaught and Amy.
The campaign has been criticized as hypocritical in light of the highly sexualized
images of women presented in the advertising of Axe, which like Dove is produced
by Unilever.
After putting up billboards that asked people to reassess their perception of female
beauty, the campaign gained massive press attention. Talk shows, womens
magazines, even newspapers and news television shows began discussing modern
female beauty standards as a result of the campaign. This media exposure created
approximately 30 times the revenue of paid-for media spots, according to Jonathan
Kolstads book Unilever PLC: Campaign for Real Beauty Campaign.
By leveraging market research to understand how women perceived their beauty,
Dove was able to create viral videos (such as an interview piece with mothers and
their daughters who discussed perceptions of female beauty with one another) and a
series of commercials (Evolution, Onslaught, and Amy) that deconstructed this
perceived norm that beauty is about being skinny and young.
Doves campaign went viral because it connected with peoples realization that
female beauty norms are not always normal, that the most beautiful person you can
be is yourself, and that if a brand message is resonant enough, it can (almost) market
itse

 Significant Environmental Influences:

Social Influences:
Dove conducted a similar study 10 years ago and found only 23% of women believed
they could control their view of beauty. Since then, that percentage has more than
tripled.
"We are seeing women take more control over their definition of beauty than ever
before. In fact, they feel like they are responsible for defining their view of beauty,"
Jess Weiner, Dove's global self-esteem ambassador, told Mashable. "They are
becoming less reliant on outside sources and are finally defining it for themselves."
"They are becoming less reliant on outside sources and are finally defining it for
themselves."
The findings were featured earlier this week in a seven-minute short film shown at the
2014 Sundance Film Festival. The film, called Selfie, follows a group of teenagers
and their mothers who are asked to take photos of themselves that highlight their
insecurities about their appearances. In an experiment reminiscent of Dove's viral
"beauty sketches" ad, the participants learn some of their disliked attributes are what
others consider to be the most beautiful.
Dove has a website called selfesteem.dove.us which focuse on every woman in every
field. The motive of the website is to motivate women to love their selves in just the
way they are.

 Current Brand SWOT:

Strengths
1. Modern Campaign responds to the
customers wants
2. Honest, Straight forward and Simple
3. Uses real people
4. Tackles self-issue (self image)
5. Feel Good product
6. Targets male and female and
currently targeting babies from age 018 months
7. Website to help people to explore
issues related to self-worth and body
image
8. Large variety of products
9. Strong media presence on social
media
10. Has a well integrated marketing
strategy: covering a wide range of
mediums

Opportunities
1. New style of marketing (redefining
beauty)
2. Continue in the path as a leader for
real beauty
3. Male focused campaign where Dove
can expand their male market share
4. Coming in baby care products
5. Unilever operates on more than 100
countries and sales in more than 180
countries

Weaknesses
1. More Expensive than some
competitors
2. Product tasted on animals
3. Low consumer awareness of Dove
Insider Rewards Program
4. Low market share in deodorant
category
5. Male does not buy Dove products as
much as women

Threats
1. Easy campaign to replicate
2. Possibility for the campaign to be
misunderstood
3. Can be seen as unethical as Unilever
owns AXE, who sexualizes women in
their campaign
4. Competitors like St.Ives do not taste
their products on animals

 Marketing Data:
Market Growth:

Product Evaluation:

Competitors: Main competitors are1. Procter & Gamble

2. Neutrogena (Johnson & Johnsons)
3. Nivea
4. The Body Shop
5.Bath and Body Works
6.St.Ives
7.Fiama
8.Vivel
9.Aveeno
10.Himalaya

Comparison between Dove and its Competitors:

Dove

1. Price is little high

2. Dove focuses on real beauty
3. Dove does the advertisement by
real women
4. New player in baby care
product
5. The image of the brand is
luxurious
6. The consumer perception for
this product is that it is mainly
focuses on women and
enhances real beauty and it is
for skin care

Competitors
1. The price of the competitors
products are quite less than Dove
2. These competitors mainly focuses
of white beauty
3. They do the advertisements by the
celebrities
4. Johnson & Johnson the major
player in baby care products
5. Not so luxurious
6. The consumer perception towards
these products are mainly
cosmetic brands not very much
for skin care

Consumer Evaluation:
Demographic Profile:

Mainly focuses on women

Women who are earning mainly prefers Dove
The products of dove mainly focuses on educated group of customers as their
advertisements are always humorous

Psychographic Profile:
People who prefer real beauty is more inclined towards Dove products which does
not focuses on fake white beauty
People from urban areas are the main customers of Dove products

Behavioural Profile:
Consumers attitude towards the products of Dove is like the products are soft and
gentle on skin, the proportion of milk in it is good for skin. Basically consumers
who are much more into skin care than cosmetics prefer Dove
Brand loyalty is very high. It has been seen that consumers who use Dove
products do not switch very frequently

IMC Plan:
Dove is launching baby care products in Indian market, so the IMC plan has been made for
the Dove Baby Care Products.

Demographics:
Age: As it is a baby care product the age of the target customer could be from 0-18
months and from 1-5 years
Income group: Dove can target the urban market first as their other products are
popular mainly in urban market. And the income group they can target from 25k-50k
Education: As Dove may target urban market so the customer group must be
educated who have used Dove products

Psychographics:
Lifestyle: As the target is urban market, the lifestyle is quite standard
Attitude: People who are much focused on real beauty and skin care will prefer Dove
baby care products. As the Dove advertisements shows how they care for women
among them some are mothers and the way they show mother daughter relationship in
their soap advertisement the attitude towards the baby care products will be positive
Personality: Women who prefer real beauty they will have a kind of personality that
the way Dove takes care of their skin if it comes in baby care products it will
definitely take care of the babies too

Behavioural: Dove has made a brand image that it mainly takes care of women
(especially middle aged working women). And the advertisements of Dove soap shows
real women with real beauty where there is nothing fake and also it shows mother
daughter relationship. So a behavioural segmentation could be done that women who are
loyal customers of Dove skin care products will have a faith on Dove that it will make
genuine products for kids and the way it takes care of their skin it will take care of their
babies

Buying Situation:
Purchase occasion: The purchase occasion will be for new born babies and for
gifting purposes for any occasin related to new born babies
Benefits sought: The benefits for Dove could be the loyal adult customers. As Dove
very much popular among women so this could very much beneficiary for them to
launch the baby care products

Brand Positioning:
Dove is always popular for their emotional appeal. When it comes to baby care
products Dove can use this strategy to capture the emotional part of the customers
mind.
We can show the customers that the legacy Dove is carrying from the young mothers
to their new born babies. We can show that Dove is taking care of new generation
along with their mothers.

 The image could be very caring. The way Dove convey the real beauty image the
same way we can convey the image of caring babies. We can convey the message that
the way mothers take care of their babies and the way Dove is taking care of the
mothers same way Dove is with the mothers for taking care of their babies.

IMC Objectives:
Awareness:
Designed to revolutionize the view of baby care products
Every mother is a superwoman and Dove takes care of both
The way Dove adult skin care products takes care of the adults they will keep
their promise in baby care products also
A legacy from mother to her child care
They need to to several campaigns
Interests:
Dove is appealing to the mothers as well as their babies
Taking care of the babies with their mothers
Desire:
Mothers desire to make keep babies safe and Dove gives mothers that trust
The way Dove has made all women feel beautiful same way Dove will make
the mothers feel that their babies are in safe hands
Action:
Dove wants to make the mothers to be assured that the products they are using
for their babies are safe for them
Dove can make several campaigns to showcase their products
They can focus on legacy

USP:
The USP of Dove is the Real Beauty image. They can make cruelty free products as
their USP in baby care products by saying the way they make the women feel happy
by showing their real beauty same way they will make the mothers happy by taking
care of their babies with cruelty free 100% natural products.
Dove can show that they are making cruelty free baby care products which is not with
Johnson & Johnson. So they can show that a product which is for babies can not be
determined the quality by testing it on animals. So they are making cruelty free
products and also they are not using any chemicals all natural products are used. This
could be their proposition which will drive customers towards their products. As
Indians prefer herbal products so if Dove can market their baby care products as
100% natural cruelty free vegan product customers will get interested to buy Dove
baby care products.

 Creative Strategy:
Based on the USP they can make a cruelty free baby care product campaign which not
only will show that they are taking care of the environment but also it will show that
they are very much concern about the baby care products that they do not use any
chemicals.
The promotional appeal can be both rational and emotional.
Rational: With the help of rational appeal Dove can show that they are cruelty
free baby care product. And they can compare it with Johnson & Johnson baby
care products because they are not cruelty free. So they can show their gentility by
showing they do not take risk with baby care products so they have gone for all
natural products.
Emotional: Dove is popular for their emotional appeal. They can utilise it for
their baby care product also. They are famous for taking care of the real beauty of
women and the emotional appeal they can create by showing mother and child
relationship and they can show the way they care for the mothers same way they
will care for their babies.
Execution Technique:
Factual Message: Dove can give straight forward factual message like: Mothers
do not need to worry now.. Dove has come with all natural products to take care
of the babies
Comparison: The biggest competitor for dove will be Johnson & Johnson. And
they can highlight their products by comparing it with Johnson & Johnson saying
the quality and chemical free natural ingredients they are using.

The IMC Program:

Advertising: Dove is famous for their real women advertising. They can use the same
strategy here also by showing real mothers and babies, how the mothers are using the
products and the reaction of the mothers which will give good impact.

Packaging: The packaging should be very hygienic and they should do something
different in colours of the packaging rather going for their traditional white theme
packaging. This will attract the attention of customers and will differentiate the baby
care products from adult products.
Direct Marketing: For Direct marketing Dove can sell their baby care products in
online shopping sites and online pharmaceutical sites.
PR: The PR need to be very strong in the case because they are going to deal with
baby care products. The PR group need to create an awareness among the customers.
Personal selling and e-communication: E commerce sites are now-a-days very
popular and people prefer buying online so it will be very helpful for Dove.
Sales Promotion: Sales promotion will be the major part for Dove baby care
products. It will help to create awareness. What Dove can do is they can make various
campaigns and shows in the shopping malls, they can do shelf hiring in the medicine
shops which will create visibility.

Sponsorship: Dove can sponsor with organisations like First Cry, and with the
renowned hospitals and baby care centres where they can promote their products.

Advertising Schedule:
Dove can do a three month advertising schedule to see the response of the customers. For
advertising schedule they can start with the following way1. Print media
2. Digital media
3. Free Sample
4. Banner advertisement

Promotion Budget:
Affordable Method: As Dove is going in totally a new segment I think this method
will not be very beneficial for them because in this method companies do not focus
much on advertising, here whatever budget is left after everything the company
spends it on advertising but in this case Dove needs to advertise a lot.
Percentage of Sales: This method will be very helpful for Dove because here they
need to relate their advertisements with the marketing mix and this will help them to
evaluate the further steps.
Competitive Promotion Budgeting: Here they can see the market share of Johnson
& Johnson which is their main competitor. They can set budget accordingly and this
will help them to acquire the market to some extent.
Objectives and Tasks: This will help them to set an objective and how they can
process further. The steps they need to follow are as follows Set marketing objectives
Set marketing communication objectives
Set media objectives
Calculate the costs associated with various media strategies.
Refine budget for efficiency

Evaluation:
From the IMC Plan we have made we can say that for initial stage after launching Dove
baby care products the above strategy will help Dove to gain the target audience and also
it will make the image of Dove much more strong in the customers mind because Dove
is already popular for skin care and this new segment will give them much more profit if
they can apply proper strategy.