Overview of Dove

Brief History of Dove: 
Dove is an internationally recognized Unilever brand. Mainly produced in Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Netherlands, Pakistan, Thailand, Turkey and United States dove products are sold in more than 35 countries. 

In 1957, Dove soap was launched in the USA. Dove contained a patented, mild cleansing ingredient. It was positioned - then and now - as a "beauty bar" with one-fourth cleansing cream that moisturizes skin while washing as opposed to the drying effect of regular soap. In 1979, the phrase "cleansing cream" was replaced with "moisturizer cream". Unilever started aggressive marketing and won more than 24% of the market by 2003. 

Target Market:

Dove mainly produces different beauty product like soap, body wash, deodorant etc. for women. But dove also has a specialized brand for men also which is rarely marketed in South-Asia. 

Product Positioning:

The place a brand occupies in the minds and hearts of the consumer. As a strong brands Dove has a clear, unique position. For example: Dove Soap > Beauty Bar, For Women With Dry Skin. 

                                     Product :

• Dove Soap 
• Dove Body wash 
• Dove hand wash 
• Dove face care 
• Dove Tools 
• Dove hair care 
• Dove deodorant 
• Dove body lotions 
• Dove men+care 

SWOT Analysis:

Strength-

1. Mild cleansing ingredient 
2. Clearance 
3. Providing soft skin 
4. Lucrative packaging 

Opportunities-

1. Business class standard 
2. Especially for women 
3. Exclusive beauty product 

Weakness-

1. Highly Cost 
2. Target Business class 
3. Not available everywhere 
4. Sort of Oily product 

Threats-

1. External and Internal opponent.

Product Life Cycle:

Figure: Product Life Cycle of Dove

External Competitor 

Outside of Unilever, Dove has strong competitors like Camay, Pears and Skincare etc. 

Internal Competitor: 

As Unilever has some other brand of its own like Lux, Lifebouy, Rexona, they are also tough competent to Dove. 

Social Responsibility Program: 

Dove assists several campaigns for social responsibility such as Greenpeace International and Dove self esteem fund. 

Conclusion: 

Dove leads the market by specialization of their product, exclusive packaging, unique brand strategy and obviously by an integrated marketing policy. But for the high price they missed a portion of the market.