Unilever spreads the Dove to consumers with digital ‘genius’
The brand, which was predominantly a female-targeted one before the launch of Dove Men+ Care, has used email marketing campaigns, social media platforms, and specially designed tablet media to expand its reach and engage more consumers on the digital plain.
The efforts have not gone unnoticed. New York-based agency L2 ThinkTank has just launched its latest Digital IQ Index: Personal Care which attempts to quantify the digital performance of 75 US Personal Care brands, diagnosing strengths and weaknesses, and has named Dove as one of the top ‘genius’ brands.
“Digital competence is a point of competitive differentiation for [genius] brands. Creatively engineered messaging reaches consumers on a variety of devices and many online environments,” explains L2.
Taking the initiative
Dove’s ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ campaign (see the video at the bottom of the page) joined the viral video hall of fame with more than 163 million views to become the most-watched online video advertisement ever.
Dove is helped further in its cause as it is one of the only brands in the personal care arena that chooses to integrate its digital efforts to support a business strategy, and this helps it stand out from the crowd further.
L2 ThinkTank founder, Scott Galloway, adds that data suggests that online success translates to market. According to Euromonitor figures, Dove has grown from 13.6 per cent share in 2009 to 15.9 per cent in 2012 in the Bath & Shower category, and has seen similar gains in Deodorant.
Proof is in the pudding
On top of its viral video victory, the Anglo-Dutch-headquartered firm has also used multi-channel advertising campaigns to promote the Dove brand, including a mobile component, with experiments in video, games, and interactive content.
The brand’s ‘Beauty Insider’ email marketing and SMS program provides exclusive coupons, sweepstakes, and expert beauty tips, and its ‘Self-Esteem Project’ has reached more than 11 million teen girls.
For this initiative, users are encouraged to share videos, photos, and stories across popular social network platforms Instagram and Twitter, using the #girlsunstoppable hashtag.
