'I'm normai' campaign, which provoked a backlash. But Dove had a background in the use of real women in its advertising as they had historically used...

how should Dove's competitors respond to their action? Would it be easy for them to imitate the campaign for real beauty? if not, are there alternative themes which appeal to women which they could use to counter Dove? and the questions holds 15 marks each.

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‘I'm normai‘ campaign, which provoked a backlash. But Dove had abackground in the use of real women in its advertising as they hadhistorically used non— actor women in marketing communicationstalking about how the brand helped them. More subtle though, wasthe matching of the real women theme with the rise of realityentertainment. The use of ordinary people in celebrity roles elevatesthe ordinary woman, using Dove, as a symbol of beauty. This new strategy incorporated some basic objectives. Dove hopedto raise awareness of issues of low self- esteem amongst women andgirls, and advertise to women the need to change the way they viewbeauty and themselves in order to raise their self- esteem andreinforce their attractiveness despite the conditioning ofconventional media. The campaign had a moral purpose, but the real beauty ads stillneeded to sell to women the idea that they needed these products tobecome more beautiful. Their proposition to women was to questionthe images that were depicted by the beauty industry by showingthat beauty comes in all shapes and that women, by seeking theirown idea of beauty they can bring themselves closer to beauty ratherthan closer to the media— ideal of physical perfection. Essentially, they proposed to them that with Dove Firming Lotion, women canshow off their curves. This strategy was not without risk. The execution of the campaign consisted of broadcast, print andoutdoor supported by a strong public relations campaign, which wasessential for provoking the debate that surrounded the campaign andwas an integral part of its success. It focused on Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, the Netherlands and France with marketingexpenditure in the region of 5 20 million. The success of the campaign was breathtaking and genuinelygroundbreaking, generating unprecedented amounts of PR coveragefor the company and its brand, and promoting awareness around theworld about the need to reexamine how women's beauty is definedin media. It has helped position the Dove brand as one thatchallenges the mutant beauty ideal and replaces it with a morerefreshing alternative. By associating the brand with normal womenthey positioned the brand perceptions of the Dove rand from an old— fashioned soap brand to a more energetic, beauty focused brandcapturing the imagination and loyalty of women. The campaign was enormously successful for Dove’s sales and market share. The campaign enabled Dove to double sales of theirFirming Lotion within a month of the campaign starting. Salesexceeded forecast by 110% in Western Europe and in the UK salesrose from 230,0fl0 bottles in 2003 to 2.3 million bottles in the firsthalf of 2flfl4. It also increased its volume share by 8fl% and its valueshare by l3.5% across its six biggest European markets. Encouraged by their success in Europe, a global campaign was