Examining the Enduring Success of Dove and Nivea

Two brands that have consistently delivered growth by attracting more and more people to buy them every year are Dove and Nivea – two of only four brands to grow their reach in all eight editions of our annual Brand Footprint publication.

As a part of the business that investigates over time the methods (and the people) that have caused markets, categories, and brands to grow or decline, we tend to concentrate on the effectiveness of trade marketing initiatives – the short term.

However, we wanted to highlight these two brands’ underlying positioning – the vital longer-term view – and how important advertising has been in creating the necessary conditions to develop and execute successful trade initiatives.

In his excellent case study for the 50th Anniversary of the Effies, marketing expert and columnist Mark Ritson makes a strong argument about the success of Dove’s communications. He explains that the “Campaign for Real Beauty” has been successful due to its perfect balance between long- and short-term investment and its emotional and rational appeal.

We have examined how the “Real Beauty” campaign goes beyond a marketing strapline. It has fundamentally changed the positioning of the Dove brand.

How Dove has created more purchase occasions

Dove has transformed itself from a moisturising soap bar to a fully formed beauty brand that can cover a whole range of personal care needs, in just two decades. This change is evident in the UK, where over 150 different Dove products, across 10 different toiletry categories, are bought every four weeks.

The strategy is to give buyers additional options across traditional category lines. Dove can say to shoppers: “If you don’t like our bar soap, how about our body lotion, shampoo or deodorant?”. There will even be a small number of buyers who buy Dove in every format. But pursuing these shoppers isn’t a wise move. The ‘halo’ brand advantage of these Dove-only shoppers is minimal, compared to simply competing across significantly more personal care occasions.

And for those brands who want to win more occasions, consider this. Dove is now competing in 60% of all personal care buying occasions every day. If it had remained as just a soap bar brand, it would be in only 5%.

This brand repositioning hasn’t happened overnight – the “Real Beauty” campaign started in 2004. There is little doubt that without it, Dove’s consistent penetration growth across the world – it is now sold in 80 countries – would have been much less likely.

The brand’s future growth poses interesting questions. Will it continue and stretch into more personal care occasions? Or will it try to compete more effectively in particular areas? Dove’s launch of a men’s range has different positioning. Could a specific “Real Beauty” push for men be a way forward?

Dove and Nivea show similarities despite differing strategies

It is interesting to compare Dove with Nivea, another beauty brand that is not only seen in the skincare aisle but also in sun cream, deodorants, and shower gels. It also has a strong men’s range that competes across many male categories like shaving foam which continues the brand’s long positioning of caring for your skin. It is interesting to compare size and reach by showing the penetration and frequency of Dove and Nivea by country.