Note to Dove, no one notices packaging until it goes wrong - just ask Tropicana.

That's not entirely true of course.  Graphic designers notice.  But for the rest of us, packaging changes come and go and are rarely acknowledged.

Unfortunately mistakes transcend complacency.  When Tropicana changed their packaging in 2009, sales dropped 20% in less than two months.  (Zmuda, 2017)

Of course their situation was a bit worse since their packaging change meant that I could no longer recognize my favorite product on the store shelf.

But do I really need to be reminded of my figure flaws every time I moisturize?  That doesn't sound very empowering to me.  And for a brand that prides itself on appealing to real women?  What were you thinking?   

The consumer insight for this brand was that only 2% of women think they're beautiful.  Based on this Dove said they wanted to expand the definition of beautiful.  How does this move accomplish that?  Seems like a clear case of body shaming to me.

At least it's a limited edition, in the UK.  But that didn't stop Twitter from weighing in.

You can see the tweets here...

https://www.fastcompany.com/40419119/dove-matches-its-new-body-wash-bottles-to-your-body-type  

Now we'll let the market decide.  I can't wait to see what happens.

Zmuda, N. (2009, April 2)  Tropicana Line's Sales Plunge 20% Post-Rebranding.  adage.com.  retrieved April 3, 2009, from

http://adage.com/article/news/tropicana-line-s-sales-plunge-20-post-rebranding/135735/

Beer, J. (2017, May 8)  Dove Matches Its New Body Wash Bottles To Your Body Type - UPDATE - And People Hate it.  fastcompany.com.  retrieved May 12, 2017, from

https://www.fastcompany.com/40419119/dove-matches-its-new-body-wash-bottles-to-your-body-type  

Metro Sexuals vs. Machos; Part II

For your reference, here are links to the commercials discussed in the previous post.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuexzKkMIDc&feature=pyv

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owGykVbfgUE

Enjoy!
Prof. Lehrer

Real Beauty for Men?

2/3/10

Can a brand that has made a strong connection with women do the same with men? Dove is about to find out.

In 2006, Dove kicked off its award-winning “Real Beauty” campaign, targeting women, to great fanfare, with a 45-second spot on the Super Bowl. The much talked about spot, and the even stronger viral effort that followed, led to several years of double digit sales increases until momentum slowed. (Fawcett, 2007)

Stand by for the new “Dove Men+Care” line making its debut with a similar 45-second spot aimed at men in this Sunday’s Super Bowl. (Corr, 2010). Will men want to buy body and face washes that offer cleansing and moisturizing? The success of Axe body washes suggests they will. So, the big question is how will Dove make that all important emotional connection with their new target? Tune in Sunday, and find out.

Fawcett, A. (2007, January 2). Consumer Packaged Goods Marketer of the Year: Unilever’s Dove. Mediapost.com. Retrived January 3, 2007, from
http://publications.mediapost.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=Articles.san&s=53208&Nid=2616...
Corr, A. (2010, February 2). Out To Launch. Mediapost.com. Retrived February 3, 2010, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=121750&passFuseAction=PublicationsSearch.showSearchReslts&art_searched=dove&page_number=0

Would you buy Dove Chocolate from Martha Stewart?

11/5/09

We’ve discussed the fact that one of the problems with using celebrities in advertising is that they often lack believability. And sometimes they’re actually silly enough to get caught using a competitive product. After his brief flirtation with Microsoft, Seinfeld is now back to using Macs. Did he ever believe in PCs? Or was he just paid well to pretend that he did? (Tang, 2009).

Ms. Stewart’s association with Dove runs far deeper. Special-edition bags of “Promises” chocolate will carry 200 different holiday tips from Martha, in a “fortune cookie” like format. During the show she’ll discuss Dove’s commitment to cocoa sustainability and holiday craft segments will include the candies.

Perhaps the entire campaign would be more believable if it hadn’t be announced last week that she will also be partnering with Hain to launch Stewart-branded poultry, baked goods and pastas. Is she becoming the next Kate Moss? What do the Martha fans think? Will her endorsement be persuasive? Or is she officially over-exposed? (Lukovitz, 2009).



Tang, S. (2009, October 29). Seinfeld Back With the Mac in Latest Curb Episode. tuaw.com. Retrived November 4, 2009, from
http://www.tuaw.com/2009/10/29/seinfeld-back-with-the-mac-in-latest-curb-episode/

Lukovitz, K. (2009, October 30). Martha Stewart Promos Mars’ Dove Chocolate. mediapost.com. Retrived November 4, 2009, from
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=116363