1.

Introduction

1.1 Background of Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer products
brands in food, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. The branch of Unilever in
Bangladesh is named Unilever Bangladesh Limited. Unilevers main international competitors include
Nestle and Procter & Gamble. They also face competition in local markets or product.

Company Milestone
19th century Although Unilever wasn't formed until 1930; the companies that joined forces to create
the business we know today were already well established before the start of the 20th century. 1900s
Unilever's founding companies produced products made of oils and fats, principally soap and margarine.
At the beginning of the 20th century their expansion nearly outstrips the supply of raw materials. 1910s
Tough economic conditions and the First World War make trading difficult for everyone, so many
businesses form trade associations to protect their shared interests. 1920s with businesses expanding
fast, companies set up negotiations intending to stop others producing the same types of products. But
instead they agree to merge and so Unilever is created. 1930s Unilevers first decade is no easy ride: it
starts with the Great Depression and ends with the Second World War. But while the business
rationalizes operations, it also continues to diversify. 1940s Unilever's operations around the world
begin to fragment, but the business continues to expand further into the foods market and increase
investment in research and development. 1950s Business booms as new technology and the European
Economic Community lead to rising standards of living in the West, while new markets open up in
emerging economies around the globe. 1960s as the world economy expands, so does Unilever and it
sets about developing new products, entering new markets and running a highly ambitious acquisition
program. 1970s Hard economic conditions and high inflation make the 70s a tough time for everyone,
but things are particularly difficult in the fast-moving consumer goods sector as the big retailers start to
flex their muscles. 1980s Unilever is now one of the world's biggest companies, but takes the decision to
focus its portfolio, and rationalize its businesses to focus on core products and brands. 990s the business
expands into Central and Eastern Europe and further sharpens sits focus on fewer product categories,
leading to the sale or withdrawal of two-thirds of its brands. The 21st century the decade starts with the
launch of Path to Growth, a five-year strategic plan, and in 2004 further sharpens its focus on the needs
of 21st century consumers with its Vitality mission. In 2009, Unilever announces its new corporate vision
working to create a better future every day with brands that help people look good, feel good and get
more out of life.

1.2 Background of dove:
Dove is a hair care brand, primarily aimed at women, produced by the Unilever group, which is now
considered the world's leading company in hair conditioning and the second largest in shampoo. Dove is
Unilevers leading hair care brand, and ranks as one of the Anglo-Dutch conglomerate's billion dollar
brands". Dove shampoos, conditioners and other hair care products are sold in 69 countries world wide.
Dove is sold under a variety of different names in markets around the world including Elidor, Seda and
Sedal. The brand is strongest in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East and is the number one hair care
brand in Bangladesh, India, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Timeline
1964 launch of Dove hair spray. 1968 Dove shampoo re-packaged in PVC bottles 1971 launch of Dove
conditioner. 1975 Dove became the biggest name in hair care. 2003 Dove glossy magazine launched in
Argentina. 2008 social networking site Gang of Girls was introduced in India. 2009 launched seven
different Dove co-creation by seven hair experts. 1954 Dove first launched in the UK 1955 first
advertisement of Dove appeared on TV.





1.3 Origin of report
Here, we have analyzed segmenting, targeting and positioning of a shampoo along with the reasons
behind its success. Our course instructor Miss. Husne Ara assigned us to make a standard report on the
strength and weakness of the firm and product and as well the value delivery chain. For that, he told us
to choose any existing product from the market. And we selected Dove a sub-brand of Unilever. Then
our instructor told us to complete the report and submit it on 7th August, 2011.

1.4 Scope of study
The books say a lot about segmenting, targeting and positioning. But the real life scenario is quite
different from what is written in the book. Our basic purpose was to relate the real life scenario and the
book. Through out the study and making of this term paper we have come across various situations and
conditions of business which was very much different from what we learn in the classroom. For the
study we did not only survey by ourselves but also interviewed the Marketing Manager of Unilever
Bangladesh Ltd.

2. Objective and methodology
2.1 Objective of the study
To know about Dove.
To know about the difficulties faced by Dove.
To know about the growth strategies used by Dove.
To know about various promotional strategies of Dove.
To know about the 4 Ps of Dove.
To analyze the strength and weakness of their product.






2.2 Methodology:
2.2.1 Research method
It is said that Dove is one of the largest selling shampoos in Asia, Latin America and Middle East. Our
purpose is to prove that this fact is right about Dove and verify its strength and weakness. In order to
reach in our destination or to complete the report with proper and relevant information we collected
data from several sources. We collected data from both primary and secondary sections.

2.2.2 Primary source:
The primary source was the survey that we planned by preparing questionnaire to analyze the view
point of the consumers. The questionnaire was based upon Dove the brand name and also the
product shampoo. Samples of the questionnaire are given in appendix. We selected hundred random
people of different age groups and professions and asked them to fill up the survey form. After
collecting all information we thoroughly went through each answer and analyzed the percentage. As the
primary source we as well interviewed the marketing manager of Unilever. We as well analyzed the
information he gave verbally about their product.

2.2.3 Secondary source
The secondary source is the documents shown by the company Unilever on Dove and the generalized
report on Unilever. We as well browsed internet to collect relevant information.

2.2.4 Limitations of the study
We faced lots of problem to complete this term paper. Collecting information from corporate level is
very much tough, not only that we spent most of our time to prepare this term paper so that, it looks
better and also error free. The employees of the company were not very friendly to give their corporate
information showing the reason of security and privacy. The information given was insufficient for
marketing undergraduate students. Some of their information really puzzled us. Yet we hope and
believe that we have succeeded in making standard term paper.

3. Strength &weakness
3.1 Strength &weakness of Unilever
3.1.1 Strength of Unilever
Familiarity of Unilever products is really high. Sometimes consumers dont know it is Unilever, yet it is
known as its sub brand or the brand category. This way the product familiarity is high and many people
in the world uses at least one product of them daily. Unilever is a globally and locally known strong
brand. It has a long history and hence they gain consumers trust and reputation along the way. They are
one of the trusted names in nutrition, hygiene and personal care products across 150 countries. Their
products are now part of our daily life necessities in home. Thus, with their reputations, they have
gained household awareness status. They are able to shelf their products in big retail players. Big
retailers like Giant, Tesco and Carrefour, they have retail stores nationwide, and this hence makes
Unilever products easily accessible. The Company has more than 400 brands which operate under two
main divisions, Food and Home & personal care. Each division has separate strengths. Unilever posses
40-45% of market share over its operating countries by 2004(compared to P&G). This makes it is one of
the leaders in the industry. Only P&G is the possible competitor to the Unilever. Thus the market share
of Unilever considered being one of its main strengths.

3.1.2 Weakness of Unilever:
Regardless of their brand strength, Unilever products still has their own weaknesses. Although company
performance was good, there were some products which were not doing that well in the market which
were expected to perform fine. Even though the set target was 10%, some of leading products only
could attain 4-5%. Even though Unilever has 1600 brands, only core (400) brands gain 90% of sales. Thus
the advertising and other expenditure is wasted on other 1200 products whereas the return was only
10% of total income.
3.2 Strength &weakness of Dove
Even the best selling brands of all time has its own strengths and weaknesses. Every strength reflects the
products success and every weakness reflects where the product can improve. Therefore without
anyone of these the product is in complete. Like every other successful product Dove has its own
strength and weaknesses, for which it is Dove.

3.2.1 Strength of Dove
The New Dove Shampoo is a high quality product in terms of hair protection.
The target market is educated, professionals and belongs to upper middle, middle and lower class.
Company totally owned, systematic distribution network, transparent communication system.
Participative management style.
Very good distribution network all over Bangladesh, in all major and small cities.

Mind share
To buy a shampoo rational consumers firstly think about Dove due to the benefits offered and the price
of each sachet or bottel.This analysis was done by the survey questions. There were several
questionscomparing Dove with other brands to analyze the position of Dove in the targetcustomers
mind. The survey results show that 65% of the customers think of Dove. During the survey Dove was not
only compared to its competitors butalso other brand of shampoos offered by Unilever. Therefore it
shows that Dove occupied more space in the minds of the customers than any other product.

Mind Share of Dove:
Sunsiulk H&S Panteen Dove All clear others.




Market Share
Dove as a market competitor, they are steadily gaining marketshare. At present market situation, they
capture 34% of total market share.



This analysis was found by questioning the marketing manager of Unilever. From2004 till date Dove has
shown a rapid growth in market share, not only compared to its competitors but also other brands
offered by Unilever. The benefits offered by this product captured the customer minds faster than any
other product available in the market.


Market Share
65%14%7%7%5%2%
DovePanteenH&SDoveAll clear Others


3.2.2 Weakness of Dove
Competitor has more strong promotional activities.
Customers are offered better alternatives by the competition.
Targets are mostly female customers. They overlook the large potential market segment i.e. male
customers. Their competitors excel by providing benefits for both genders.

3.3 Strength and Weakness of Shampoo
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3.3.1 Strength of shampoo

Shampoo makes our hair clean, silky and shiny.

It helps to make our hair manageable.

Removal of oils, dirt, skin particles.

Some shampoo contains vitamin E which is really good for our hair and itincreases our hair growth.

Removesdandruff , environmental pollutants and other contaminant particlesthat gradually build up in
hair.

Pleasing foam, fragrance and easy rinsing.

Hair feels thick and strong.

Low toxicity.

Goodbiodegradability.
3.3.2 Weakness of shampoo

Too much use of shampoo makes our hair rough.

Some shampoo contains chemicals which are harmful for hair and scalp and italso increase hair falling
problem.

Frequent use of shampoo spoils the color of hair.

Shampoo is harmful for eye.

The greasy feeling of the scalp after a day or two of not shampooing.

Using shampoo every day removes sebum, the oil produced by the scalp. Thiscauses the sebaceous
glands to produce oil at a higher rate.
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3.3.1 Strength of shampoo

Shampoo makes our hair clean, silky and shiny.

It helps to make our hair manageable.

Removal of oils, dirt, skin particles.

Some shampoo contains vitamin E which is really good for our hair and itincreases our hair growth.

Removesdandruff , environmental pollutants and other contaminant particlesthat gradually build up in
hair.

Pleasing foam, fragrance and easy rinsing.

Hair feels thick and strong.

Low toxicity.

Goodbiodegradability.
3.3.2 Weakness of shampoo

Too much use of shampoo makes our hair rough.

Some shampoo contains chemicals which are harmful for hair and scalp and italso increase hair falling
problem.

Frequent use of shampoo spoils the color of hair.

Shampoo is harmful for eye.

The greasy feeling of the scalp after a day or two of not shampooing.

Using shampoo every day removes sebum, the oil produced by the scalp. Thiscauses the sebaceous
glands to produce oil at a higher rate.
12
Income:
Income segmentation has long been used in personal care products. They markettheir product as sachet
and different sizes of bottle, so that different level of consumers can afford it.
4.1.2 Geographic segmentation
In geographic segmentation Dove is distributed among 150 countries.
4.1.3 Psychographic segmentation
In psychological segmentation Unilever segments Dove with social class as this product will target
middle class, upper middles and lower class.
4.2 Target market of Dove
:
The main target market of Dove is females between the ages group 16-40 belonging to the lower and
middle income classes. But in their promotionalactivities, they cover the whole market irrespective of
these classes.Dove target its market on the basis of consumer buying behavior, income level,and
purchasing power of people. For which quantity of the product can be changedaccording to the income
and purchasing power of the consumers as in case of Dove 120ml and 5ml packs are also available to
target low income groups.
4.3 The positioning strategy
:
14
Points of Parity (POP)
:
Points of parity are associations that are not necessarily unique to the brand but mayin fact be shared
with other brands. For an offering to achieve a point of parity on a particular attribute or benefit, a
sufficient number of customers must believe the brand is good enough on that dimension. Like others
DOVE consists of suchPOPs:

Dream soft and smooth

Stunning Black shine

Lusciously Thick and Long

Antidandruff solution

Hair fall solution
4.3.2 Points of Difference (POD)
:
Points of difference are attributes or benefits consumers strongly associate with a brand, positively
evaluate, and believe they could not find to the same extent with acompetitive brand. With point of
difference, the brand must demonstrate clear superiority. For instance: Apple (design), Volvo (safety),
Energizer is the largestlasting battery.We found that PODs for Dove is Co-creation formula created by
experts. Theycame with

this idea to grab the market and to be superior in the market. From 2009Dove started working with a
number of professional hair "experts" to develop newand improved products. Each hair issue" links to
an "expert with the relevantspecialist hair knowledge. For example, Dr Francesca Fusco, a New York
dermatologist, co-created a hair fall variant forth brand. The lineup also includes:
15
4.4 Defining the marketing Mix:
It is the set of controllable tactical marketing tools of the company-
product, place,price, promotion.
The marketing mix consist of everything the company caninfluence the demand for its product.
4.4.1 Product

Black Shine: Enriched

with Amla energizer for black hair that lacks luster.With its new pearlier texture and the goodness of
Amla, Dove Black Shinenourishes from deep within to reveal blacker, shiner, silkier hair.

17
Hair Fall Solution: Enriched with Ginseng and Soya energizer for hair that breaks easily. It works on the
weak spot of your hair, so with the hair strandreinforced, your hair grows beautifully long even before
you know it.

Soft and Smooth: Enriched with egg and almond oil energizer for hair thatfeels rough and dry. It
nourishes deep within the hair strands, smoothens outthose tangles and brings out the softness you can
really feel.

Anti Dandruff: Enriched with citrus cream and ZPTO energizer that drivesout dandruff and restores the
natural beauty of hair.

Damage Repair: Enriched with olive oil energizer, Dove Damage Repair repairs damaged hair to give hair
that looks healthy and nourished
18





4.4.2 PRICE
UNILEVER claims to practice value based pricing in which the customers perception of the products
price provides a starting point for developing themarketing mix of the product. The research
department determines this price usually by using focus groups. The price of BDT 2 for Dove shampoo
sachets shows howthe price also reflects a concern to make the purchase more convenient, since
thetaka is denoted in this value.Dove is also available in 200ml bottles for BDT 220 and 400ml bottles for
BDT480 keeping in mind the demand and wants of customer segment.The primary importance of this
value-based pricing is that the product demand will be much higher if its price is in line with the
customers perception of its value. Onecrucial concern for value-based pricing is strict management of
cost in order to beable to make a profit at the value-based price. After determining the initial
price,UNILEVER uses target costing in order to achieve the required profits.


4.4.3 PROMOTION

Build top of the line consumers awareness.
Creating a personality of the brand. Besides having these general objectives, the advertising objectives
are set avoiding to the advertising strategy for each product, e.g. Dove advertising objectives since it
was being re-launched were:
To increase the usage.
Conditioning benefits.
Makes the hair appear clean and shiny
Imparts a feeling of freshness-due to fragrance.
Easy to manage, silky, soft hair
Unique shampoo for every hair type.
Effectively communicate brand promise.


Promotional strategy

Sponsored short films that were broadcast during popular television shows.
Media platforms used print media
Internet rural campaign environment concern ads
Music videos
Free sample distribution
Demo campaigning
Billboard
Sponsorships

Place

Dove uses several channel, coverage, assortment, locations and transportationsystem to make the
product available in the market to target consumer. They are oneof the largest company which reached
the rural areas of Bangladesh and occupied place in customers mind. It can be said that Dove occupies
the largest marketspace among all other companies.The distribution channel of Dove follows the
conventional route of marketing.The product is distributed in150 countries. In Bangladesh Dove first
introducedthe sachets and reached the largest market share.


5.1 Conclusion

The shampoo industry of Bangladesh consists of a few producers. The demand for this product is very
much vulnerable in terms of pricing. Unilever Bangladesh is providing Dove at a price which is affordable
to most of the people in the country.Shampoo is an uprising product in Bangladesh as a greater portion
of the population, as female, are now getting more hair conscious. As a multinationalcompany Unilever
Bangladesh with heavy promotional activities, has been able to penetrate the market.With many
different varieties, three different package, international standard andhigh quality design, as a product,
Dove has been highly successful over the years.Its distribution process is highly efficient. Its promotional
activities, like the beautycontest has been a milestone in attracting a huge number of customers. Overall
withits marketing activities Dove has been a successful brand.The only place where rival companies are
progressing is in giving customersredemption offers. Research revealed that Bangladeshi customers are
highlyattracted to this sort of offers. These offers are not sustainable in the long run butstill it takes
away a considerable part of Dove sale in the short run.
5.2 Recommendation

The team would suggest some recommendations to Unilever Bangladesh Ltd. To adopt more successful
operation in Bangladesh.

1. The Dove is a global company and each country has own culture. Therefore Dove should incur
promotional activities according to theculture of Bangladesh, for Bangladeshi people.
2. Dove can arise and ensure social responsibility in the society, so theywould establish themselves in
customer mind and customer would be loyalabout Dove. Dove must focus on social responsibility, to
maintain imageamong customers, mainly advertisement covers huge expenses of Dove, but we
recommend them to cut their advertisement expenditures, in theeconomic crisis and should more focus
on corporate social responsibility(CSR).
8%35%85%0%20%40%60%80%100%Sales Promotion CSR
Figure: Sales revenue and social responsibility
3. Even though Dove has varieties of shampoo yet among those only 5 areavailable in Bangladesh.
Unilever should introduce new varieties in order toincrease revenue.
4. Dove is well known for its shampoo & the company promotes the brand interms of the shampoo. The
brand has other products such as conditioner. The other products under dove should be equally
promoted in order to occupylarger place in its consumers mind.
5. The brand Dove is called to be a feminine brand & it has no variety for men. Dove should introduce a
new variety for men. By this it can captureanother huge segment of the market and increase revenue.







Reference
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34994170/Dove-Its-Branding-Strategies
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