Dove Brand Book

This is Dove.

Why we created this book.

TO DEFINE

TO A L LOW

what Dove is, what it isn’t,

us to speak with one voice.

what we want it to be. TO H E L P TO INFORM

us sustain the level of growth

everything created

Dove has enjoyed in recent years.

in the name of Dove. TO I N S P I R E TO P R OV I D E

us to produce work that makes

a vision to guide us as we take

our consumers take notice,

Dove into new categories.

that makes our competitors jealous, and that makes us proud.

This is Dove.

H OW D OV E C A M E TO B E

07

T H E TA R G E T

13

THE INSIGHT

25

THE PROMISE

29

T H E D O V E W AY

35

VA L U E S & P E RS O N A L IT Y

39

VO I C E

69

B E AUT Y T H E O RY

75

T H E D I S C R I M I N AT O R

10 5

THE ESSENCE

10 9

I N C LO S I N G

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1 9 9 9 , D OV E B A R , U. S .

6

How Dove came to be.

1 9 9 9 , D OV E B A R , J A PA N

How Dove came to be.

I N 1 9 5 7, T H E D O V E B E A U T Y B A R W A S I N T R O D U C E D I N T H E U N I T E D S TAT E S . I T P R O M I S E D W O M E N T H AT I T W O U L D N ’ T D R Y T H E I R S K I N T H E W AY S O A P D I D . W O M E N T R I E D I T . A N D I T D I D N ’ T. T H U S B E G A N A V E R Y T R U S T I N G R E L AT I O N S H I P B E T W E E N T H E B R A N D A N D I T S U S E R S .

I N 1969,

Testimonials from real women were used for

I N 1981,

Dove’s first direct marketing effort, which

the first time to advertise Dove. With each decade,

included an at-home Litmus test, was mailed to

more women heard Dove’s promise, more women

U.S.

consumers.

tried it, and more women were converted. Its creamy pouring shot became a Dove brand property.

I N 19 8 8 ,

a charismatic and memorable ( and anything

but stereotypical ) “beauty” named Jean Shy joyfully an independent clinical study proved the

shared her discovery of Dove’s benefits with televi-

Dove bar milder than seventeen leading bar soaps.

sion viewers, and Dove’s “Conviction of Users” testi-

Dermatologists recommended it. Newspaper articles

monial campaign was born. Dove bar achieved its first

featured it. Friends told friends about it. A year later,

double-digit share in the

I N 1979,

Dove started its formal medical program in the

U.S.

U.S.

Dove was launched in Italy using the

Dove took its first significant step outside

I N 1995,

D O V E E X I S T S T O D AY

19 9 9 , D OV E L A U N C H , J A PA N

1 9 9 7, D OV E D E O D O R A N T, I TA LY

19 9 1, L I T M U S T E S T, C A N A DA

19 8 9 , D OV E B A R , I TA LY

19 8 8 , J E A N S H Y, U. S .

19 8 0 S , D OV E B A R , U. S .

19 5 0 S , D OV E B A R , U. S .

19 5 7, D OV E B A R , U. S .

I N 198 9 ,

in over 80 countries and is one

the cleansing bar category in the U.S. with the launch

of Unilever’s fastest-growing brands. Dove is a brand

as the medical program. Test markets in France and

of Moisturizing Body Wash. Around the world, addi-

built on a simple and enduring principle: make the

Germany followed in 1990.

tional categories swiftly followed: deodorants in 1997 and body lotions in 1998.

I N 1991,

Dove began its global rollout. A new adver-

tising idea developed in Canada —“Litmus Test”—

IN 1999,

added a powerful weapon to Dove’s communication

And in 2000, the Dove Hair Care launch took place in

arsenal: the use of objective proof.

Taiwan, followed by an aggressive rollout during 2001

Dove was successfully launched in Japan.

and 2002.

2 0 0 0 , D OV E H A I R , TA I W A N

“Conviction of Users” testimonial campaign, as well

consumer a real promise, and keep it. Consistently.

12

The Target.

15

the target

“ O N E I S N OT B O R N A WO M A N ; O N E B E C O M E S O N E .”

— Simone de Beauvoir

16

SAFFRON

17

the target

“I’m very happy with the way I am. I certainly don’t go around thinking, ‘Oh my God, does my bum look big in this.’ ”

There is a point when a woman discovers who she is. When she stops the frantic search and accepts herself, imperfections and all. When she is guided by what feels right to her, not by what feels right to others. This understanding comes to some women at 20, to others at 50, to some, never. Our target is more mature, more accepting of herself. That ’s not to say she’s perfect, or without her share of insecurities. It just means she is more centered.

18

F E R N A N DA

19

the target

“ When you have an active life, when you’re fine with your family, you get more open to meeting people. I think you get more beautiful.”

The “center of gravity ” of her self-esteem lies more in how she feels than in how she looks. It has more to do with how competent she feels in dealing with life ( be it work, play, relationships, or parenting ) and with how good she feels about herself. She will be flattered by a compliment about her looks, but she may not notice if she does not get one for a few days. She is unlikely to check her lipstick several times in a day.

21

the target

The fact that how she feels is paramount to our target doesn’t mean she’s given up on how she looks. She’s keenly interested in beauty. But she won’t use it as a tool, nor need it as a crutch. Is she willing to transform herself in the name of beauty ? Yes. Just not into someone other than herself. Is she willing to spend DA N I E L A

“ I’d do things for beauty but I wouldn’t go to an extreme, you know?”

enormous amounts of time or money, or to withstand pain for the sake of beauty? No. Hers is a beauty quest with limits.

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23

the target

She can discern hype from quality, and will happily pay a premium for the latter. She is in that group of women who could be called “beauty pragmatists.” To her, the cost of a beauty product isn’t the main issue. What she is interested in is whether it is going to work.

“ I’d rather have fewer quality items than a whole wardrobe full of cheap T-shirts.”

JULIA

24

The Insight

27

the insight

T H E W O R L D I S E X P L O D I N G W I T H T E C H N O L O G Y,

fake ingredients, pseudo solutions, and virtual everything.

Credible authorities are harder and harder to find, in any culture. There is decreasing opportunity for real human contact, for real answers, for the joy of real sensation. As a result, consumers are increasingly attracted to the authentic, the “un-hyped,” to people, institutions and brands that represent the real deal.

D OV E ’S G U I D I N G I N S I G H T I S : T H E Y E A R N I N G F O R T H E R E A L

Dove can answer this yearning. Without any redefining, without any stretching. Dove is firmly rooted in reality. From its earliest beginnings as a cleansing bar, Dove delivered real benefits, real satisfactions, both functionally and emotionally.

28

The Promise

31

the promise

FUNCTIONAL PROMISE

Dove will constantly elevate and therefore redefine the standard of care in every category it enters. Dove promises its consumer that it will make no product that does not genuinely improve the condition and feel of her skin / hair. W H AT A D O V E P R O D U C T

WILL DO:

_It will work. It will be highly efficacious. _It will be perceivably superior. _It will make a genuine, noticeable difference in the skin / hair feel. _It will have “endorsable” mildness. _It will look and feel good. The product and package will be beautifully tactile, and will reward the senses.

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33

the promise

E M OT I O N A L P RO M I S E

Dove gives a woman a highly personal, unexaggerated, uplifting little feeling about her own beauty. And because it is a private and small feeling, it is actually bigger and more meaningful to her.

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The Dove Way

37

the dove way

There is a distinctive Dove Way, and it informs and guides everything to do with the brand. It encompasses: Dove’s values and personality, Dove’s voice and Dove’s point of view on beauty. I T I S W H AT M A K E S T H I S B R A N D W H AT I T I S .

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the dove way

T H E D O V E W AY

Values & Personality

“ P E R S O N A L I T Y I S A N U N B R O K E N S E R I E S O F S U C C E S S F U L G E S T U R E S .”

— T he Great Gatsby

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41

the dove way values

&

personality

Dove is Real. Dove is a Keeper of Promises. Dove is Beautifully Uncomplicated. Dove is Optimistic. Dove is Timeless.

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the dove way values

&

personality

Dove is Real. D OV E S E E K S R E A L M E A N I N G . R E A L R E L E VA N C E .

D OV E I S F I R M LY C O N N E C T E D T O T H E R E A L W O R L D .

Dove won’t make a product unless it understands its deeper

Dove is “alive”, aware of the issues facing its consumers. And it

meaning and relevance in a consumer’s life. Dove will be better

will often share a point of view about them. Dove draws its cre-

than its competitors at uncovering true insights. Dove’s product

ative inspiration from lived experiences and emotions. It will never

and advertising concepts will hold meaningful promises. Its cre-

use “ad-land”speech. Because it believes that language drawn

ative briefs will offer the clearest direction to creative teams.

from reality will always hold more meaning. N.B.

Dove’s Real is never ugly or depressing. Nor passive or boring. Real is not a value to be talked about, it is a value to be demonstrated. It is much more than a look or feel.

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45

the dove way values

&

personality

Dove is a Keeper of Promises. D OV E ’ S P R O M I S E S A R E TA N G I B L E , P E R C E I VA B L E A N D P R OVA B L E .

Dove’s performance drives an enduring relationship with its users. Unlike what she does with most brands, the Dove consumer feels little, if any, need to “discount” the promises made by Dove to a level she is prepared to believe in. There is a perception that “if Dove says it, it must be true.” This should be nurtured and protected.

47

the dove way values

&

personality

Dove is Beautifully Uncomplicated.

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the dove way values

&

personality beautifully uncomplicated

D O V E I S C O N F I D E N T E N O U G H T O B E U N C L U T T E R E D.

Self-assured enough to be uncomplicated. It is clean. Pure. Elegantly simple. Its simplicity doesn’t translate to cold, basic or boring. Rather, there’s a modernity to it. A stunningly simple beauty. A look and feel that lacks embellishment, because it simply doesn’t need it.

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51

the dove way values

&

personality beautifully uncomplicated

52

THIS IS.

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s simplicity doesn’t need gratuitous touches. ( TO P ) …And should never feel cold. ( B OT TO M )

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the dove way values

THIS IS.

&

personality beautifully uncomplicated

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s simplicity should never be basic or boring.

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the dove way values

&

personality

Dove is Optimistic.

57

the dove way values

&

personality optimistic

D OV E I S A B E A R E R O F G O O D N E W S .

It sees the potential in its consumer and sets out to make the most of what she has, rather than to fix what she doesn’t. Dove is uplifting, right down to its name. It is a brand name that symbolizes hope, happiness, peace and all things positive. There is nothing contrived or over the top about Dove’s optimism.

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T H I S I S N ’ T.

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the dove way values

&

personality optimistic

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s optimism isn’t the superficial “spring in your step,” “ happy face” kind.

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the dove way values

&

personality

Dove is Timeless.

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the dove way values

&

personality timeless

D O V E I S N O T T H E F L AV O R O F T H E M O N T H . R AT H E R , I T I S I C O N I C. I T I S E N D U R I N G.

Because it is enduring, Dove’s timelessness can be very “hip .” But not trendy, funky, or trying too hard to be modern. Dove is a contemporary classic.

the dove xxxxxxxxx & xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

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the dove way values

THIS IS.

&

personality timeless

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove should never be seen as trying to be trendy, or trying too hard to be modern.

the dove xxxxxxxxx & xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

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the dove xxxxxxxxx way & xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

T H E D O V E W AY

Voice

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71

the dove way voice

Whatever Dove says must ring true. Its voice is clean and clear, pure and uncluttered. It is eye level and unpretentious. Dove speaks only when it has something to say. Its vocabulary contains no mumbo jumbo, no “ad-land” clichés, no hype, no puffery. Dove doesn’t “sell itself” or boast. This in no way means Dove doesn’t indict its competition. This is the brand that was built on indictment. (“Dove doesn’t dry your skin the way soap can.”) But its purpose in using indictment is to let the consumer know what unmet need has now been met, not to point a finger at the competition.

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the dove way voice

Dove is never presumptuous or patronizing. It doesn’t take it

Often, and as much as possible, Dove will embrace the voice of

upon itself to tell consumers that it “knows what they want” or

its users, rather than impose its own. When Dove users speak for

what to think. Dove is never judgmental. And though it’s sincere,

the brand, it is a voice of shared discovery — one woman to

it’s far from overly earnest. Dove has a sense of humor, but it

another— about how Dove has proved itself to her.

doesn’t try to be “funny.” When Dove offers objective evidence, it is just that — objective. Dove speaks to one person at a time, no matter how many peo-

It presents the facts and lets the consumer reach her own con-

ple may be listening. Its voice is personal, intimate. It makes the

clusion. It is never an onslaught of information, rather, an offering.

consumer feel she’s being talked to as an individual.

And as Dove begins to speak in new voices, these should feel fresh and new, but still true to Dove.

the dove xxxxxxxxx & xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

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way the dove xxxxxxxxx & xxxxxxxx: xxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx

T H E D O V E W AY

Beauty Theory

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the dove way beauty theory is

Unlike its competitors, Dove makes it clear that it sees beauty in

Dove doesn’t insult women by depicting them with arrows or

imperfections, and doesn’t worship stereotypes. Dove’s beauty

squiggles drawn across their faces. Although it is natural, Dove’s

is self-defined, beauty with brains, democratic. Dove recognizes

beauty does not look like the cliché of natural beauty, of “fresh

not only the exterior, but also the woman within. There is depth

faces,” or of “wind blowing across the face .”

of character behind the eyes, a strength and vitality of personality showing through.

A N D I N C A S E YO U A R E W O N D E R I N G , D OV E ’ S B E AU TY LO O K S B E AU T I F U L .

CAPTURES A MOMENT

When Dove captures a moment of emotion, it feels unguarded and very personal. It is never faked.

CAPTURES A MOMENT

CAPTURES A MOMENT

CAPTURES A MOMENT

ST Y L E O F P HOTOG R A P H Y

Dove’s beauty should be portrayed with uncluttered photography that does not camouflage the depth of a woman’s beuty.

ST Y L E O F P HOTOG R A P H Y

ST R E N G T H O F C H A R AC T E R

Dove’s beauty captures the strength of character behind the eyes.

ST R E N G T H O F C H A R AC T E R

ST R E N G T H O F C H A R AC T E R

ST R E N G T H O F C H A R AC T E R

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T H I S I S N ’ T.

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the dove way beauty theory is not

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is not the cliché, fresh, natural beauty.

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T H I S I S N ’ T.

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the dove way beauty theory is not

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is natural, but never unattractive.

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T H I S I S N ’ T.

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the dove way beauty theory is not

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is not the seen-everywhere, undistinctive, clean look.

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T H I S I S N ’ T.

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the dove way beauty theory is not

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty should never feel posed.

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T H I S I S N ’ T.

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the dove way beauty theory is not

T H I S I S N ’ T.

Dove’s beauty is not the stereot ypical model beauty.

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The Discriminator

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the discriminator

_In each of its categories, Dove will have an important, meaningful functional discriminator of superior care. This will most often be related to moisturization. _Dove’s value of Real. _Dove’s Beauty Theory.

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The Essence.

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the essence

Beauty Without Artifice This Essence guides us to build Dove into a true beauty care icon, while honoring our unique point of view on beauty, steering away from puffery, cluttered messages and clichés. It guides us to give our consumers beauty promises and products that hold real meaning and performance.

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In closing.

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in closing

“ I F YO U S E A R C H F O R T R UT H , YO U W I L L F I N D B E AUT Y. I F Y O U S E A R C H F O R B E A U T Y, Y O U W I L L F I N D V A N I T Y .”

— Moishe Safvie

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in closing

This book has been developed by the Dove Global Brand Teams (Skin, Hair, Deodorants)—to inspire our efforts to build Dove into a C 4 billion beauty care brand by 2006. It is dedicated to all those whose past efforts have made the brand what it is today, and to those whose future efforts, passion, imagination and perseverance will make this brand even greater.

© 2 0 0 2 L E V E R B R O T H E R S C O M PA N Y