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Dove is an outstanding case study in brand extension. For decades, it was seen as little more than a cleansing product. But in the mid-80s, Dove launched its moisturising body-wash that, backed by positive clinical studies and a communications campaign featuring consumer testimonials, saw sales take off. The brand has been extending its product range ever since. During the last three years, product diversification and geographical expansion has seen Dove grow at an annual rate of nearly 30%. Now Dove is a truly global brand with a presence in more than 80 countries and huge marketing investments[2].

As far as its mission is concerned, Unilever defines it as ‘’Meeting the everyday needs of people everywhere’’. Dove, as one of the strongest brands is no exception. Its presence in the Skin, Body, Deodorant and Hair category is a strong support to this mission. Lately, Dove extended into the Firming market. Does this new extension fit with Dove as a master brand?

Dove has a strong feminine appeal that created an image of a brand that understands female body care and is perceived to respond realistically. The earlier extensions have strongly leveraged the functional promise of active moisturization and skin caring. The master brand is adding strong value by adding credible associations and contributing to the value proposition. Not only Dove as a master brand adds credibility to the extensions, but the extensions themselves seem as a self-evident move from the brand in the eye of the consumer.

However, and for a long time, Dove has mostly leveraged its functional platform to connect with its female customers. It seems to have neglected the female sensuality – the very expression of real feminity in a social context. Thus Dove needed to leverage its positioning from a functional based benefit to an emotional based benefit, i.e.: moving along the brand pyramid from bottom to top. Although, in my point of view, Dove clearly owns a more feminine image than Nivéa, it needs to create more opportunities for consumers to identify with the Dove woman through adding an element of ‘realness’. The brand can then further stretch into new categories with legitimacy and credibility.

Dove has been very successful in establishing strong values through its previous extensions. However, Unilever may have recognised that in order to sustain the growth of the brand and move further in the extension roadmap, Dove needed to move up the pyramid. Its positioning needed to move from a functional to a more beauty, hence emotional platform. Dove needed to move beyond moisturization and to occupy a place in the beauty arena. 

Dove found this opportunity with the launch of the firming range. The market was satured with ''unobtainable promises'' and occupied by high premium brands, more synonym of glamour and models than real women and real beauty. Dove is not the first brand to offer firming products, but with a strong master brand to build on and a trustworthy message, it has made a position of being a trusted brand which is difficult for competitors to match. When competing in a market with many substitutes it is critical to place the product on the top of the pyramid.

Indeed, Firming cream is seen and associated with luxury type products and are priced very expensively. Moreover, the market is saturated by unobtainable promises were glamour and models are the norm. For example, L’Oréal owns the model territory and a newcomer need to find its own distinctive territory. Dove had to challenge this beauty myth and to be an alternative to the luxury creams that the expensive department stores offered  [3]From the ad campaign, the Dove woman is depicted as someone who aspires to realistic beauty. She has confidence in herself without being self-critical. The original firming market is prestigious and targeting slightly old mature wealthy woman. So, maybe Dove wanted to bring the idea of firm skin to every woman and makes the product an ‘’everyday luxury’’.