Strengths
- Established in 1957, Dove was found to be milder than 17 leading bars of soap.
- Unilever is one of the largest consumer product companies in the world.
- The Dove product is a pioneer of its type of product.
- Unilever has devoted a big advertising budget to rebrand the Dove line and its product image.
- The first phase of the relaunch of the brand has proven successful.
- Unilever has quality products and is well positioned.
- Dove was the first company to redefine the image of beauty; this gives them the competitive advantage.
- They are now seen as an industry expert with top-quality brands.
- The creation of the Self-Esteem fund was established and other Not for Profit groups have flourished and women and girls are feeling better about themselves.
Weaknesses
- Similar product qualities as competitor’s products.
- Because Dove was the first to redefine beauty, all eyes are on them as a new industry leader.
- Highly competitive pricing; therefore, leads to small profit margins
Opportunities
- Redefining Beauty allowed the Dove campaign to distinguish themselves as a quality product and socially responsible company. The new image of what women perceive beauty to be is an opportunity for Dove to develop a strong ethical position and realign ethical and social strategies with their products.
- Since the campaign, sales have continued to rise, but high product saturation suggests that the industry is in its maturity stage.
- Technology has allowed the Dove Campaign to reach women internationally. Free Media coverage by means of journalists, TV shows (Oprah), high profiled debates, and open forums have given Dove free press on their products and their public image.
Threats
- Highly competitive environment. The relaunch campaign could fizzle away and competitors could imitate Dunleavy’s campaign.
- Since there is a lot of free media coverage, Dove is unable to control this coverage and some negative publicity could be reflected on them.