T H E B LU E M A N G RO U P

DOVEMENCARE

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Dove Men+Care (DMC) is a leading brand in the body wash industry. After Dove’s successful introductory campaign, Dove needs a campaign to take it through the growth stage of the product life cycle. In order to develop a successful campaign, The Blue Man Group found that there are two parts to Dove’s advertising problem. The first part is Dove did not reach its full target audience during the last campaign. The second part is Dove is highly associated with its women’s product line and does not have a strong separate voice for its men’s product line. The main goal is to appeal to all of DMC’s target audience and to build a strong voice to distinguish it from Dove’s product line for women. DMC is facing several critical factors that need to be considered. DMC has built a presence in all types of media with consistent advertising, a clear positioning strategy, and strong partnerships with NCAA and famous sports figureheads. Dove is owned by Unilever, which is one the largest household product makers and gives Dove a good start ahead of other products. DMC left out a segment of its target audience, bachelors, during its introductory campaign. DMC has not utilized the media its target audience consistently uses, such as mobile. DMC is facing a large competitive market that is divided into two groups, the first group includes brands that started as female products and then added a new men product line, such as Suave for Men and Nivea for Men. The second group includes brands that have always been men-only products, such as Old Spice and Irish Springs, and they have a strong presence in the market already. In order to achieve the advertising objective, The Blue Man Group has created two media plans for DMC. The first media plan specifically will target the bachelor segment of the target audience, which is men ages 18 to 34. The second media plan targets men with families and children. The Blue Man Group has chosen the media plan that targets bachelors because the plan will support bachelors and still appeal to family men. Using this media plan, The Blue Man Group has developed a social media campaign that will appeal to this target audience. The Blue Man Group will evaluate the success of the media plan and campaign with pretesting and posttesting to measure the success of the campaign.

PROBLEM & OBJECTIVE

PROBLEM

ADVERTISING OBJECTIVESDove Men+Care will establish a unique niche within the men’s personal-care category that will appeal to all segments of its target audience—married men, men with children and bachelors. This will create a distinguished voice for DMC within its highly competitive product category and will persuade consumers to switch product brands. By establishing a niche in the men’s personal care market, DMC will also distinguish itself from Dove’s women’s products. In both media plans, The Blue Man group will focus mainly on frequency because DMC is a part of a competitive market and is entering into the growth stage of its product life cycle. The plans will also use reach to further the brand’s growth. Research showed that certain media platforms are more effective in reaching the target audience. The chosen media plan will use an 85% reach and will use a frequency of 5 across selected media platforms.

There are two parts to Dove Men+Care’s advertising problem. The first is Dove is not reaching its full target audience, which includes men who are married, have children and are bachelors. Dove’s current advertising mostly targets men who are married with children, but the brand is not reaching the bachelor segment of its target audience. The second problem is DMC does not have a strong separate voice from its women’s product line.

CRITICAL FACTORS

CRITICAL FACTORS

SUMMARY OF CRITICAL FACTORS Dove has always positioned itself as a brand that caters to women’s personal care and has now expanded its products to cater to men. An internal factor is Dove has a female stigma, which makes it hard to overlook its female product line. An external factor is they are not taking full advantage of all media platforms for the target audience, especially mobile. DMC is targeting men with families but is leaving out the bachelors ages 18 to 34 segment of its target audience. Another external factor is many male product lines are gaining strength in the men’s personal care market, and DMC is easily overshadowed by its competitors. The Blue Man Group will focus on male empowerment in the sense that DMC body wash will cause men to understand their individuality and uniqueness. Based on the goal of increased frequency, DMC will allocate a large amount of the budget to radio and digital media, which are cost effective and have high indexes for the target audience.

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES

OPPORTUNITIES

THREATS

-Strong social media presence (#RealDadMoments) -Consistent advertising across different media-Clear strong position as product user-Dove’s parent company, Unilever, is ranked 1st in market share - Strong partnerships NCAA, Figureheads Jay Wright, Drew Brees and Dwyane Wade-Established brand

-TV commercials leave out a portion of its target audience -Not taking advantage of all the media platforms used by the target audience-Female stigma attached with Dove, which can result in low awareness of DMC

-A segment of the target audience (bachelors) is currently not being communicated to-The industry for men’s personal-care category products is growing-Body wash market share surpassed the bar soap market share in 2009 for the first time

-New male product lines are emerging in the market-Two separate competing markets: female product brands that added men’s products and fully male product brands

ECONOMIC FACTORSIndustry-Unilever, the world’s leading household product maker, increased in sales by 4.3% last year-In 2009 body wash sales ($756.3 million) overcame bar soap ($752.2 million)-In 2000, personal soap, bar soap, body wash and hand soap, was $2.2 billion in sales. 85% of these sales were from supermarkets and 15% were from drug stores-Body wash is a normal good (consumers buy body wash regardless of their income)

Trends-Trends toward male empowerment (men, not just women taking care of themselves)-Less emphasis on beauty and more on enhancing individuality-Mobile advertising is increasing, and the target audience lean toward mobile devices-In the soap industry overall, people are becoming more focused on “natural” products and anti-aging products

COMPETITORSPrimary: Suave for Men and Nivea for Men

Nivea Men ranks seventh in top liquid body washes with a 2.2% market share. Nivea’s products include liquid body wash, 3-1 body wash, after shave and moisturizer. Nivea’s packaging is clean and simple, similar to Dove. Nivea mostly advertises in magazines and on cable TV. Nivea’s commercials include normal looking men, with humor and sports influence. In contrast to Nivea’s commercials, its website does not feature “normal” looking men; the brand uses male models. Like Dove, Nivea specifies on its website that some products are not just for women, men can benefit from them, too. It has a section with facts and advice for men (e.g. how to keep skin moist, how to properly shave). Nivea’s Twitter is also uninspiring. The brand is partnered with Scholastic, a tactic that does not match the male model approach used on its website. Nivea’s Facebook page is more interesting and utilizes sports and humor that appeal to men (ex: “Always Go With the Grain”).

Secondary: Old Spice and Irish Springs

Old Spice rebranded in 2002 with enormous success, leaving its grandfatherly image behind. In recent years, it partnered with Xbox Live to hold a contest for a video game about fresh underarms. This campaign was extremely successful because it truly spoke to the target: male video gamers ages 12 to 34. Old Spice social media is consistently funny in unexpected ways, using jokes and graphics appropriate for the brand’s younger audience. In keeping with its young male target, Old Spice has a partnership with the NFL, and Ray Lewis has been featured in ads. They do not use it to sell products, but instead build a relationship as a peer of members of the target market. In addition to Old Spice’s engaging internet presence, it utilizes outdoor, print, and TV. These humorous ads effectively portray a “cool guy” that males would want to be, while maintaining the right amount of cheesiness. Old Spice remains a force to be reckoned with, since its parent company Procter & Gamble spends $2.98 billion on advertising each year. 35% of responsdents to the survey picked Old Spice as their top choice.

Owned by Colgate, Irish Springs ranks fifth in top liquid body washes with a 2.3% market share. Irish Spring has a low presence on social media; it is only active on Facebook. The company offers body wash and bar soap. It spends its advertising dollars mostly in print. Irish Spring has had no recent commercials.

Suave body wash is ranked first in the nation for liquid body wash products with a market share of 3%. Suave’s parent company, Unilever, is ranked first in top body and shower product makers. Suave’s products types include Hair+Body 2-in-1, refreshing splashes, sport recharge, hydrating rush. Suave’s Facebook page does not focus on men and its Twitter account provides contests focusing on audience engagement.

CURRENT ADVERTISING

Dove Men+Care is currently using the product user position. Its parent company, Unilever, spends $700 million each year on advertising across all media platforms, with the exception of newspaper. Dove spends $1.1 million each year on advertising for its body washes. The brand has a strong presence on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. It has an interactive website featuring user stories, interactive videos and partnerships. DMC’s current advertising is geared towards men with families, and many of its ads use emotional appeals.

Demographic18-34 MalesCollege EducatedHousehold Income: $40,000-45,000Never marriedTop cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington D.C.Regions: Northeast and West

Media Usage75% of men 18-34 use the internetUse Reddit, Google+, and LinkedinInternet activity involves listening to online music, and sirius satelite radio62% of men use social media when comparing productsQuintiles revealed men 18-34: are users of TV Late Night/Early Fringe (Quintile 2: 121 index) men are users of traditional radio (Q2, Index 111)57% would be interested in receiving advertisements on their phone

PsychographicKnown for multitasking and little attention spanLike to buy the same products as celebritiesMore likely to buy product from companies then sponsor sports teams and eventsEnjoy playing video games for entertainmentCommercial retention among this target audience is higher

BACHELOR TARGET AUDIENCE

Demographic18-34 MalesCollege EducatedHousehold Income: $40,000-45,000Have one or more childrenMay or may not be marriedTop cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington D.C.Regions: Northeast and West Media UsageUse Reddit, Google+ and Linkedin62% of men use social media when comparing productsCheck social media sites three or more times a dayClaim magazines are a source of entertainment and read the adsActive watchers of Early and Late TV fringe (Index of 121 in Quintile 2)Do not watch much Primetime TV (Indexes of 78 in Quintile 1 and 97 in Quintile 2)Avid radio drive time listeners (Index of 106 in Quintile 1)Married men ages 18 to 34 are average internet users (Index of 111 in Quintile 3) PsychographicKnown for multitasking and little attention spanLike to buy the same products as celebritiesMore likely to buy product from companies that sponsor sports teams and eventsClaim to remember advertising when choosing products

FAMILY TARGET AUDIENCE

CRITICAL FACTORS

RECOMMENDATIONS

MEDIA PLAN OBJECTIVESThe campaign needs to maintain the current target audience of family men and introduce the brand to the newfound target audience of bachelors. Frequency is important to establish Dove Men+Care as a significant brand within its highly competitive product market. All media plans have some form of reach, but reach is not the main focus in the media plans. More advertising emphasis will be placed in the northeast (Index of 116) and west (Index of 103) regions of the U.S. The plan will use a pulsing method throughout the campaign period, with peaks during the summer months of June, July and August, because a survey showed that the audience prefered buying body wash during the summer months. The pulsing method will cause DMC body wash to remain at the top of consumer’s minds throughout the year but will place emphasis during the summer (the E3 and CONCACAF Gold Cup will take place during the summer of 2015).

BACHELOR MEDIA PLANThe Bachelor Media Plan utilizes the quintile research for single men ages 18 to 34. Dove Men+Care will place commercial ads during the Late and Early Fringe (11:00 pm to 5:30 am) segments because this section of the target audience are avid watchers during these segments. Commercials will air on USA, FOX, ESPN and Adult Swim, because these networks are popular among single males. Commer-cials will also air during the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2015.

DMC will also use traditional radio to advertise to the target audience due to the high index found during research. Additionally, DMC will advertise on Sirius Satellite Radio and Digital Radio because the target audience listens to music online.

Because 75% of men ages 18 to 34 use the Internet, DMC will amp up its presence on social media and will promote the brand with YouTube pre-rolls and homepage takeovers. DMC will also advertise using Spotify and Pandora ads.

57% men ages 18 to 34 are interested in receiving ads on their phones, so DMC will reach these men using its Dove Gold Cup app.

The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles will serve as a promotion for DMC and will high-light the Dove Gold Cup app. There is a spike in the budget during the summer because of this expo, but DMC will gain earned media because of the buzz created before and after the event. DMC will also be a sponsor during the CONCACAF Gold Cup in 2015.

The Bachelor Media Plan will target the northeast and west regions. The plan will use a pulsing method throughout the campaign period, with peaks during the summer months of June, July and August.

TV 20 million

Digital 15 million

Radio 4 million

Pandora, Spotify, Sirius 12 million

Promotions 1 million

DMC will allocate $20 million to TV because the target audience are Late and Early Fringe watchers. $15 million will be allocated to digital because 75% of men ages 18 to 34 use the Internet. $4 million will go toward traditional radio because of the high index for usage among the target audience segment. Additionally, $12 million will be allocated to Pandora, Spotify and Sirius, because the target audience listens to music online. $1 million will be used to promote the Dove Gold Cup app and DMC at E3 in Los Angeles.

PROS-Places more emphasis on the new target audience-Still appeals to the current family man target because the media vehicles selected would include them-Uses non-traditional media more, which will appeal more to modern, tech-savvy bachelors-Utilizes promotions by sponsoring the Concacaf Gold Cup and a booth at the E3 gaming expo. These promotions not only create positive associations between the events and DMC, but generate media buzz before and after

-Is risky because it does not use as much traditional advertising-Focuses on a peak in summer without additional peaks throughout the year-Targets males, who sometimes leave purchasing decisions to the women of the household

CONS

EXPECTED OUTCOMESThis media plan uses non-traditional media more heavily than traditional media, which will effectively speak to the bachelor segment of DMC’s target audience. Because this target audience is more likely to use digital media, the messaging will reach them where there are and in ways that interest them. Based on the estimated reach and frequency, this media plan will deliver 3510 GRPs during the campaign period.

FAMILY MEDIA PLANThe Family Media Plan utilizes the quintile research for married men ages 18 to 34 with children. Dove Men+Care will place commercial spots during the Early and Late TV Fringe (11:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.) because of the high indexes in these segments. According to the quintile research, this segment of the target market does not watch much Primetime TV (8:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.), but research still showed that men enjoy watching TV with their families. Considering that during the week many men are at work and children are at school during the day, the Primetime TV segment is a time for the family to gather as a unit before the children’s bedtime. The plan will buy spots on USA and HGTV, as well as the History Channel and Discovery Channel. These networks were chosen because tvbythenumbers.com listed them as having the top watched programs each week. Advertising on these networks will maximize reach.

Research also showed that married men with children enjoy reading parenting and health magazines. Print ads will be placed in family/parenting and health magazines (Family Fun, Parenting, Parents, Men’s Health, Best Life and Men’s Fitness).

Quintile research showed that married men with children are average Internet users. Because the data on Simmons is two years old, it may be skewed. Given the increase in digital and social media usage for the last few years (it had risen 800% from 2005 to 2013), DMC will use social media, update the DMC website and use Youtube pre-rolls.

Quintile research also showed that married men ages 18 to 34 are avid listeners during the Radio Drive Time segment, so DMC will advertise to the target audience while they drive to and from work.

Promotions will include product placements in the hotels most used by the target audience, which are Westin (Index of 163), Ramada (Index of 125) and Hampton (Index of 113).

The Family Media Plan will target the northeast and west regions. The plan will use a pulsing method throughout the campaign period, with peaks during the summer months of June, July and August.

TV 25 million

Digital 14 million

Print 5 million

Promotion 14 million

Radio 4 million$5 million will be allocated to print because the target audience enjoys reading magazines related to health and family. $25 million will go toward TV commercials, specifically the Primetime and Late and Early Fringe segments. $2 million will be used for the DMC promotion in hotels. $14 million will be used in the digital space for pop-up ads, banner ads and homepage takeovers, in addition to social media and website updates. $4 million will be used for ads during Radio Drive Time to reach the family-oriented male target audience.

PROS-Achieves year-round reach and frequency -Using TV vehicles appeals to women, who often make the purchasing decisions for the household-Would be an easy transition, because it is similar to current strategy

-Does not put as much emphasis on the new target audience-Uses emotional appeal of targeting families, a common method many other household item ads use-Allocates $31 million of the $50 million plan to traditional media, which may not be modern enough for the digital-friendly target market-Inhibits growth by continuing to appeal to current audience without appealing to untapped bachelor market

CONS

EXPECTED OUTCOMESThe media plan targeting men with families focuses slightly more on traditional media, which are ex-cellent for increasing reach. This media plan will deliver a total of 3280 GRPs during the campaign pe-riod. This strategy would continue to reach out to the audience of men with families, but does not allow growth into other untapped audiences. If this plan is used, DMC’s messaging will continue to reach an audience who already knows about the brand.

DECISIONThe Blue Man Group recommends that Dove Men+Care uses the Bachelor Media Plan because it has more pros than the Family Media Plan. DMC is transitioning from the introduction stage to the growth stage, and the Bachelor Media Plan will accelerate its growth by reaching a new segment of its target audience and maintaining the other segment. During the peak times of this media plan, DMC will reach 85% of its targeting audience. The Bachelor Media Plan also yields 3510 GRPs, which is 230 more than the Family Media Plan. Overall, the Bachelor Media Plan is more cost effective and more effective at reaching the currently untapped market of bachelors.

Website: Dove Men+Care will introduce Tim Howard (U.S. Soccer Team goalie) and Tom Cassell (his blog Tom Syndicate is ranked 33 for the world’s most subscribed YouTube channel) on its website. All posts on other social media accounts will be linked on the website.

SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN

See Tim Howard on the field with Dove Men+Care Exclusive video series

InstagramDove Men+Care’s Instagram account, @DoveMenUSA, will interact with its target audience on a more personal level. For example, Dove will Instagram a picture of a Tim Howard selfie (with bubbles instead of a beard) in the U.S. soccer team’s locker room. Dove will also Instagram behind the scenes shots of the Dove Gold Cup booth at E3 2015. Dove Gold Cup winners will be featured on Instagram as well.

FacebookThe Dove Men+Care Facebook page will serve as a source for Dove news and promotions. Dove will keep its target audience updated with its highest interests—the latest news on video gaming, sports, celebrities and athletes.

TwitterDove Men+Care’s target audience is 28% more likely to use Twitter than the U.S. population, so a strong presence on this platform is important. @DoveMenUSA will interact with its target audience by promoting conversation and awareness about Tim Howard, the U.S. Soccer Team, the Concacaf Gold Cup, the Dove Gold Cup app, and E3 2015. Dove Gold Cup users can Tweet their scores from the app with the hashtag #MansTouch. The top three scores will win tickets to the E3 Expo in June 2015 and the Concacaf Gold Cup in July 2015.

Snap ChatDove Men+Care will pay SnapChat to allow the audience at the Concacaf Gold Cup and E3 Expo to submit live Snaps that promote the events. The Dove Men+Care logo will appear at the bottom corner of each Snap, and users can watch the stories to get inside scoops on the national events.

Owned and Earned Media: Dove Men+Care’s target audience is 5% more likely to use social media than the U.S. population. Dove’s owned media includes its Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and SnapChat accounts, in addition to its website. The earned media will come from the buzz created by the accounts and the website. The hashtag #MansTouch will be utilized on all social media platforms and will allow Dove to track the status of its earned media. Behind the scenes videos in the U.S. Men’s Soccer Team locker room have the ability to go viral, because sports fans will be interested in the topic.

EARNED & OWNED MEDIA SUMMARY

:60 COMMERCIAL

“An Itchy Man”This commercial will showcase the campaign’s new figurehead Tim Howard. This second commercial will open with Howard during the heat of a soccer game. The opposing player kicks the ball, and Howard is about to reach out to stop the ball from entering the goal. Right as Howard reaches for the ball, he gets a sudden itch and has to scratch it, and the ball goes through the goal. At the bench, Tim is handed Dove Men+Care Body Wash. Howard takes a quick shower, and instantly he feels refreshed and moisturized. His itch is gone, and Howard returns to the game better than ever. The commercial ends with Dove’s logo and new tagline, Dove Men+Care, A Man’s Touch.

CRITICAL FACTORS

CONCLUSION & EVALUATION

CONCLUSION

EVALUATION

After careful consideration, Dove Men+Care will appeal to the previously untapped market of bachelors ages 18 to 34 years old with a comprehensive media plan that utilizes digital, various radio, television and two physical promotions. Because the plan speaks to the target audience through channels they already enjoy using messages they cannot ignore, they will begin to see DMC as a unique brand made for them. This media plan also speaks to anyone who enjoys sports or video games, so it will contribute to DMC’s growth.

To ensure the success of the campaign, the Blue Man Group will conduct pretests and posttests of the proposed ads. Pretesting will be held in January of 2015 in Atlanta, Miami and New York, all cities with large populations of males ages 18 to 34. The Blue Man Group will test audience reception in September in the middle of the campaign period using focus groups to test audience sentiment and using Google analytics to measure the success of owned and earned media. At the conclusion of the campaign in February 2016, DMC will use surveys and focus groups in Atlanta, Miami and New York to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign overall and will decide whether to continue with the campaign.

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