Dove for Men?

Dove owned by Unilever is well known household brand that offers an extensive product mix for a soap company. The company manufactures other personal hygiene products as well. These include lotions, deodorants, and hair care products. They also recently launched a line of products directed towards men. 

When I first saw the ads I was a little confused they were good they got my attention but I wasn't sure I wanted to try it. I always remembered dove being a "girly" brand the commercials I always saw had women in them. But these new ones were way different, they had dads playing with kids in black and white. The commercials were different than anything else on the tube. Even after the show had finished I still remembered the commercial, and I thought to myself Dove's making men's products now? 

Dove is an industry leader in the hygiene business but its customer base is largely women. That's all well and good for Dove, but that puts some restraints on the company. Since its customer base is largely female it has to cater them more than others. This leads to a cycle that further cements its reputation as a women's beauty product company. But Paul isn't that what companies wanna do, don't they want more customers? Yes they do, however men make up about %50 of the market these days and yes we buy soap too. We buy soap, shaving cream, shampoo, and even deodorant every now and again. This is great news for Dove because they also make soap and related products, it is also bad news because Dove is mainly aimed at women. 

Personally I use the Beauty Bar from Dove. It's not very masculine compared to other men's soaps on the market like Old Spice and Axe. The packaging, name, and award from Allure magazine tip the average person off. The only real reason I use the bar soap is because it's the soap my mom bought and put in our houses bathrooms. It's the soap I grew up with and now that I'm out of the house I still buy it. With that being said I am an exception in the male soap demographic buying market more popular brands like Old Spice and Axe hold a controlling share. Just like Dove they sell other hygiene products and men buy them, I bought them up until recently.

The new Dove Men+Care campaign and products have shifted my purchasing habits. I used to buy Old Spice for the longest time because it smelled good and was pretty cheap. But now after the Men+Care commercials I buy Dove deodorant that’s more expensive and in my opinion smells better. Why this sudden change? The commercials got me intrigued and the packaging roped me in. The deodorant comes in a cool grey dispenser and has a simple clean look to it. No wild graphics or crazy logo, just words and a small Dove bird also in grey. So I tried it I broke from my habit bought it and haven’t switched for 2 years now. In my opinion the Men+Care launch was a success and the numbers evidently also agree with me. Dove’s sales are up and the Men+Care products are gaining more and more ground in the market. So kudos Dove and Unilever you have my support for making a great campaign and product to match.