Dove’s Men+Care to target the silver foxes

Alex Beckett, The Grocer

09 January 2010
In: Healthcare, beauty and baby, Industry news

Unilever skincare brand Dove is making its first foray into the men's market with a
range eyeing £21m in first-year sales.

The Dove Men+Care range, which Unilever described as its biggest launch planned for
2010, targets "the more mature man" who the manufacturer said was under-serviced in
the male toiletries market.

Rolling out later this month, Dove Men+Care comprises 12 deodorants and body and
face wash products (rsp: from £2.39 to £2.99) and will be supported by a £12m marketing programme, including
TV ads expected to kick off in early spring and will run throughout the year.

"We recognise that getting the girl and racing fast cars is just not a relevant brand image for men over a certain
age," said brand manager Paul Connell. "Purchasing personal care products continues to be a chore for many
men who can still be found using unisex or female products. There is a real category opportunity to grow the
grooming repertoire of men over 40 in the UK."

Unilever, which also owns the Sure, Lynx and Vaseline brands, claimed that overall sales of male toiletries were
flat because of deep discounting and declining sales of shaving products.

"The recession is forcing men to save money by shaving less frequently although shower gels and deodorants
are performing well," said Connell. "The huge marketing campaign for Dove Men+Care means we don't expect
such reliance on promotions and hope it will help the men's category to better health."

Connell admitted that the Vaseline men's skincare range, launched two years ago and fronted by sportsmen like
Lawrence Dallaglio and James Cracknell, had missed the mark with consumers. The range's body and hand
lotions, specially formulated to keep men's skin "strong and resilient", are being phased out, although the
deodorant and shower gels will stay on shelves.

Unilever launches Dove for Men in Italy

By Leah Armstrong, 17-Sep-2009

Related topics: Products & Markets

Major personal care manufacturer, Unilever, has launched an assault on the men’s grooming
market in Italy by releasing a range of products that have been formulated especially for
men.
The range, which is called Dove Men + Care, includes two shower gel variants and five deodorants. They
are adapted from Dove’s existing product range of deodorant, soap and shower gels to incorporate ‘male
formulations and fragrances’.

Growing Italian male grooming market

A brand spokesperson for Unilever Italy told Cosmetics Design that the main aim in this decision was to
“tap into Italy’s growing male grooming market, starting in the two segments that the Dove brand is
already known for: deodorants and body wash”.

The spokesperson said that Unilever had noticed that men had become an increasingly important part of
the Dove target audience in Italy.

This decision to push forward in the male grooming market has emerged as a common strategy in the
economic crisis, having been adopted by other big personal care brands. Earlier in the summer, Nivea
created a website called the Groom Room to provide tips and advice on male grooming.

Financial analysts Fitch early on in the recession stated that they believed the men’s grooming sector
would be one of the main categories to turn to in the recession. It would seem that companies such as
Unilever and Nivea have indeed been employing this strategy.

In some ways the male grooming sector has not been as strong as expected, however. In spite of this
Proctor & Gamble, which owns the powerful Gillette brand, announced an approximately 20 per cent fall
in men’s grooming sales in June of this year.
Building on Dove the ‘master brand’
The Dove brand has been one of Unilever’s strongest performers and it is easy to see why Unilever
would choose to grow in that direction. In the past, industry insiders have described it as a ‘master
brand’, apparently managing to ride through the recession with relative ease.

Unilever as a company has faired pretty well in general. Helped by a 6.8 per cent rise in prices, in May
the company announced a 4.8 per cent increase in underlying sales for the quarter.

It now seems that Unilever wish to take advantage of this stable situation and is looking for potential
growth. Unilever’s brand spokesperson said, “We hope that this launch will allow us to build upon the
brand’s heritage and increase penetration of Dove among men”.

They did not comment as to whether the Dove Men + Care range would be adopted in the rest of
Europe.

Dove release male grooming range - Dove Men+Care

Submitted by Tony Abblet on January 19, 2010 – 6:47 pmNo Comment

Dove, the much-loved brand from Unilever UK that sparked a global conversation about real beauty is now
starting a different conversation - this time with men. 2010 see’s the launch of its first ever male grooming range -
Dove Men+Care, developed to bring greater skin comfort and care to UK men without compromising on
performance.

The new proposition, targeting the more mature man, is the UK’s only range to offer a shower and deodorant
specifically designed for these men.

Available now, Unilever’s biggest launch of 2010 will be supported by a massive £12 million marketing
investment.

Paul Connell, Brand Manager, at Unilever UK comments: “Our vision is to extend the Dove brand promise and
expertise of superior care to men across deodorants and shower, the two fastest-growing sectors in male
toiletries.
“Up until now men have been forced to accept discomfort and irritation as a necessary compromise for
performance. Dove Men+Care is a new men’s grooming range for men that is clinically proven to provide both
skin comfort and top efficacy.

“There’s a huge gap in the market as there are currently no toiletry brands specifically catering for more mature
men, which the new Dove Men+CareTM range is set to fill.

“For many men, purchasing personal care products continues to be a chore and many can still be found using
unisex or female products, which is partly driven by a belief that there is nothing better available specifically for
them.

“There is a real category opportunity to address this and therefore grow the grooming repertoire of men over 40
in the UK.”

The 12 strong range has been formulated with male specific requirements in mind and includes a body and face
wash that fights dryness, and an antiperspirant deodorant that offers 24 hour protection and unbeatable skin
caring action

With 51% of men saying that current body washes don’t care for their skin and 38% of men citing ‘does not give
dry skin’ as the most important skin care product characteristic, new Dove Men+Care Body and Face Wash with
MICROMOISTURE is clinically proven to fight the causes of skin dryness better than the leading male shower
gel.

Dove Men+Care also includes a range of deodorants that are tough on sweat, but not on skin. Over half of Men
think antiperspirant deodorants dry their skin and 50% of men currently claim to experience underarm irritation
from using deodorant.

The Dove Men+CareTM Antiperspirant Deodorants feature the advanced ¼ moisturiser technology that
consumers expect from Dove, which delivers 24 hour powerful and unbeatable skin caring action.

The packaging is in keeping with the familiar Dove family of products, but with a masculine design and colour
scheme. With a background of strong grey, each product has bright colour coding so that shoppers can clearly
see which variant they are choosing, giving the range great standout on shelf.

The marketing campaign will include high impact outdoor and press advertising, radio, online and PR, as well as
a dedicated TV advertising campaign, designed to resonate with the target audience, and of course, in-store
POS opportunities for retailers.

Source: Unilever

Unilever Tests Dove Men+Care in Europe

2009-09-21 | 07:06
A U.S. launch may be waiting in the wings.
All things to all men? Or women? Or both? Unilever is to test whether its ubiquitous, but
highly successful, female brand, Dove, can work its magic on men, too. The company is
launching Dove Men+Care in Italy and some other European markets this fall, and there is
talk of a U.S. rollout early next year if the line succeeds.

Dove Men+Care consists of five deodorant SKUs and three shower gels, with gray
packaging. The line is targeted at men aged 35 and over, positioned to find a better balance
between personal and professional activities. A brand director is quoted as saying the line
was created to complement the company’s younger male brand, Axe, and that having
launched with deos and shower gels, the company will look to extend into other products.

Happi columnist Colin Hession, managing director of specialist consultants, Colin Hession
Consulting, comments “At last it seems Unilever is having a proper go at building on the
unique position it has created in the male grooming category with Axe. If it works, Axe
users will no longer have to graduate to the opposition, Nivea Men, L’Oréal Men Expert or
Gillette when they grow up.”

He continues “But what will success look like? Certainly not like Unilever’s over-cautious
Vaseline Men which tiptoed onto shelves last year, or even the failed, silver colored Axe
Skin Systeme of distant memory. Success will need to be measured in solid repeat numbers,
plus little or no attrition to the Dove masterbrand’s values longer term. And there’s the rub,
because both these metrics will need quite a long time to be read with the sort of confidence
required to convince the grown ups in Blackfriars. But, if it does succeed, then financial
markets can expect to see significant net sales increases as the huge Dove sales pipeline is
filled worldwide.”

Dove reveals its masculine side - Dove Men+Care

Friday, 15 January 2010

Dove, the much-loved brand from Unilever UK that sparked a

global conversation about real beauty is now starting a different conversation - this time with men.
2010 see's the launch of its first ever male range - Dove Men+CareTM, developed to bring greater
skin comfort and care to UK men without compromising on performance.

The new proposition, targeting the more mature man, is the UK's only range to offer a shower and
deodorant specifically designed for these men.

Available now, Unilever's biggest launch of 2010 will be supported by a massive £12 million
marketing investment.

Paul Connell, Brand Manager, at Unilever UK comments: "Our vision is to extend the Dove brand
promise and expertise of superior care to men across deodorants and shower, the two fastest-
growing sectors in male toiletries.

"Up until now men have been forced to accept discomfort and irritation as a necessary compromise
for performance. Dove Men+Care is a new grooming range for men that is clinically proven to
provide both skin comfort and top efficacy.

"There's a huge gap in the market as there are currently no toiletry brands specifically catering for
more mature men, which the new Dove Men+CareTM range is set to fill.

"For many men, purchasing personal care products continues to be a chore and many can still be
found using unisex or female products, which is partly driven by a belief that there is nothing
better available specifically for them.

"There is a real category opportunity to address this and therefore grow the grooming repertoire of
men over 40 in the UK."

The 12 strong range has been formulated with male specific requirements in mind and includes a
body and face wash that fights dryness, and an antiperspirant deodorant that offers 24 hour
protection and unbeatable skin caring action

With 51% of men saying that current body washes don't care for their skin and 38% of men citing
‘does not give dry skin' as the most important skin care product characteristic, new Dove
Men+CareTM Body and Face Wash with *MICROMOISTURETM is clinically proven to fight the causes
of skin dryness better than the leading male shower gel.

Dove Men+CareTM also includes a range of deodorants that are tough on sweat, but not on skin.
Over half of Men think antiperspirant deodorants dry their skin and 50% of men currently claim to
experience underarm irritation from using deodorant.

The Dove Men+CareTM Antiperspirant Deodorants feature the advanced ¼ moisturiser technology
that consumers expect from Dove, which delivers 24 hour powerful and unbeatable skin caring
action.

The packaging is in keeping with the familiar Dove family of products, but with a masculine design
and colour scheme. With a background of strong grey, each product has bright colour coding so
that shoppers can clearly see which variant they are choosing, giving the range great standout on
shelf.

The huge £12million marketing campaign will include high impact outdoor and press advertising,
radio, online and PR, as well as a dedicated TV advertising campaign, designed to resonate with
the target audience, and of course, in-store POS opportunities for retailers.

The new Dove Men+CareTM range includes 12 shower and deo SKUs in Clean Comfort, Cool Fresh
and Energising Spice variants, in the following formats: Dove Men+CareTM Shower 250ml RRP
£2.39; Dove Men+CareTM Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Aerosol 250ml RRP £2.99; Dove Men+CareTM
Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Aerosol 150ml RRP £2.39; Dove Men+CareTM Roll On Anti-Perspirant
Deodorant 50ml RRP £2.39 and Dove Men+CareTM Anti-Perspirant Deodorant Stick 250ml RRP
£2.49

Dove's biggest stretch yet: Men+Care?

Dove's £12million launch of its Men+Care range of body washes, cleansing bars and deos will be Unilever's
biggest UK launch of 2010 according to Talking Retail. The range has already been launched in France. Many
people watching are asking "Can the Dove brand stretch into male skincare?" Brand Channel's answer seems to
be "no", and they say: "Men do not respond well to products typically thought of as feminine."
This is the sort of question that marketing folk could spend hours, days or even years debating. But in my view its
actually the wrong question. The question we should be asking is can Unilever make any MONEY out of
stretching Dove into male skincare? Looked at this way the chances of success are actually pretty good.

1. A big opportunity: Firstly, there is a large and growing market for "male grooming" products, which according
to Mintel will be worth almost £900million in 2010. Unilever's only presence in this market is Lynx/Axe which is
teen-focused.

2. Never mind the sizzle.... Importantly Nivea for Men and L'Oreal for Men have both shown that guys are
prepared to buy products (or have them bought for them) from brands built with female "sizzle" i.e. a female
target and brand personality. This is on 2 conditions: i) you fine tune the pack design and comms to have a more
male take on things, which Dove has done, ii) the product sausage is good... which brings us on to the next point.

3. Brand added value: Dove's skin care technology does seem to have an added value in
the category. According to the Talking Retail article "51% of men saying that current body washes don't care for
their skin and 38% of men citing ‘does not give dry skin' as the most important skin care product characteristic".
And the brand has a nice bit of product sausage to answer this need in the shape of "micro-moisture" technology.

4. Business model: this is the killer point. And its why Dove Men+Care has a better chance of success than the
brand theorists might suggest. Unilever have fantastic competence in skin cleansing and especially deodorants,
where they are world leaders with the Dove, Rexona/Sure and Axe/Lynx brands. They have economies of scale,
master the route to market, have good presence on shelf and negotiating power with retailers. Also, these
categories have long-term strategic importance, and so the launch is likely to get sustained support, not just
"launch and run" support.
Net, my money is on Unilever pulling it off on the strength of the business model. After all, I bet a lot of male
grooming products are actually bought by women. And there are a lot of happy Dove ladies who are probably
going to be more then happy to stick Dove Men+Care in their shopping basket. And if the product delivers, they'll
be back for more.

January 21, 2010 | Permalink

Dove's New Men+Care Line to Be Introduced During The Super Bowl

The word is that Dove will advertise on the Super Bowl this year.

No, they won't be running their famous women's "Real Beauty" campaign.

The Super Bowl spots are being reserved for the launch of the male-focused Men+Care line, including body
washes, bar soap and an exfoliant. They are adapted from Dove’s existing product range of deodorant, soap and
shower gels to incorporate ‘male formulations and fragrances’.

The line was test marketed in Italy last fall to examine the interest level in men's grooming lines.

Now Dove appears to be ready to try it out on American men.

According to a statement from Dove, the new line is aimed at "men who are comfortable in their own skin" but
want to tap the proven moisturizing power of Dove products rather than continue to use cleansing products that
can dry and irritate skin.

Source: AdAge

10:16 AM | Permalink

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Raison Pure New York has just taken the wraps off the new Dove Men+Care range
they have recently designed:

"For more than 50 years, Dove has been synonymous with care and femininity. To
create the visual identity for Dove Men+Care, Raison Pure translated the brand's
"beautifully uncomplicated" aesthetic to convey masculine simplicity and
sophistication. The "brackets" device is a symbol of care and protection coupled with
vibrant colors against an elegant field of grey, creating and iconic, honest expression
of masculine care and efficacy. In a category that too often relies on cliches of sport,
speed and aggressions, this allowed Dove to succeed in a completely new brand
space without compromising its fundamental tenets of care and comfort."