Serving Customers in Global Markets - Dove Real Beauty Sketches - Essay Example

? Serving s in Global Markets Introduction The purpose of this report is to present an analysis of the communication message characteristics of Unilever by examining the advert that was produced by the organization under the name of ‘Real Beauty Sketches’ for its personal care brand, Dove in 2013. This advert was chosen as the focus of this report because upon its release, the television campaign attracted a range of opinions and comments which either praised it for adopting a pure, realistic and simple approach to advertising or criticized it for promoting a superficial stance of beauty that is only based on the physical appearance of women rather than their personalities. Nevertheless, the advert was able to garner the attention of consumers by influencing and in some cases even challenging their perceptions of beauty. The commercial also addressed the concepts of self-confidence and self-perception in a truly unique manner by depicting the stark contrast between how we view ourselves and how others see us. The influence of Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches is an embodiment of the psychological dimension of marketing which essentially represents the significance of successfully understanding consumer psychology to gain an advantage over the competitors. As stated by Haugtvedt, Petty and Cacioppo (1992), the cognitive element of advertising is associated with the development of a consumer’s behavior and attitude regarding a particular product. Furthermore, a comprehension of the psychology of the customer is also important for a business from the point of view of branding. Schmitt (2012) proposes the development of a consumer psychology model of brands, the recommendations of which can be integrated to discuss the consumers’ judgment of the brand. Accordingly, these evaluations can be applied within a broader context to successfully execute brand extensions and also enhance the equity of the brand (Schmitt, 2012). Schmitt (2012, p. 14) states that knowledge of consumer psychology can therefore, help managers to establish “… psychologically meaningful and culturally relevant brands”. Indeed, in the case of Dove Real Beauty Sketches the advertisers’ aim is depict a notion that is psychologically meaningful and valuable to the viewer. The key message in the advert wishes to enlighten the audience on the perceptions of beauty by encouraging women to value their natural beauty. 2. Application of Consumer Psychology Theories According to Pieters and Wedel (2004), a print advertisement’s ability to attract the attention of the consumer is governed by three elements which are that of brand, pictorial and text. On the contrary, Porter and Golan (2006) postulate that the content which can be classified as ‘viral’ capitalizes on an individual’s will to share the material as much as possible and this characteristic does not stand valid in the case of television adverts. The differentiation that is shared by these cases essentially outlines a medium’s ability to immediately capture the attention of a consumer. Kahnemann (1973) understands that attention is associated with the contents of short-term memory which can be obtained from stimuli that exist both internally and externally. As depicted in the diagram below short-term memory, is also known as working memory, and its contents are lost when forgotten. Fig 1. Information Processing and Memory Stores With respect to the advertisement, the attention of the viewer is captured through the simplicity of the setting, which can also be assessed in the light of perceived meanings. The setting of the commercial, with its large, well-lit and airy space shows the studio of a forensic artist and this component instantaneously draws the customer into the calm, secure and natural environment. The commercial characteristics that have been employed in the advertisement under study can be assessed in accordance with the concept of repetition, the application of which allows a specific stimulus to transfer to the long-term memory of the consumer as a consequence of repeated exposure (Batra and Ray, 1986). According to Campbell and Keller (2003), the effectiveness of a message is maintained when the level of repetition is minimized. The progression of the commercial abides by this principle for the advertisers have chosen not to display the brand name or logo during the course of the advertisement to remind the audience regarding the company. Thus, Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches, ends with a simple yet powerful message and fades with a logo of the brand towards the end to create an unparalleled impact on the minds of the audience and facilitate their learning. An advertisement essentially advances in a systematic progression in order to achieve the ultimate goal of communicating a message to the audience that is desired by the company. Once, a commercial medium is able to capture the attention of the customer, facilitated his/her learning and embedded the desired message in the consumer’s memory, the next logical phase is characterized by launching an effective strategy to motivate the individual to act according to the company’s desires. While, Bargh (2002) highlights the role of subliminal advertising in acting as a motivator which decides the consumer’s course of action, Oyserman (2009) proposes the framework of identity-based motivation (IBM) which aims to link the product or brand with the identities of the target audience. The notion of identity, in this case encompasses multiple variables such as gender, age and race (Oyserman, 2009). Based on this assessment, the Real Beauty Sketches campaign can be seen as implementing this concept by focusing on women of similar age-groups who project an insecurity or negativity about their physical appearance. The application of this motivational framework allows women to associate their anxieties and uncertainties with the females they are viewing on the screen, thereby, encouraging them to reassess their self-perceptions and linking Dove as a brand, with a revival in their self-confidence. By adopting a predominantly cognitive approach, Unilever has been successful in promoting the Dove brand through the Real Beauty Sketches campaign. In the example under assessment, the company has followed the provisions of the affective component of the tri-component model, which is one of the key structural models of attitudes as shown Fig 2. Fig 2. Tri-component Attitude Model In accordance with this framework, the affective component primarily includes the feelings and emotions of a consumer (Lavidge and Steiner, 1961). Edell and Burke (1987) assert that an understanding of the affective component or consumer’s feelings is critical to a comprehension of the thoughts of an individual. The responses of the women who have been featured in the campaign once they are introduced to the sketches that are based on a stranger’s description of their physical appearance are powerful and thought-provoking. The emotional response of these women in turn demands an emotional reaction from the audience. Okazaki, Mueller and Taylor (2010) assert that the presence of this element in addition with the cognitive component can be highlighted as being pivotal to the process of persuasive communication. The cognitive component of the tri-component model is characterized by an individual’s direct experiences with regards to the attitude object in addition with the associated information that an individual is able to gather regarding the object. As a brand, Dove has evolved extensively during a significant period of time however; women tend to identify with the brand in terms of the advanced care that it is able to provide their skin in comparison with competing products. This establishes a relationship of trust between the consumers of the product which in turn impacts their perceptions of the brand’s beauty campaign. Accordingly, the conative component is essentially defined in terms of the probability that an individual will respond in a specific manner with regards to the attitude object. In the case of Dove’s campaign, it is highly likely that the brand’s target market will respond to the campaign by purchasing Dove products because they reaffirm the idea that beauty needs to be appreciated and nourished. The link between personality theories and the Dove campaign is rooted in the manner in which a person responds to the advertisement upon viewing it (Schiffman, Kanuk and Hansen, 2012). Since, the appeal of the Dove campaign is based on highlighting the emotional element of the advertisement, trait theory postulates individuals who are categorized by agreeableness – kindhearted, gentle and trusting would respond to the campaign in a positive manner. 3. Conclusion Launched in 2013, Dove’s Real Beauty Sketches campaign spans for a period of 3 minutes and in this brief time frame, the commercial successfully makes a profound impact on the audience. The highlight of this advertisement is that it does not employ traditional components of color, repetition or size to attract the attention of the viewer. In fact, the development of the commercial is rooted in the notion of minimalism and simplicity and perhaps this notion is what strikes the viewer the most, at first glance. The success of the campaign lies in its insightful incorporation of the affective component of advertising which is based on the feelings and emotions of individuals. By applying the identity-based motivation model the advertisement links the fears and anxieties of average women regarding their physical appearances to provide an insight into the society’s perceptions of beauty. Even though, the campaign has been effective in putting across a valuable message which also encourages women to have greater self-confidence, writers such as Scott (2013) have been critical of the advertisement for placing an over-emphasis on physical beauty rather than the beauty that lies within. Nonetheless, the campaign has attracted a global interest, amassing millions of viewers whose attention has been captured by this simple and thought-provoking commercial. Bibliography Top of Form Bargh, J. A. (2002). Losing consciousness: Automatic influences on consumer judgment, behavior, and motivation. Journal of consumer research, 29(2), 280-285. Batra, R., & Ray, M. L. (1986). Situational effects of advertising repetition: The moderating influence of motivation, ability, and opportunity to respond. Journal of Consumer research, 432-445. Campbell, M. C., & Keller, K. L. (2003). Brand familiarity and advertising repetition effects. Journal of Consumer Research, 30(2), 292-304. 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