A successful marketing campaign can yield positive financial outcomes for a company, but marketing can be about more than just capturing competitive advantage and increasing profits. Have you ever encountered a marketing campaign that inspired you to action or change your feelings or opinions about a particular topic or issue? Sometimes organizations utilize marketing to pursue goals that go beyond making money and instead leverage the popularity of brands and reputations of organizations to promote particular causes or contribute to the betterment of society. In this Discussion, you will consider a marketing initiative from a company that created a positive social change impact.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Consider a social-change-focused marketing initiative from a company that promoted diversity and/or inclusion.
Post a summary of the benefits of a social-change-focused marketing campaign that promoted diversity and/or inclusion, to include the following:
Describe the company and its marketing initiative that promoted diversity and/or inclusion.
Summarize the impact of that marketing effort. Be sure to include what the effort would, could, or did accomplish for the company.
Summarize the positive social change impact a company can have by promoting these ideas through its marketing efforts. Be sure to include at least one example.
The "Evolution" video (2006) which dramatically showed the manipulation of a woman's image from photo to billboard.
The "Sketches" campaign (2013) which highlighted the discrepancy between how women view themselves and how strangers view them, underscoring low self-esteem.
The Dove Self-Esteem Project, which provides resources for parents, mentors, teachers, and youth to build body confidence.
2. Impact of the Marketing Effort
The "Real Beauty" campaign was an unprecedented move that successfully integrated corporate goals with social purpose, yielding significant benefits for Dove:
For the Company (Brand Equity and Profit):
Increased Sales and Market Share (Did Accomplish): The campaign is widely credited with revitalizing the Dove brand. Within a decade of its launch, Dove's annual sales grew from around $2.5 billion to over $4 billion, demonstrating that purpose-driven marketing can be highly profitable.
Enhanced Brand Loyalty and Differentiation (Did Accomplish): Dove transformed its brand image from a simple soap company into an advocate for women's self-esteem. This created a strong, emotional connection with consumers, making them more likely to choose Dove products over competitors perceived as perpetuating unattainable standards.
Positive Reputation (Did Accomplish): The campaign generated enormous global media coverage and positive word-of-mouth, positioning Unilever as a progressive leader committed to social issues.
What the Effort Could Accomplish:
Sustain its competitive advantage by continuously adapting its definition of "real beauty" to evolving cultural standards and demographic shifts.
Expand its influence on regulatory bodies to push for greater transparency in image editing within the advertising industry.
3. Positive Social Change Impact
When a major company like Dove leverages its marketing reach and brand reputation, it can catalyze positive social change by promoting diversity and inclusion in ways that smaller, non-profit organizations cannot.
Normalization of Difference and Improved Self-Esteem: The most significant social change is the normalization of diverse body types, skin tones, and ages in mainstream media. By consistently featuring women who look like the average consumer, Dove helped to chip away at the toxic effects of the "ideal" body image
Sample Answer
Summary of Benefits of a Social-Change-Focused Marketing Campaign
1. Company and Marketing Initiative Description
Company: Dove (a personal care brand owned by Unilever).
Marketing Initiative: The "Real Beauty" Campaign, launched in 2004 and continually evolving.
Focus on Diversity/Inclusion: The campaign directly challenged narrow, unrealistic beauty standards pervasive in media and advertising. Instead of using professional models, Dove began featuring real women of varying ages, sizes, ethnicities, hair colors, and skin types in its ads. Key initiatives included: