Dove: Beautifully Effective: How Dove turned cultural resonance into ROI

This case study shows how the Unilever brand, Dove, articulated a strong point of view that beauty should be a source of confidence and not anxiety for women. It argues that Dove's marketing of this viewpoint and its product communications generate sales, with the combination yielding further rewards. Encompassing the ads, 'Sketches', 'Patches' and 'Choose Beautiful', this paper provides evidence that having a social purpose can pay back for a brand in both the long and short term. Econometrics shows the combined ROI of 'Sketches' and 'Patches' was US $4.42 for every US $1 invested, and that a masterbrand approach has had a multiplier benefit across Dove advertising.