Segmentation Strategy of Dove and Nivea

Dove and Nivea are influential, popular, and demanded companies that represent the cosmetics industry. This industry is severely competitive as the demand for self-care and cosmetics products is continuously growing along with a variety of offerings. Dove and Nivea are quite experienced “players” in this industry and are known for their dedication and passion for what they do. These companies successfully maintain their unique place in the market with a loyal base of customers continuously supporting them. Dove and Nivea achieved this thanks to carefully chosen segmentation and positioning strategies. So, let’s have a look at these two giants one by one and find the strategies behind their success.

Starting with Dove, let’s focus on the segmentation strategy of the company.

For this purpose, let’s watch and discuss the following commercial and find the target segment Dove.

This commercial is calming and peaceful. The music in the background suits the theme of the video. A group of females is featured in the commercial. Each of them is attractive and beautiful. On the other hand, they are quite different from each other. These females have different types of hair, hair color, style, and preferences. 

Despite this, they look like an average woman that you would see every day. They have a practical and simple look and don’t go after eye-catching and attention-seeking items. These women don’t have fancy clothes on them but instead wear basic pieces. The commercial shows that there is something that all of them need and will enjoy.

Each of them can prefer any hairstyle, and Dove offers them a product line to keep their hair safe and strong. All these women are a collective representation of the type of customers that Dove wants to attract. In this case, after analyzing all the details and characteristics of these females, it is clear that Dove focuses on the Nesters’ segment.

Target Segment: Nester

Lifestyle and Values: 

Representatives of this segment have a calm, peaceful, and passive temper. They are responsible and tend to have a well-organized daily routine. Traditional values and faith have a big importance for them. Nesters try to find something positive in every person and expect ethical and faithful behavior from everyone. These people avoid taking risks and prioritize their security. This is the reason why they tend to choose stable work positions that are also benefiting financially.

The family has immense importance for Nesters. They focus on all aspects of their activities and lives around them. People from this segment prefer to spend their free time with family whenever it is possible. They enjoy communicating and chatting with others. When it comes to their appearance, Nesters are not the ones who stand out. They usually look like average people and dress quite practical and simple.

Attitude to Shopping: 

People belonging to this target segment prefer to pre-plan everything before heading shopping. These people make shopping lists before visiting the store. Nesters mostly give their preference to stores where they are usually doing their shopping and don’t look for new options. Very often, they can give a big place and value to the opinions and tastes of other people.

This can also easily have an effect and influence on their buying decision. Nesters give preference to the products and brands that are popular and demanded by the majority. Despite this, they typically don’t follow trends in the market and tend to choose domestically produced products.

Positioning Plan of Dove

Doing positioning right can be crucial for every company despite its industry. Positioning is an effective way of creating a brand image in the mind of the customers. Different companies base their positioning on different aspects depending on the type of the company, product, etc. Dove has a remarkably interesting approach when it comes to the positioning strategy. Dove uses a mix of positioning based on product characteristics together with the one based on competition.

From the very beginning, Dove was emphasizing the moisturizing characteristics of its products. The moisturizing characteristics gave a unique sense of gentleness, care, and safety to the brand image. The company keeps using this attribute to this day. It evokes positive associations in the minds of customers thanks to the beneficial characteristics of their products.

Initially, Dove managed to differentiate itself from the others in the market by positioning its product as a “beauty bar” instead of soap. This is how the company managed to position itself based on competition. The “beauty bar” of Dove contained some amount of moisturizing cream which made the products more gentle and less drying for the skin.

As a result, the moisturizing attribute was treated not as just a product characteristic, but also as a differentiation point for the company. Later, when other companies also adopted this characteristic in their production lines, Dove managed to maintain its differentiation point through embracing the “real beauty” and diversity.

It’s time to discuss the Marketing Mix of Dove.

it is one of the most effective sets of tactics to promote products and attract customers. For this reason let’s go through the 4 Ps of marketing one by one.

Product: The range of products produced by Dove is remarkably extensive and diverse. Dove produces skincare, haircare, washing and bathing products as well as deodorants. The products of the company are best known for their moisturizing features. People with different skin and hair types can find something suitable for them from the product line of the company. Despite being more popular among female consumers, Dove creates products for men and children as well.  

Price: Dove is often perceived as a premium brand. Despite this, the products of the company are more on the affordable side. However, the pricing strategy of Dove is distinctive, as the products by this company are priced slightly higher compared to the products of the competitors. Anyways, thanks to high quality and moisturizing features, many customers spend extra money to purchase products from Dove.

Place: Dove products can be found in more than 80 countries around the world. The company has a remarkable advantage when it comes to distribution. Dove has access to the distribution channels of its parent company Unilever. The products of the company are sold through retailers. They are sold in supermarkets, wholesalers, chemists, and general stores. These places are the best option for making affordable products closer to the target segment of the company.

Promotion: Dove uses both conventional and unconventional methods to promote its products. The company ensures its active presence on TV, printed media as well as various digital platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Also, the company uses campaigns to transfers what it stands for. The focus of Dove is empowering women, embracing their beauty, and boosting their confidence. For example, one interesting thing that Dove does is featuring real women in its ads and campaigns instead of models.

It’s time to discuss the segmentation strategy of Nivea.

The target audience of Nivea can be easily identified by discussing the following commercial.

The commercial is active, engaging, and energetic. It has a sense of freshness, positivity, and dynamism. The music in the background is quite playful. The commercial features a group of females using a product by Nivea. It seems like the product perfectly suits all of them. These women are from different backgrounds, races, nationalities, etc. On the other hand, there are a lot of things they have in common. These females are beautiful, energetic, and attractive.

The viewer can feel their confidence and optimism. It seems like these women start each day with a clear mind, ready to conquer the world. Each of them looks put together and neat. They give big importance to the way they look and dedicate time and effort to take care of themselves. These females represent the segment that Nivea tries to target. All the described details of the characters of the video identify that Nivea focuses on the Chardonnay segment.

Target Market: Chardonnay

Lifestyle and Values: 

People belonging to the Chardonnay segment have a positive, practical, energetic, and optimistic attitude towards everything in life. They are quite spontaneous, adventurous, and open in their decisions and actions. These people are usually yes oriented. Anything interesting, engaging, new can attract Chardonnays easily. They prioritize their appearance and put much effort and time into the way they look. Representatives of this target segment strive to be attractive especially for people from the opposite sex.

After this, it won’t be surprising to mention that Chardonnays are remarkably stylish and strive to keep up with trends and time. Being trendy doesn’t influence their perception of values ​​and heritage. These two are especially important for them.

Typical Chardonnay try to live close to or in urban areas, where drive, dynamism, and active life is ensured. People from this segment are usually young professionals or students with middle to high-income levels. They enjoy being in the center of social events as well as to visit good places. That’s why they give importance to a good career and financial stability.

Attitude to Shopping: 

Chardonnays use shopping to look after themselves and take care of their appearance. These people spend most of their free time shopping and it can even be considered a lifestyle for them. Representatives of this segment try to always keep up with trends in the market and look stylish.

They are easily attracted to novelties and are driven to ads that are engaging and associable for them. When shopping, Chardonnays prioritize the quality of the products above all the other attributes that they have. These people are ready to spend more on fewer products but be sure that the quality is there. 

16 Personalities (Which one is for your business?)

Chardonnays are positive, energetic and optimistic people, who love trying new things, pay a lot of attention to their looks, and have an outgoing lifestyle. They are stylish, seek adventures, and consider themselves spiritual. 

Nivea has found a perfect segment, representatives of which will value their products and maximize profits. Chardonnays is only one of many, as the range of buyer personas is much wider. Want to get more on this? With the book 16 Personalities, you will discover a new world full of opportunities and endless potential for your business to grow. The detailed descriptions of all buyer personas will give you solutions to your marketing problems and help put emphasis on features your segment loves.

Positioning Plan of Nivea

Positioning can be a crucial success factor for companies from different industries. Accurate Positioning is key for creating a positive and attractive brand image in the minds of the customers. Different aspects can be used for creating a positioning plan.

Nivea needed to choose a positioning plan that would help to emphasize the strong attributes of the brand and its products. At the same time, Nivea wanted to transfer to the customers what the company stands for. Therefore, it combined the two most important aspects which are the quality and the price of their products.

The products of Nivea are known around the world for having great quality. The company was always striving to ensure and emphasize high quality for all the products it was placed in the market. This attribute remained unchanged throughout the years. As a result, the company managed to create a positive and trustworthy brand image in the minds of its customers. For this reason, Nivea has even considered a premium brand in some destinations.

Together with the quality basis of its positioning strategy, Nivea also puts focus on the price for its products. The company and its products are known for their affordability in the cosmetics market. The brand made sure that people from different backgrounds, social status, and income levels will be able to purchase the products by Nivea. This way, the price of Nivea products became another basis for positioning the brand.

Now, it is important to have a look at the Marketing Mix of Nivea.

Let’s discuss the 4 Ps of marketing one after another.

Product: The list of products that Nivea produces is very extensive. Its products are famous for their high quality and effectiveness. The company offers products for face care, skincare, personal care, etc. Nivea strives to continuously make products corresponding to the demands of the customers. It collects information and feedback from the customers all the time to identify their needs and create new products. Nivea creates products not only for women but also for children and men.

Price: Nivea’s for pricing is ensuring that customers get more value for the money they are paying for their products. Throughout the years, the products by Nivea were known for their high quality. Thus, in many destinations, the company is referred to as a premium brand. Anyways, Nivea prices its products reasonably, corresponding to the competition. It is known as an affordable brand, and many people get the chance to purchase the products of Nivea.

Place: Nivea products are sold in more than 50 countries. The company has strong distribution channels that make it possible to get the products to the customers in the fastest and most efficient ways. The products by the company can be found in retail stores, supermarkets, discount outlets, grocery stores, convenience stores, etc. At the same time, Nivea products are available on their website, and customers get the chance to shop from Nivea online.

Promotion: Nivea uses different strategies to promote its products. These methods are both traditional and nontraditional. Nivea actively promotes its products using TV ads, printed media, campaigns, and social media platforms. The company actively uses its account on Instagram and Facebook for promotional purposes and for staying in touch with its customers. Also, Nivea participates in promotional events and trade fairs.

Summing up, there are many reasons behind the present success and demand for Dove and Nivea. These two are known for their excellence and experience in the cosmetics industry. Customers have an immense impact on the success of every company and Dove and Nivea aren’t an exception. Carefully chosen segmentation strategy and accurate positioning made it possible to become as influential and strong as they are now. Check out the main page of our website for more posts like this.