A Comparative Analysis of the Marketing Mix: Dove and Sure Deodorants

This report offers a comparative analysis of the marketing strategies employed by Dove and Sure deodorants. The study begins with an executive summary outlining the report's key focus on the marketing mix, encompassing product, price, place, and promotion. The introduction underscores the significance of marketing and its practical applications, specifically in the context of Dove and Sure, two prominent brands in the personal care industry. The main body delves into a detailed comparison of the brands' target markets, product offerings, and the application of Levitt's model to assess product stratification. It further examines the distribution strategies (place), pricing models, and promotional activities of both brands. The report highlights Dove's value-added pricing strategy and Sure's moderate pricing approach. The conclusion synthesizes the findings, emphasizing the importance of marketing mix elements in formulating effective strategies for competitive advantage. The report references various sources, including books, journals, and online resources, to support its analysis and conclusions. The report is a detailed examination of the marketing mix of both brands and provides insights into how the theoretical concepts of marketing are useful for organizations to formulate the strategies which can provide competitive benefits.

PRINCIPLES OF
MARKETING

Executive summary
Marketing known as the part of management, that identified and satisfied the
need of customer. Marketing mix included 4 p's that i.e. product, price, place and
promotion provide broad guidelines for putting the right product, at right price and right
place. This report included the marketing mix of two brand Dove deodorant and Sure
deodorant. This report compared the target market and 4 p’s of the both brands. This
report used Levitt's model for identified the stratification level of product. This report was
showed that Dove deodorant used a value-added pricing strategy. And Sure deodorant
charged moderate price for its product.

Table of Contents
Executive summary........................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................4
MAIN BODY.......................................................................................................................4
Target market.................................................................................................................4
Product...........................................................................................................................4
Place..............................................................................................................................5
Pricing............................................................................................................................6
Promotion.......................................................................................................................6
CONCLUSION...................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES..................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Marketing is an activity that encourages the buying and selling of goods and
service. It includes selling of products, advertising, promoting, and delivering of the
product to other business or a consumer. The purpose of this assignment is to
understand the concepts of marketing mix and their applications in real world examples.
The further sections of the report will provide a critical comparison of the marketing mix
strategies of two famous brands Dove and Sure. Dove owned by Unilever inventing in
United states. Dove is personal care brand that includes moisturisers, deodorants, facial
care products, body wash etc. it is an antiperspirant brand created by Procter and
Gamble and now acquire by Helen of troy in United States (US). This report explains
about the target market and market mix (4 p’s) of both brands.
MAIN BODY
Target market
Target market means identify the customer whom company want to sell its
products (Mothersbaugh, Hawkin and Kleiser, 2019). Target market specify the
customer, or age group, class and income level that company actually targeting
(Palmatier and Crecelius, 2019). Deodorant is a routine use product for the most of
people, and the teenagers are very active to use the deodorant. Target market are
divided in three segment “Demographic segment “that includes education, Age, gender,
etc. psychographic segment includes interest, lifestyle etc. and last one is behavioural
segment includes brand interaction, purchasing habits or spending habits, user status
etc (Bilgin, 2018). Dove deodorant is targeting an upper middle-class people. It’s main
focus on age between 18 to 35 women. Normally it is use by a household, working
women and teenagers all are very active customer of deodorants.
Sure deodorant target women. The focus of sure deodorant on the age group
between 16- 45. This product is suitable for the low to middle class person. This product
purchase in both rural and urban cities. In UAE there is a very hot climate so this
product is targeting the UAE customer. Sure reformulate its product, innovate a new
pack designs and also establish the sure crystal range of anti – white mark deodorant.

Product
There are so many products that dove brand produce like hair care products,
Moisturiser, deodorant etc. There are a large variety of brands, that sale the deodorant.
Dove deodorant is antiperspirant, that offer 48 hours of sweat and odour protection.
Dove deodorant is specially formulating for females. Packaging of deodorant is softer
silver – modify with touches of copper. The packaging of Dove deodorant is very
attractive.
Sure deodorant is also an antiperspirant brand, that offer 72 hours of sweat and
odour protection in a spray. Sure deodorant is UK’s no. 1 antiperspirant deodorant. That
provides all day freshness for dry and positive feeling to customer. Packaging of sure
deodorant is also attractive, simple but exciting.
Levitt’s model
Levitt’s model is a model that is based on the idea of product as stratification of
level. This model says that there are 4 level basic level, expected level, augmented
level, potential level (Thabit and Raewf, 2018). The previous level cover in each upper
level (Kono and Clegg, 2017).
The first level of Levitt’s is basic product in which the product satisfies only a core
benefits or need of the product. The second one is expected product that cover all
characteristic with the basic attributes that consumer normally expect. The third level is
augmented product that cover all attributes normally the product exceeds the
customer's expectations. And the last forth level is potential product that cover original
attributes of the product that differentiate the offer.
Dove deodorant may be come under the third level that is augmented product, in
which product exceeds the customers’ expectations and the sure deodorant come
under the second level in which product meet the customer’s expectation.
Place
Dove deodorant have a global presence because it is an international brand. This
product is a mass market product that mean brand use maximum outlets to sale their
product. Dove deodorant brand presence in several countries like India, United States,
china, Canada, Thailand, Germany Pakistan, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia, Mexico, etc.
This product is trade in almost eighty countries with the help of effective supply network.

product available to consumer via Retail store, General store, supermarket, Malls
(Steenkamp, 2017). Due to retail store in different countries it is easy for a customer to
purchase it. Through the retail channel of Dove product, it will help the dove deodorant
to be available at each and every small retail shop in both rural and urban area, so
availability in rural area of this product help to pitch a customer and that will help the
brand to increase their market share. In urban area along with retail store they also start
of e – commerce that will help to increase the sale of Dove deodorant rapidly. Because
today era most of customer prefer online shopping because it save the time of customer
and also online trading is easy to reach or access to customer.
Sure deodorant well establish brand and it is spread across the world. It is the
one of best brand when it comes to antiperspirant. Sure is known by different names in
different countries like Rexona in japan and south Korea, Shield in south Africa, degree
in U.S. and Canada. Due to technological advancement and progress now everything
done through online, Sure deodorant product is also available online t o its customer in
37 countries.
Pricing
Dove deodorants projected as premium product in market, Dove deodorant keep
the pricing policy affordable and distinctive. Dove deodorant price is bit higher but it also
provides a qualitative product and the quality of product helps the brand to implement
the pricing strategy effectively (Waller, 2020). Dove deodorant use a “value added
pricing policy’ for its products. Value added policy mean customer pay more or a high
price for product because company add an additional feature in product that
differentiate from the competitors. In these strategies the main focus is on how
customer see the product, and customer are willing to pay for its product. Normally a
middle to upper-level customer pays high price for good quality product. Company has
to find out the highest price point that customer willing to pay for it brand product. For
apply this strategies brand has to find out the market value of the product that includes
the find out actual value of product that company offer to their customers and also find
out the competitor’s price of same type of product. In this strategy, brands also do the
research like survey, testing by interact with customer and know their point of view
regarding the product and also explain the additional feature of product to customer.

Sure deodorant product is for low to medium class people. This brand charge
moderate price for their product. Sure deodorant also provides the discount and the
various offer to customer (Yiran, and Jiajia, 2021). The moderate price and various offer
that Sure deodorant provides it will help to attract the customer because offer attract the
customer to buy that product and that will help to pitching a large audience toward the
brand and also help in brand awareness among the people.
Promotion
Promotion and marketing play a huge role in the success of brand. Due to Brand
and advertisement Dove created a strong brand awareness in the costumer. There are
many different methods of promotion for product are available like media marketing,
online promotion, advertisement in newspaper etc. Dove deodorant use different ways
to promotes the brands like advertisement in television, advertisement on radio. They
also do promotion on printed media like advertisement in newspapers, magazines etc.
Dove also have presence on social media, they also advertise on social media like
advertisement on Facebook, Instagram, twitter etc (Kohne, 2019). Dove deodorant use
a very unusual advertising strategy like instead of selecting a celebrity for advertisement
they select ordinary girl for their advertisement.
Sure deodorant also uses many promotional strategies to promote the product in
market. Sure deodorant use both traditional and unconventional strategies for promotion
of the product. Traditional strategies involve advertisement through newspapers,
advertisement on television, advertisement on magazine, advertisement through direct
mail, advertisement on ratio etc. unconventional strategies of advertisement is a low –
cost marketing strategy that are using only for once or temporarily promotes the product
of company. For example, people wearing a T-shirt of logo of brand at the event,
providing a free sample at the events etc. Sure deodorant use a several sports athletes
as its brand ambassadors. Brand also sponsor the sports team like Sure deodorant
sponsor the Olympians and other sport people.

CONCLUSION
From the above the report it had been conclude that both brand Dove deodorant
and Sure deodorant is an antiperspirant deodorant that is specially formulated for
female. The key purpose of the study was to apply the marketing mix elements on
practical applications. In this study both the brands Dove and Sure were analysed using
marketing mix element. Thus it helped in understanding that how the theoretical
concepts of marketing are useful for organisations to formulate the strategies which can
provide competitive benefits. Dove deodorant is for middle and upper class people and
sure deodorant is for lower and middle class people. Both have global presence across
the world. Dove deodorant used the value added price strategy. Sure deodorant charge
moderate price and also provides various offers. Dove deodorant is traded in almost
eighty countries and Sure deodorant traded through online in almost 37 countries. Dove
deodorant not used celebrity for their promotion, they used ordinary people for the
promotion or advertisement of the product. Sure deodorant used both traditional and
unconventional method for promotion in which they select sports athletics for the
promotion of brand.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bilgin, Y., 2018. The effect of social media marketing activities on brand awareness,
brand image and brand loyalty. Business & Management Studies: An
International Journal. 6(1). pp.128-148.
Blut, M., Teller, C. and Floh, A., 2018. Testing retail marketing-mix effects on
patronage: A meta-analysis. Journal of Retailing. 94(2). pp.113-135.
Kohne, A., 2019. Target Market. In Business Development (pp. 75-84). Springer
Vieweg, Wiesbaden.
Kono, T. and Clegg, S. R., 2017. 8 Product-market strategy. In Transformations of
Corporate Culture (pp. 241-276). De Gruyter.
Mothersbaugh, D.L., Hawkin, D.I. and Kleiser, S.B., 2019. Consumer behavior: Building
marketing strategy. McGraw-Hill Higher Education.
Palmatier, R. W. and Crecelius, A. T., 2019. The “first principles” of marketing
strategy. Ams Review. 9(1). pp.5-26.
Palmatier, R.W. and Crecelius, A.T., 2019. The “first principles” of marketing
strategy. Ams Review, 9(1), pp.5-26.
Steenkamp, J. B., 2017. Global brand strategy: World-wise marketing in the age of
branding. Springer.
Thabit, T. and Raewf, M., 2018. The evaluation of marketing mix elements: A case
study. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 4(4).
Waller, T., 2020. Discovering Your Target Audience. In Personal Brand
Management (pp. 37-49). Springer. Cham.
Yiran, D. and Jiajia, L., 2021. Joint pricing strategies of multi-product retailer with
reference-price and substitution-price effect. Journal of Data, Information and
Management. pp.1-15.
Online
Baldwin, G., 2020. What is value-based pricing. [Online]. Available through <
https://www.omniaretail.com/blog/what-is-a-value-based-pricing-strategy >
Bhasin, H., 2019. Marketing Mix of Dove – Dove Marketing Mix. [Online]. Available
through: < https://www.marketing91.com/marketing-mix-dove/>
Pratap. A., 2019 MARKETING MIX OF DOVE. [Online]. Available through <
https://notesmatic.com/2019/05/marketing-mix-of-dove/ >