MG412 Marketing Mix Analysis: Dove Soap vs Baylis & Harding Soaps

This report provides a comparative analysis of Dove Soap and Baylis & Harding soap based on the principles of marketing, specifically focusing on the 4Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. It examines the target market of each brand, noting Dove's focus on women aged 18+ emphasizing natural beauty and Baylis & Harding's broader target including men and children with a focus on luxury. The report details the product offerings, pricing strategies, distribution channels, and promotional activities employed by both companies. Dove utilizes an integrated pricing strategy, while Baylis & Harding employs premium pricing. The report concludes by highlighting the importance of a well-planned marketing mix for successful product offerings and recommends focusing on product attributes that attract and retain customers. Desklib provides access to this and other solved assignments for students.

Principles of
Marketing

Executive Summary
The project highlights about the comparison between two companies in terms of target
market, product, price, promotion and place. Through conducting analysis, it can be identified
which brand is better in terms of engaging and attracting customers. It is important for
organisation to improve its market share and attract large number of customers towards the brand
in order to increase the profitability and growth of business.

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.........................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
FINDINGS.......................................................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION...............................................................................7
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................9

INTRODUCTION
Principle of marketing is a marketing idea which is used by organisation for developing
effective marketing strategy. Through these principles, company can build product promotion
strategy and increase its profitability and growth. Principle of marketing helps in facilitating
exchange between seller and buyer for mutual benefit of both the parties. It mainly includes
product, price, place and promotion (Kirgiz, 2016). The report is mainly based on principles of
marketing in which the effectiveness of marketing mix is analysed for two companies and also
the knowledge of STP marketing planning process is demonstrated. For accomplishing this
project, the chosen organisations are Dove Soap and Baylis and Harding soap. Dove is a personal
care brand which is owned by Unilever. The brand was introduced in March 8, 1957 and also the
products are offered in more than 150 countries. The products which are provided by Dove are
body washes, hair care, facial care products, deodorants, beauty bars and lotions (Backe, 2016).
Dove is one of the leading bar and liquid soap brands in UK. They generally target women of all
age above 18 so that company can make them aware about beauty and care of their skin. Baylis
and Harding soap is one of the luxurious brands in British which are owned by family. The brand
is committed towards the improving the customer experience by ensuring that customers must
enjoy the products and feel safe while using. Company doesn’t use plastic micro beads in any of
their product formulation and also they confirm that the products are paraben free.

FINDINGS
Comparison of Target Market:
The target market of Dove soap is women who take extra care of their hair, physical well being
and body. Customers who take extra care of their skin they generally prefer products which are
of no or minimal chemical effects on body. Dove Soap mainly focus female of age above 18
years who value natural and health beauty products. The market segmentation which is
implemented by Dove soap is psychographic segmentation as their main goal is to create
psychology in women that their beauty incorporates in all body shapes, size and age. Company
want and promote that every woman must believe in their inner beauty and looks beautiful in the
way they are. Dove market their soap by using people of all age, colour, body shape and size in
its advertisement (Hugar, 2018). They also promote their brand by short films and videos,
organisation also launches campaign in order to reduce negative media campaigns which exploit
self esteem and insecurity of women. Dove soap generally focuses on celebrating the unique
difference among women rather than ignoring it. They determine that the physical appearance of
women must be transformed from source of anxiety to source of confidence. The unique selling
proposition of Dove soap is helping females to realize their personal beauty potential by offering
them product that deliver real care (Taylor, Johnston and Whitehead, 2016). The mission of
Dove is to ensure that next generation must enjoy positive relationship and raise their self
esteem. On digital and social media also Dove target women who are active online and value
natural and healthy beauty products. There are various benefits of Dove soap as it helps in
cleaning skin gently and remove dirt in order to increase overall skin appearance. The soap of
Dove can be used in all seasons and also it minimises breakouts (Chavda, 2019). It keeps the
skin hydrated and minimise skin dryness. Dove soap also moisturises oily skin and reduce skin
roughness by making it soft and supple. By using Dove soap, female can nourish the skin
without making the skin look oily. It also focuses on minimising the skin breakouts as it occurs
due to hypoallergenic properties that can keep oily skin breaking out and reacting.
Baylis and Harding soap is luxurious British brand which has recently introduced
Goodness, it is a sustainable environmentally and vegan handwash collection. They have bring
natural hand wash line by getting inspired with nature and also it is developed with the
environment in mind so that they can target stores across the nation. Baylis and Harding soap
also get award for Goodness collection as it is mainly developed with 98% naturally derived

ingredients, dermatologist approved and organic extracts. Company have developed soaps of
four different flavours and ingredients such as Lemongrass and ginger, rose and geranium, sea
kelp and peppermint, Qud, cedar and amber. Company is also focusing on creating antibacterial
products in order to prevent people from spread of disease. The soap and handwash of Baylis and
Harding soap generally contains antibacterial protection so that they can keep customer’s family
safe and protected. The target market of Baylis and Harding soap is people of different age
doesn’t matter whether women, men or kids. They offer products to kids, women and men so
that they can enjoy the luxurious brand. The brand mainly focuses on attracting kid, women and
men by their soap products in order to create strong customer base.
Product:
The product of Dove is made up of few components such as synthetic surfactants,
moisturizing cream, vegetable oils and salts of animal fats. Dove mainly deals in body washes,
skincare products and soaps. Dove soap position itself better than other soap and also they
considered soap as beauty bar. It is known for providing moisturising, softener skin and
cleansing cream. The brand value which is created by Dove soap is high as it encourages female
to show their real beauty and sunshine by using their product. The functional level of Dove soap
is that they provide unprecedented memorable brand experience by making women feel
comfortable in their own skin (Stringer and et. al., 2018). By implementing Levitt’s model,
company can use idea of product as stratification of level. This model helps company to get
committed for making its plastic packaging reusable, compostable and recycle. By implementing
this model, the core benefit which is gained by consumers is that their product is safe for skin
and also it reduces dryness. The basic product of Dove is its soap which has created a great
presence in the market and also contributes in increasing the market share of Dove soap.
Augmented product of Dove is its iconic beauty bar that is better than soap as it helps in keeping
skin clear, smooth and soft (Ceil, 2019).
Baylis and Harding soap deals in various types of product for all age of people. The soap
product which is offered by company is with different features and ingredients such as sea kelp
& peppermint, oud, cedar and amber, rose and geranium & lemongrass and ginger. These
products are filled to brim and packed full most beautiful fragrance combinations. They also
have men’s collection bodywash in different fragrances such as black pepper & ginseng, citrus
lime & mint and the fuzzy duck. The soap provides luxury experience to customers by offering

them beautiful fragrance of products. By implementing Levitt’s model, the core benefit which is
gained by customers is that it is safe product which doesn’t harm the skin. The basic product of
Baylis and Harding soap is hand wash, soap and bath wash which is provided by brand in order
to prevent people from spread of disease. Expected product generally includes organic product
which is expected by customers nowadays (Srivastava, 2020). Augmented product of Baylis and
Harding soap is oud, cedar and amber bodywash which is different from any other soap.
Price:
Dove soap generally uses integrated pricing strategy for its products as it helps in keeping
pricing strategy affordable and reasonable but also distinctive. The price of Dove soap is bitter
high but they offer high quality product (Baskin and et. al., 2020).
Baylis and Harding soap is affordable and nice for customers as they can purchase the
products and brings every day luxury into everyone home. They use premium pricing strategy
which is afforded by premium and rich class people.
Brand Price
Dove £2.00 (£0.50 / count)
Baylis and Harding soap £4.50 (£0.30 /100 ml)
Place:
Dove is one of the leading and international brand that have global presence. It is spread
in various parts of world and also the products are manufactured in several countries. Dove soap
is available in general stores, chemists, supermarket and whole sellers. It is also available on
various ecommerce platform, customers can easily purchase the products from these portals. The
distribution of Dove soap is high as they deliver their product worldwide.
Baylis and Harding soap is available at their own website, customers can avail the
products of brand through buying its online. The products of Baylis and Harding soap come at
reasonable price with fastest delivery (Rohra and Sharma, 2016). It is also available on general
stores and supermarket on UK. But for other countries it is available on online shopping platform
and official website. The distribution of the product is limited as it is luxurious brand.
Promotion:
Dove soap has string brand awareness due to its branding and advertising, they also organise
campaigns and advertisement in order to increase the visibility of brand and develop positive

impact on mind of customers. They also endorse celebrity, use television, radio, magazines,
newspaper, billboards and social media platform in order to increase awareness of soap (Thomas
and et. al., 2020).
Baylis and Harding soap promote their product through social media sites and magazines in
order to attract more and more customers towards the brand. Company also have its own website
which helps in providing information of the product.

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
It is being concluded from the above information through conducting marketing mix,
company can plan successful product offering and also they can use their strength and avoid
unnecessary cost.
From the above information it is being recommended that organisation must focus on
offering product that helps customers to attract and prevent their skin from getting harm as it can
reduce the customer base.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Baskin, E and et. al., 2020. Dove: For Real Beauty Campaign. SAGE Publications: SAGE
Business Cases Originals.
Ceil, C., 2019. Advertising Objectives and Communication Strategies of McDonald and
Dove. Available at SSRN 3521066.
Chavda, K., 2019. An Experimental Review of Association between Brand Perceptions and
Brand Loyalty: A Study of Rural Gujarat Perspectives to Gender. Emerging Trends in
Global Management and Information Technology, p.85.
Hugar, G .G., Customer Behavior Analysis with Regard to Select Fast Moving Consumer Goods
with Special Reference to Branded Bath Soap Products {Empirical Study from Mumbai
City}.
Kirgiz, A. C., 2016. Green Marketing Mix. In Green Marketing: A Case Study of the Sub-
Industry in Turkey (pp. 23-61). Palgrave Pivot, London.
Rohra, D. and Sharma, D., 2016. Qualitative Study on Brand Passion: The Role of Admiration
and Experience. South Asian Journal of Management. 23(2).
Srivastava, R., 2020. For brand alliance social or cause related marketing which one is better? A
study in emerging markets. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector
Marketing. 25(2). p.e1656.
Stringer, T and et. al., 2018. Clinical evidence for washing and cleansers in acne vulgaris: a
systematic review. Journal of Dermatological Treatment. 29(7). pp.688-693.
Taylor, J., Johnston, J. and Whitehead, K., 2016. A corporation in feminist clothing? Young
women discuss the dove ‘Real beauty’campaign. Critical Sociology. 42(1). pp.123-144.
Thomas, K. M., and et. al., 2020. Diversity Performance, Social Surveillance and Rescinding
Human Rights: Understanding the Health Outcomes of Diversity Resistance. In Diversity
Resistance in Organizations (pp. 1-20). Routledge.
Online sources:
Backe, C., 2016. Dove Company History And Review: Real Beauty, Real Soap!. [Online]:
Avaliable Through <https://blog.mapleholistics.com/blog/dove-company-history-and-
review-real-beauty-real-soap/>

REFERENCES
Books and Journals