Dive Brief:
- Dove released a 30-second spot on YouTube titled “Celebrate Men Who Are There to Care This Father's Day” that reflects parent company Unilever’s shifting approach to marketing to men following the results of its own research showing that only 7% of men relate to depictions of masculinity in today’s media, per a Google post and Ipsos research .
- Dove’s YouTube content includes highlighting ways that care makes men stronger along with the product benefits messaging, said Adam Domian, senior brand manager of Dove Men+Care, in the Google post.
- The brand's shifting media buying and creative approach is also based on Ipsos research that uncovered 91% of dads watch YouTube monthly and also found that 80% of millennial dads watch YouTube for parenting content, a higher portion than moms for the same content at 71%.
Dive Insight:
Dove Men+Care has been marketing to men using what the New York Times called “dadvertising” in a report earlier this month, but it isn’t the only Unilever brand whose approach is changing. Axe has moved away from its hyper-masculine marketing messaging to also begin presenting a different look for the brand such as with its recent “Is It Ok For Guys?” campaign.
Unilever's focus on strengthening the emotional connection with men is smart given that the global men's personal care market is expected to grow 5.4% annually over the next few years to reach $166 billion by 2022.
Unilever's Dove built a reputation for using its marketing to ask consumers to rethink stereotypes around female beauty. For the most part these efforts have been successful, garnering the brand loyal customers and industry praise. Now that the marketer is stepping up efforts to apply a similar strategy to its men's personal care lines, that experience is likely to serve it well. Hopefully, it can avoid repeating mistakes like Dove's recent introduction of limited-edition packaging reflecting different body shapes that was not well received by consumers.
Dove's new YouTube content starts with a disclaimer of sorts to celebrate not just fathers, but “all the men who were there to care” and depicts grandfathers, teachers, uncles and coaches in interactions with kids of various ages. It ends with a question, “Who was #theretocare for you?” followed with a screen requesting, “Thank him this father’s day.”
The latest effort fits into Dove Men+Care’s approach to father’s day marketing over the past couple of years, with a 2015 spot having focused on first fatherhood moments while last year’s spot celebrated dads as heroes.
