Dove
Company: Unilever
Brand value: US$6,354 million
Change since 2019: -2%
Headquarter city: London
Industry: Personal Care
Year formed: 1957
Dove has been a pioneer in the personal care category, taking a deliberate step away from traditional portrayals of beauty and encouraging everyone, particularly women, to feel comfortable in their own skin. The long-running #RealBeauty campaign champions inner beauty and body confidence. In 2019, that included a focus on how different women maintain their armpits, celebrating everything from scars, glitter, tattoos and other variations on “normal”. In the US, the brand has been part of the CROWN Coalition, which aims to end discrimination against black people because of their hair.
In response to the COVID-19 outbreak, Dove has promoted the importance of handwashing, as well as the importance of supporting young people’s mental wellbeing while schools are closed. The brand has also provided free products to NHS workers, pharmacists, charities and food banks throughout the UK. Globally, the brand has donated soap, sanitiser, bleach and food where they are needed, and has adapted production lines to make sanitiser for hospitals and other institutions. Inspired by photos of medical staff after their shifts, a COVID-era “Courage is Beautiful” campaign has run in several markets.