I was really stumbled when I saw the Dove MEN +CARE ad for the first time on Belgian television. How is it possible that Unilever extends the Dove brand in such a contradictory way? This ad for Dove MEN +CARE embodies power instead of the softness and tenderness that we are used to associate Dove with. See it for yourself on Youtube.

Won’t this line-extension hurt the female Dove brand in the long term? I’m afraid it will create confusion in the mind of the prospects about what the Dove brand stands for.  Power or softness? A brand for men or a brand for women? Sure, in the short term sales of the Dove brand will definitely increase but I’m also quite sure that on the long term Dove MEN +CARE will damage the original Dove brand image.

Isn’t Unilever aware of the 22 immutable laws of branding? Or did they found out that the laws of Al and Laura Ries aren’t immutable after all? Let’s go through some of these rules of branding together so that you can decide yourself.

The 22 immutable laws of branding of Al Ries and Laura Ries was first published in 1998 and describes 22 rules you should follow when executing a branding program. According to the authors branding is creating the perception in the mind of the prospect that there is no product like yours.

The law of expansion says that the power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope. If you put your brand name on everything it will loose its power. If you know this, using the Dove name in Dove MEN +CARE doesn’t seem very smart.

Let’s look at another law: the law of contraction.  According to this law a brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus. It’s not a good idea to offer too much. Instead it’s better to focus on one category. You can always discuss about the scope of a category but I perceive body wash products for men and women as different categories.

The law of the word says that you should strive to own one word in the mind of the customer.  Volvo owns safety, Fedex owns overnight. To me, Dove owns softness but this property is now under attack.

The law of extensions teaches us that it will become less clear what the Dove brand stands for. If Unilever wants to target the men population, it should start a new brand and not extend the existing brand in a contradictory way.

Do I think that you should blindly follow the 22 laws of the Ries family? Certainly not but I do believe that you can learn much from them because they make you focus. I also believe that Dove is extending its brand too far with Dove MEN +CARE. Only the future will learn us if it was a success or not but I’m curious what you think about it. Please give me your opinion.

I’ll end this post with a short overview of the 22 laws.

1. The law of expansion
The power of a brand is inversely proportional to its scope

2. The law of contraction
A brand becomes stronger when you narrow its focus.

3. Law of publicity
The birth of a brand is achieved with publicity, not advertising

4. Law of advertising
Once born a brand needs advertising to stay healthy

5. Law of the word
A brand should strive to won a word in the mind of consumer

6. Law of credentials
The crucial ingredient in the success to any brand is its claim to authenticity

7. Law of quality
Quality is important, but brands are not built by quality alone

10. Law of extensions
The easiest way to destroy a brand is to puts its name on everything

11. The law of fellowship
In order to build the category, a brand should welcome other brands.

12. The law of the generic
One of the fastest routes to failure is giving a brand a generic name

13. The law of the company
Brands are brands, companies are companies. There is a difference.

14. The law of subbrands
What branding builds, subbranding can destroy

15. The law of siblings
There is a time and place to launch a second brand.

16. The law of shape
A brand’s logotype should be designed to fit the eyes. Both eyes.

17. The law of color
A brand should use a color that is the opposite of its mayor competitor’s.

18. The law of borders
There are no barriers to global branding. A brand should know no borders.

19. The law of consistency
A brand is not built overnight. Success is measured in decades, not in years.

20. The law of change
Brands can be changed, but only infrequently and only very carefully.

21.  The law of mortality
No brand will live forever. Euthanasia is often the best solution.

22. The law of singularity
The most important aspect of a brand is its single-mindedness

If you want to learn more about the 22 immutable laws of branding you can view the nice presentation of Samantha Johnson on Slideshare or buy the book at Amazon.

If you want us to help you with your branding strategy, please give us a call at +32 (0)15 444 000 or contact us via our online form.

Bart De Bodt
Consultant at The House of Marketing