This document provides a marketing communications plan for Dove chocolate. The strategic idea is to position Dove chocolate as increasing women's sexual desire and arousal based on a study showing chocolate can boost these factors. The plan aims to increase awareness of Dove chocolate by 40% among its target audience of career-oriented women ages 25-40 who want to boost their sex lives. Tactics will include advertising, promotions, public relations and direct marketing promoting Dove chocolate as a way for women to enhance intimacy with their partners.

1. Marketing Communications Plan
Master’s Project
George Mylona
IMC 409 - Methods of IMC
Spring 2010

2. Contents
 Executive Summary
 Situation Review
▹ History
▹ S.W.O.T Analysis
 Marketing Objectives
 Analysis of Communication Situation
 Strategic Idea
 Target Audience Analysis
 Positioning Strategy and Rationale
 Budget Recommendation and Rationale
 Communication Objectives and Strategies
 Tactics and Executions
▹ Advertising
▹ Sales Promotions
▹ Public Relations
▹ Direct Marketing
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3. Executive Summary
DOVE’s® chocolate principle to establish high quality, ensuring a silky, smooth texture and
delicious, lingering taste has been the key principle that drives the brand’s success since its
introduction in 1990. Similar principles, however, have been adopted by competitors too. After
the execution of a S.W.O.T analysis of DOVE® chocolate, there is a key point that could
differentiate and move DOVE® chocolate a step ahead of the competition.
The opportunity is derived from a study that shows women who include chocolate on their diet
are more likely to have higher levels of desire, arousal and satisfaction from sex than women
who don’t eat chocolate regularly.
To do so, DOVE® chocolate must target women who have low libido or sexual desire. This
group is consisted by a large percentage of the U.S women population who tend to spend more
money on quality products. Also, women in this group are professionally successful, they are too
busy with work and family and they seek new ways for boosting their sexual life with their
partners.
In order to obtain a successful marketing communications plan, the marketing communications
department of DOVE’s® chocolate will focus on increasing awareness by 40 percent and affect
positively the image of DOVE’s® chocolate throughout the six months campaign. Tactics for
accomplishing the marketing communications objectives will be print, online and out-of-home
advertising, sweepstakes and sampling will be used as value added techniques and a tie-in as a
fundamental execution. Public relations tactics will be used to build awareness at low cost and
direct marketing approach to contact current and potential consumers through emails.
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4. Business Situation
History Of DOVE® Chocolate
The history of DOVE® chocolate started in 1939 when Leo Stefanos a Greek-American
opened his candy shop at the south side of Chicago with the name DOVE®. In mid ‘50s,
watching his son running down the street after an ice-cream truck, Leo Stefanos created the
DOVEBAR® as an attempt to stop kids chasing the ice-cream van because he thought it was
dangerous. Not before long, DOVEBAR® a hand-dipping ice-cream in premium chocolate
became an instant success. Following the family’s tradition and his father’s footsteps, Leo’s
son got involved in the family business making the DOVE® chocolate known nationally.
During the late ‘70s, street vendors sold over one million of DOVEBAR® within a year
increasing the popularity of the DOVEBAR® and attracting the attention of other family expert
chocolatiers. In 1986, Mars Masterfood US a subsidiary of Mars, Inc acquired DOVE® and
soon enough it became the crown jewel of the company. Before launching DOVE®, Mars
refined the purity and taste of DOVE® introducing milk and dark chocolate bars in the ‘90s.
The company’s principle is to establish high quality, ensuring a silky, smooth texture and
delicious, lingering taste (dovechocolate.com).
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5. S.W.O.T Analysis
Strengths
• Exceptional quality: DOVE® chocolate is crafted from a specially selected blend of cocoa
beans to deliver the signature DOVE® chocolate. DOVE® Chocolate belongs to a line of
heart-healthy snacks that are guaranteed to contain at least 100 mg of cocoa flavanols per
serving. Cocoapro® cocoa is the most studied cocoa in the world in terms of health impact
(Journal of Hypertension, 2006).
• Tremendous Sales Increase: During the period 2005/2006 DOVE® had an unprecedented
growth of 44.3%, 36.2% in 2006/2007 respectively and 28.2% for the first 12 weeks of 2008;
facts that made DOVE® the fastest growing brand within the chocolate category and the
leading brand in the premium segment (Candy Industry, 173, 2008).
• Health Conscious: In early 2008, due to consumer’s openness to receive enhanced benefits
that go beyond the indulgence experience, benefits that deliver well-being and nutritional value,
Mars.inc introduced DOVE® Vitalize, a dark chocolate bar that contains healthful ingredients
like energy releasing B vitamins, plus the natural goodness of cocoa (Candy Industry, 173,
2008).
• DOVE® Chocolate Discoveries Program: In September 25, 2008, Mars Snackfood US
launched DOVE® Chocolate Discoveries, a national premium chocolate direct-selling business
available in the 48 contiguous states, offering exclusive chocolate products, recipes and non-
edible items. A new website was developed to introduce DOVE® Chocolate Discoveries and
connect both current and potential chocolatiers. Women and men can start their own at-home
business earning 25 per cent to 40 per cent on products they sell to consumers, extra income
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6. when they build and train a team of chocolatiers, and receive training material
(salesmomsnetwork.com).
• Global Recognition: DOVE® chocolate is available in more than 30 countries with yearly
sales around 30 million bars (Mars Inc, 2010).
Weaknesses
• DOVE® Promises Messages: Consumers complained in forums about the content of DOVE®
Promises messages on the foil wrapper that is shocking and stupid because a child read the
message “Temptation is fun…giving in is even better” which was considered as inappropriate
content (mybiggestcomplaint.com).
• DOVE’S® Lack Of Marketing: Mars Snackfoods emphasized on brands such as snickers and
M&M’s and less attention was given on DOVE® chocolate promotion since the early years of
its introduction (Advertising Age 74, 2003).
• Expensive for Mainstream Consumer: DOVE® chocolate is considered to be in the premium
chocolate category but its current distribution (which has doubled) in the convenience stores
channel seems expensive to the mainstream consumers (hhhh.org, researchandmarkets.co.uk).
Opportunities
• Health consciousness rise: The health consciousness increase leads to higher demand for low
calorie foods and well-being benefits. Consumers are aware about foods with high calories and
they are more concerned about the risks of obesity. DOVE® Dark chocolate contains
Cocoapro® cocoa which is a patented process of cocoa that preserves high levels of heart
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7. healthy flavanols which can increase blood flow. In order to attract a new target market,
DOVE® can target business professionals, who tend to work long hours and are health
conscious (Natural Health, 37, 2006).
• Target college students: A 2006 research indicated that chocolate consumption may boost
cognitive performance; volunteers who ate 3 ounces of dark and milk chocolate did 20 percent
better than those who didn’t consume any chocolate. Targeting college students with
promotional offers during exam periods is an opportunity for DOVE® chocolate to engage with
young people who like premium chocolate and want to boost their mental performance (Natural
Health, 37, 2006)
• Target women: Studies have shown that women who include chocolate on their diet are more
likely to have higher levels of desire, arousal and satisfaction from sex than women who don’t
eat chocolate regularly. Targeting women who have low libido or sexual desire is an
opportunity for DOVE® chocolate to increase its sales volume and market share among its
competitors (timesonline.co.uk).
• Target elderly: A 2009 research revealed that resveratrol, a compound found in dark
chocolate and cocoa, has been found to turn on the “longevity” gene which could assist
organisms with living up to 20% longer (Biotech Business, 22, 2009).
THREATS
• High Competition: Very high competition in the premium chocolate market; for example,
Hersey's, Ghirardelli and Lindt expand and add new flavors. Hershey holds a 45% share of dark
chocolate and it’s the top chocolate bar brand in the U.S (researchandmarkets.co.uk).
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8. • Common Differentiation: Chocolates in general can improve sexual desire; therefore, a
competitor can also position its brand the same way.
• Pricing Accusations: In 2009, among other market leaders, Mars Snackfood accused of a
conspiracy of raising the prices of chocolate candy by 10 percent in December 2002, 6 percent
in December 2004 and 5 percent in April 2007 (bloomberg.com).
• Government Regulations: Mars Snackfood as a manufacturer and distributor of food products
has to deal with a number of food-related regulations by the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA). The FDA regulations identify the standards of identity for certain foods, including
many of the company’s products. Also, FDA specifies the format and content that the labels
should have. Consequently, any changes on the regulations by the FDA would affect the
company’s operations and cost structure (fda.gov).
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9. Marketing Objectives
The marketing communications plan is based on the marketing objective of DOVE® chocolate
to increase its market share in the premium category of chocolate candy.
 Product: DOVE® chocolate is a product made to create chocolate indulgences with
careful attention paid on the quality, ensuring a silky, smooth texture and delicious,
lingering taste. Objective: Maintain the high quality and prestige in the premium
category.
 Price: The price of DOVE® chocolate is approximately $0.50 more expensive than the
competition but varies among the retail market. Objective: Keep pricing as it is so it can
be competitive in the premium category through the mainstream channel.
 Place: DOVE® chocolate does not offer a wide variety of its products through the
mainstream channel such as drugstore chains, supermarkets and convenience stores
whereas competitors have a greater variety. As a result, competitors have more shelf
space and much more visibility. Objective: Increase the variety and visibility of DOVE®
chocolate in the mainstream channels.
 Promotion: DOVE® chocolate is a brand that Mars Snackfood did not spent a lot of
money to promote it because a big part of the budgeting is spent on other brands carried
by the company with higher market shares such as M&M’s and Mars. Objectives:
Increase awareness of DOVE® chocolate and evidently increase market share by creating
a key differentiation in the mind of the consumer that DOVE® chocolate can boost
women’s sexual desire.
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10. Analysis of Communication Situation
DOVE® chocolate is a high quality premium brand targeting women, with 3.13 percent market
share in the chocolate candy category as of 2006 (Leading Chocolate Candy Brands, 2006). In
2008, Mars Snackfood US launched DOVE® Chocolate Discoveries, a national premium
chocolate direct-selling business available in the 48 contiguous states, offering exclusive
chocolate products, recipes and non-edible items. Today, approximately 2000 chocolatiers are
part of the DOVE® Chocolate Discoveries community with the majority of the participants
being women over 40 years old (salesmomsnetwork.com). DOVE® Chocolate Discoveries has
its own Facebook page with more than 6000 fans and it is obvious from many pictures from the
events and parties hosted by the chocolatiers that most of the women are over 40 (Figure 1). This
is important issue for consideration since the target audience of the campaign will be women 25-
40 years old.
During the month of February 2009 and 2010, DOVE® chocolate co-branded with E. & J. Gallo
Winery to offer consumers a premium chocolate and a wine pairing experience. A Valentine’s
Day- oriented promotion was centered on in-store promotion targeting people who are
entertaining at home, offering them the perfect indulgent experience of premium chocolate and
wine (mediapost.com). Also, in March, 2010, DOVE® chocolate in co-operation with E. & J.
Gallo Winery and iVillage, a website community dedicated to women who are sharing
information and advice, hosted an event in New York City for an afternoon full of indulgent
moments, decadent treats, beauty and relaxation treatment, music and much more. Invitations
were sent to iVillage members. Most of the members were pregnant and newly parents who like
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11. blogging, reviewing products and participating in such events (ivillage.com). Traditional
advertising on T.V, print and online focuses on women using words such as silky, smooth, melt,
moments, pure, saver, sight, experience and with the tagline “My Moment. My Dove.”
The problem with DOVE® chocolate is that it does not differentiate from the competition. Most
of the chocolate manufacturers are targeting women 25-40 year’s old mothers of one or two
children. DOVE® chocolate needs a stronger message to differentiate and stand out from its
competition in order to create awareness and as a result to increase its market share in the
premium chocolate category.
Figure 2
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12. Strategic Idea
To meet our marketing communication objectives we are going to use the following strategic
idea: based on a study by Urologists of San Raffaele hospital in Italy, it was revealed that
chocolate can increase women’s sexual arousal which is an opportunity for DOVE® chocolate to
differentiate against its competitors. The researchers questioned 163 women about their
consumption of chocolate and their sexual fulfillment. The study revealed that women who ate
small amounts of chocolate every day reported a higher desire than those who did not eat on a
daily basis. Dr. Andrea Salonia, author of the study claims that “women who have low libido
could even become more enormous after eating chocolate. I strongly believe eating chocolate
may improve their sexual function” (timesonline.co.uk). The reason that chocolate can increase
women’s sexual desire is because chocolate contains phenylethylamine and serotonin which are
mood-lifting hormones found naturally in the human brain. When people eat chocolate their
normal levels of phenylethylamine and serotonin are increasing which leads to positive feelings
of excitement and increased levels of energy (paganwiccan.about.com).
Laumann and colleagues at the University of Chicago conducted a survey in December 2009 to
American women (ages 18-59) with 33.4 percent of the women reporting that the most common
sexual problem was low sex drive or libido (womenshealth.about.com). According to the same
survey, 37 percent of women think about sex few times a month and only 33 percent think about
sex 2-3 times a week or more. The survey points out that happier women seem to think about sex
more often than unhappy women.
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13. Both surveys have great insights about chocolate and women. The connection of the two is an
opportunity for DOVE® chocolate to differentiate among its competitors and offer to women a
reason to eat chocolate more often.
Target Audience Analysis
The target audience for the plan is women ages 25-40, who attended college, with an annual
income of $40-75K, and are concerned about their sexual life and appearance. According to the
“VALS” psychographic segmentation they are likely to be Achievers.
Achievers are successful career and work-oriented people who like to, and generally do, feel
control of their lives. They value consensus, predictability and stability over risk, intimacy and
self-discovery. They are deeply committed to work and family. Work provides them with a sense
of duty, material rewards, and prestige. Their social lives reflect this focus and are structured
around family, church and career. Achievers live conventional lives, are politically conservative,
and respect authority and the status quo. Image is important to them; they favor established,
prestige products and services that demonstrate success to their peers.
Their usage experience would characterize as frequent shoppers of stylish clothes, shoes, sexy
underwear, hair and cosmetic products. Number one consideration is quality and then price. They
are frequent buyers of snack foods and chocolate candies, at least 2-3 times a week. They are
interested in fashion, beauty and health. More likely to buy or be subscribers of fashion and
beauty magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In Style, Harper's Bazaar,
Allure, and Marie Claire and health magazines such as Women’s Health, Health and Oxygen.
They are subscribers in health centers and attend 2-3 times a week. Most likely to be on-line
users who read blogs about fashion, health and beauty, share their interests in social networks
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14. and could be looking for on-line dating. They are likely to watch comedy, entertainment, health
and feature films T.V programs.
The selected age group is chosen due to the potential of higher profit. This group is consisted by
a large percentage of the U.S women population who tends to spend more money on quality
products. Also, women in this group are professionally successful, they are too busy with work
and family and they seek new ways for boosting their sexual life with their partners.
Positioning Strategy and Rationale
Among college educated women 25-40 DOVE® chocolate is the brand of premium chocolate
candy that increases women’s sexual desire, because it increases the normal levels of mood-
lifting hormones found naturally in the human brain that simulates the positive feelings of
excitement and being in love.
The positioning statement we have chosen is clear and distinguishes in the minds of the selected
target audience. It points out that DOVE® chocolate is the chocolate that increases women’s
sexual desire and explains with a rationale how it is possible to happen. We want to make
DOVE® chocolate the preferred chocolate candy to those women who want to boost their sexual
desire, arousal and satisfaction. It is a position which can stand out from the competition and
give to women an extra reason to eat chocolate more often.
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15. Communications Objectives and Strategies
The primary communications objective is to reach the target audience and position DOVE®
chocolate in their minds as the preferred chocolate candy to increase trial and consumption.
The communications strategies to succeed this plan would support the positioning goals of
DOVE® chocolate. Using all the components of a marketing communications mix as one
unifying idea, the chances of reaching and convincing the target market will be greater.
Advertising: Since the target audience spend most of their time out of home or while at home
are busy with their kids, the most suitable advertising vehicles will be print, online and out-of-
home advertising. Print advertisements in selective women’s magazines would be a beneficial
strategy to reach the target audience with a detailed message of the new positioning of DOVE®
chocolate. In view of the fact that most of the target audience spends a significant time on
internet, online advertising will be an essential vehicle to maximize market penetration. Out-of
home advertising will be used to achieve high frequency and reach the target audience while they
are driving or shopping in central areas.
Sales Promotions: To facilitate purchases of DOVE® chocolates, sales promotions should be
used. Sweepstakes and sampling will be used as value added techniques and a tie-in as a
fundamental execution. Sweepstakes will build awareness and involvement. Sampling will be
used simultaneously with the tie-in execution in an effort to attract new audience, enhance
imagery and introduce DOVE’s® chocolate new positioning. In addition with the tie-in, there
will be used an unconventional medium in Victoria’s Secret fitting rooms to facilitate an
interactive communication.
Public Relations: As a part of the marketing communications mix, public relations tactics will
be used to build awareness at low cost. First, a media event will take place in order to show to
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16. the media the research findings and the connection between chocolate and sex. Second, a news
release will be send to all major media to inform and create an initial awareness of the research
findings related to women’s sexual arousal and create believability. Third, a cause-related
marketing will be a tie-in charity using the organizations name/logo on the new DOVE’s®
chocolate packages. Forth, a dedicated website will be created to provide all related information
about DOVE’s® chocolate ability to boost women’s mood and lift libido.
Direct Marketing: A direct marketing approach will be used to contact current and potential
consumers through emails as an informative form about DOVE® chocolate new positioning and
encourage them to visit the new micro site for further information.
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17. Tactics and Executions
The campaign will use one unifying headline “What does sexy taste like?" and it will appear on
all marketing communications executions.
Advertising
 Print: Full page print advertisements will be placed in selective
fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour,
In Style, Allure, and in selective health magazines such as
Women’s Health, Health and Oxygen (Figure 2). The first
advertisement which it will be placed in the fashion magazines will
feature a young couple around 30’s in a sensual scene with the man
feeding the woman with a DOVE® chocolate and the headline
“What does sexy taste like?" The second advertisement which it
will be placed in the health magazines will feature a close-up of
DOVE® chocolate with the headline "What does sexy taste like?”.
In the first advertisement the goal is show the woman’s feeling
when a man is feeding her with chocolate and to create an
emotional sense of how sexy it is. In the second advertisement the
goal is to create an appetite appeal of DOVE® chocolate. At the
bottom of both advertisements there will be a copy with additional
information about the connection of chocolate and sex. The Figure 2
advertisements will appear on the first, third and sixth month issues
throughout the six month campaign of DOVE® chocolate.
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18.  Online marketing: In DOVE’s® chocolate website (landing page), a banner will be added
which will redirect visitors to a new micro site. The new micro site will provide all related
information about DOVE®’s chocolate ability to boost women’s mood and lift libido.
Visitors will have the opportunity to sign up by giving their name, address and email. By
signing up, visitors can share their DOVE® chocolate experiences, discuss with other
members, and ask sexologists for advice. Also, a dedicated blog will be created where special
articles will be shared by sexologists and psychologists. Google AdWords will be used to
display pay-per-click ads which will appear under 'Sponsored links' in the side column of
Google search page. Keywords related to DOVE® chocolate campaign will be purchased for
the better utilization of Google AdWords. Due to the increased use of social media, a
Facebook page and a Twitter account will be created so that consumers can follow and be
connected with DOVE’s® chocolate news and updates.
 Out-of-Home: Billboards advertisements will be placed in major cities central spots to reach
consumers while shopping or driving to work. The advertisements will be the same as the
magazine advertisements and they will be placed on high business builds and bus stops. This
will take place the first four weeks of the campaign to achieve high frequency and reinforce
the message of DOVE® chocolate in major cities.
Sales Promotions
• Sweepstakes: DOVE® will create a sweepstakes to build awareness of the new DOVE®
position by offering a romantic getaway to Paris, France to 5 women and their partners. The
prize for the 5 lucky women will include 2 roundtrip tickets to Paris, France, a luxury suite
for 5 days in the heart of Paris, and one day of special treatment with aphrodisiac spa,
massage and a romantic dinner at Le Jules Verne restaurant on the Eifel Tower. The
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19. sweepstakes will be announced as “Dove’s Voyage.” The company will create a list of
100.000 names with the specifications of the target group, business professional women, ages
25-40. In order to inform them, postcards will be created and sent to all names in the final
list. The postcard will explain the rules and give details on how to enter the sweepstakes.
Participants would either register online or complete the postcard and return it back. No
purchase required to enter the sweepstakes. The postcard will offer 10% discount on all
DOVE® chocolate products bought from the new online micro site of DOVE® chocolate
which will be dedicated to women who want to increase their sexual desire.
• Tie-In with Victoria’s Secret Underwear: A tie-in with Victoria’s Secret “Sexy Lingerie”
and “Sexy Dresses” collections is an opportunity for DOVE® chocolate to enhance its image
and attract women who care about their sexuality and want to improve their sexual
life/desire. “Sexy Lingerie” collection prices are $29 and up and “Sexy Dresses” collection
prices are $39 and up targeting women 25 years old and over. A special collection with
DOVE® chocolate colors (brown and red/orange) will be created by Victoria’s Secret
designers for the “Sexy Lingerie” and “Sexy Dresses” collections. Also, DOVE® chocolate
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20. displays will be featured at the “Sexy Lingerie” and “Sexy Dresses” sections in major stores
of Victoria’s Secret.
• Unconventional Medium: An ideal match to reach women who care and want to improve
their sexuality and sexual experience with their partners, a digital mirror will be used as an
unconventional medium in the fitting rooms of Victoria’s Secret to reach the target audience.
When a woman gets in the room and close the door, the headline of DOVE® chocolate
“What does sexy taste like?” will appear and then a visual of Victoria’s Secret angel
(models) will emerged in the mirror. The model will be at the backstage of Victoria’s Secret
fashion show with hairstylists and makeup artists getting the model ready for the runaway.
Then, the model will say to the woman “Do you want to know my secret? Come with me.”
Then, showing the model ready to go for the runaway, she will reveal a DOVE® chocolate
and eat it with pleasure transforming her mood to a passionate woman. Then she will say
“Now You Know how sexy tastes like” and get out in the runaway.
• Sampling: The sampling will take place in Victoria’s Secret major stores nationally for four
weekends during the launch of the DOVE® campaign. In-store sampling will be featured in
“Sexy Lingerie” and “Sexy Dresses” sections by Victoria’s Secret models. The models will
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21. be dressed in with the special collection of DOVE® chocolate dresses offering champaign
and DOVE® chocolates in silver trays with rose petals to women 25 years old and over.
Public Relations
• Media Event: Create a media event in New York City. We will contact various media
reporters who write about health columns in newspapers and women’s magazines to join us
for a media tour about DOVE® chocolate’s ability to boost women’s mood and lift libido.
The tour will be guided by the PR executive of DOVE® and it will feature various sections
starting with a section of Victoria’s Secret models offering DOVE® chocolates in special red
boxes. The models will be there in order to show to the media the tie-in of DOVE®
chocolate and Victoria Secret. Then, they will watch a presentation by various researchers
discussing how DOVE® Chocolate is boosting women’s mood and lift libido. After the
presentation, Dr. Travis Stork from The Doctors TV show will explain how women should
incorporate DOVE® chocolate in their lifestyle for maximum results. At the end of the event,
the media reporters will be given a media kit on a CD and hardcopy.
• News Release: A news release will be send to all major media to inform and create an initial
awareness of the research findings related to women’s sexual arousal and create believability.
The news release will include the following content:
Studies revealed that when comparing men and women sex drives, women have less desire
for sex than men. Men’s sex drives are not only stronger but are also more straightforward;
whereas, women’s libidos are much more difficult to arouse.
Quite a few million of US women are suffering from what doctors at the American Medical
Association call 'female sexual arousal disorder' (FSAD). According to sex therapists, lack of
libido in a long-term relationship is the most common complaint. Although lack of libido
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22. varies from person to person, some common psychological causes include stress and
overwork, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and relationship issues.
Chocolate contains tryptophan an essential amino acid that increases the production of
serotonin, an anti-depressant and natural stress-reducer. Increased serotonin levels in the
brain create positive feelings of happiness which can boost people’s mood. Chocolate also
contains Phenylethylamine which is a trace amine occurring naturally in our brains that
releases dopamine in the mesolimbic centre’s for pleasure. Phenylethylamine plays a vital
role when we fall in love and fell passion and its levels peaks during orgasm. Therefore,
chocolate consumption in moderation can boost women’s mood and lift libido, providing a
tantalizing prelude to sex.
• Cause-Related Marketing: In order to tie-in our marketing program with a charity, DOVE®
chocolate will donate money to the Mother Baby Foundation to support its efforts. Mother
Baby Foundation focuses on prenatal education, lactation consulting, and postpartum care.
This group of leaders, healthcare providers, and experienced moms assures that new moms
are in capable and caring hands. Mother Baby Foundation will be a good tie-in to support our
marketing program using the association’s name/logo on the new DOVE’s ® chocolate
package.
• Create your own Media: A dedicated micro site will be created to provide all related
information about DOVE’s® chocolate ability to boost women’s mood and lift libido. The
website will feature articles by scientists related to what causes lack of libido. It will also
feature tips from experts related to nutrition and sexual stimulation. This micro site will be a
place where women can be updated with information related to women’s sexual life. When
visiting the micro site, women would have the option to create a profile in order to discuss
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23. with the other members of the DOVE® chocolate community and they could also chat live
with experts.
Direct Marketing
• Email: Using the house list of DOVE’s® chocolate and Victoria’s Secret, emails will be
send to reach current and potential consumers. The first email will be send as an informative
form about DOVE’s ® chocolate new positioning and encourage them to visit the new micro
site for further information. More emails will be send in regular intervals with feature titles of
the articles posted on the new DOVE’s® micro site. Once they click on the title, consumers
will be redirected to the new micro site. It is a way to establish a good relationship with the
consumers and also create frequent visits to the new micro sit.
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10. Voris, B. V. (2008, April 1). Hershey, Mars, Nestle Accused of Fixing Candy Prices.
Retrieved March 26, 2010, from
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=aVzk7fuSWYBU&refer=canada
11. Wigington, P. (2009). Chocolate as an Aphrodisiac - The Magic of Chocolate. Retrieved
April 14, 2010, from
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/magicandspellwork/qt/ChocolateSex.htm
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26. • DOVE® chocolate needs a stronger message to differentiate and stand out from its
competition in order to create awareness and as a result to increase its market share in the
premium chocolate category.
• The reason that chocolate can increase women’s sexual desire is because chocolate
contains phenylethylamine and serotonin which are mood-lifting hormones found
naturally in the human brain. When people eat chocolate their normal levels of
Phenylethylamine and Serotonin are increasing which leads to positive feelings of
excitement and increased levels of energy
• Therefore, there is an opportunity for DOVE® chocolate to target women who want to
boost their sexual desire
• Advertising
 Print: Full page print advertisements will be placed in selective fashion magazines such as
Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, In Style, Allure, and in selective health magazines
such as Women’s Health, Health and Oxygen (Figure 2). The first advertisement which it
will be placed in the fashion magazines will feature a young couple around 30’s in a sensual
scene with the man feeding the woman with a DOVE® chocolate and the headline “What
does sexy taste like?" The second advertisement which it will be placed in the health
magazines will feature a close-up of DOVE® chocolate with the headline "What does sexy
taste like?”. In the first advertisement the goal is show the woman’s feeling when a man is
feeding her with chocolate and to create an emotional sense of how sexy it is. In the second
advertisement the goal is to create an appetite appeal of DOVE® chocolate. At the bottom of
both advertisements there will be a copy with additional information about the connection of
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27. chocolate and sex. The advertisements will appear on the first, third and sixth month issues
throughout the six month campaign of DOVE® chocolate.
 Online marketing: In DOVE’s® chocolate website (landing page), a banner will be added
which will redirect visitors to a new micro site. The new micro site will provide all related
information about DOVE®’s chocolate ability to boost women’s mood and lift libido.
Visitors will have the opportunity to sign up by giving their name, address and email. By
signing up, visitors can share their DOVE® chocolate experiences, discuss with other
members, and ask sexologists for advice. Also, a dedicated blog will be created where special
articles will be shared by sexologists and psychologists. Google AdWords will be used to
display pay-per-click ads which will appear under 'Sponsored links' in the side column of
Google search page. Keywords related to DOVE® chocolate campaign will be purchased for
the better utilization of Google AdWords. Due to the increased use of social media, a
Facebook page and a Twitter account will be created so that consumers can follow and be
connected with DOVE’s® chocolate news and updates.
 Out-of-Home: Billboards advertisements will be placed in major cities central spots to reach
consumers while shopping or driving to work. The advertisements will be the same as the
magazine advertisements and they will be placed on high business builds and bus stops. This
will take place the first four weeks of the campaign to achieve high frequency and reinforce
the message of DOVE® chocolate in major cities.
Sales Promotions
• Sweepstakes: DOVE® will create a sweepstakes to build awareness of the new DOVE®
position by offering a romantic getaway to Paris, France to 5 women and their partners. The
prize for the 5 lucky women will include 2 roundtrip tickets to Paris, France, a luxury suite
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28. for 5 days in the heart of Paris, and one day of special treatment with aphrodisiac spa,
massage and a romantic dinner at Le Jules Verne restaurant on the Eifel Tower. The
sweepstakes will be announced as “Dove’s Voyage.” The company will create a list of
100.000 names with the specifications of the target group, business professional women, ages
25-40. In order to inform them, postcards will be created and sent to all names in the final
list. The postcard will explain the rules and give details on how to enter the sweepstakes.
Participants would either register online or complete the postcard and return it back. No
purchase required to enter the sweepstakes. The postcard will offer 10% discount on all
DOVE® chocolate products bought from the new online micro site of DOVE® chocolate
which will be dedicated to women who want to increase their sexual desire.
• Tie-In with Victoria’s Secret Underwear: A tie-in with Victoria’s Secret “Sexy Lingerie”
and “Sexy Dresses” collections is an opportunity for DOVE® chocolate to enhance its image
and attract women who care about their sexuality and want to improve their sexual
life/desire. “Sexy Lingerie” collection prices are $29 and up and “Sexy Dresses” collection
prices are $39 and up targeting women 25 years old and over. A special collection with
DOVE® chocolate colors (brown and red/orange) will be created by Victoria’s Secret
designers for the “Sexy Lingerie” and “Sexy Dresses” collections. Also, DOVE® chocolate
displays will be featured at the “Sexy Lingerie” and “Sexy Dresses” sections in major stores
of Victoria’s Secret.
• Unconventional Medium: An ideal match to reach women who care and want to improve
their sexuality and sexual experience with their partners, a digital mirror will be used as an
unconventional medium in the fitting rooms of Victoria’s Secret to reach the target audience.
When a woman gets in the room and close the door, the headline of DOVE® chocolate
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29. “What does sexy taste like?” will appear and then a visual of Victoria’s Secret angel
(models) will emerged in the mirror. The model will be at the backstage of Victoria’s Secret
fashion show with hairstylists and makeup artists getting the model ready for the runaway.
Then, the model will say to the woman “Do you want to know my secret? Come with me.”
Then, showing the model ready to go for the runaway, she will reveal a DOVE® chocolate
and eat it with pleasure transforming her mood to a passionate woman. Then she will say
“Now You Know how sexy tastes like” and get out in the runaway.
• Sampling: The sampling will take place in Victoria’s Secret major stores nationally for four
weekends during the launch of the DOVE® campaign. In-store sampling will be featured in
“Sexy Lingerie” and “Sexy Dresses” sections by Victoria’s Secret models. The models will
be dressed in with the special collection of DOVE® chocolate dresses offering champaign
and DOVE® chocolates in silver trays with rose petals to women 25 years old and over.
Public Relations
• Media Event: Create a media event in New York City. We will contact various media
reporters who write about health columns in newspapers and women’s magazines to join us
for a media tour about DOVE® chocolate’s ability to boost women’s mood and lift libido.
The tour will be guided by the PR executive of DOVE® and it will feature various sections
starting with a section of Victoria’s Secret models offering DOVE® chocolates in special red
boxes. The models will be there in order to show to the media the tie-in of DOVE®
chocolate and Victoria Secret. Then, they will watch a presentation by various researchers
discussing how DOVE® Chocolate is boosting women’s mood and lift libido. After the
presentation, Dr. Travis Stork from The Doctors TV show will explain how women should
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30. incorporate DOVE® chocolate in their lifestyle for maximum results. At the end of the event,
the media reporters will be given a media kit on a CD and hardcopy.
• News Release: A news release will be send to all major media to inform and create an initial
awareness of the research findings related to women’s sexual arousal and create believability.
The news release will include the following content:
Studies revealed that when comparing men and women sex drives, women have less desire
for sex than men. Men’s sex drives are not only stronger but are also more straightforward;
whereas, women’s libidos are much more difficult to arouse.
Quite a few million of US women are suffering from what doctors at the American Medical
Association call 'female sexual arousal disorder' (FSAD). According to sex therapists, lack of
libido in a long-term relationship is the most common complaint. Although lack of libido
varies from person to person, some common psychological causes include stress and
overwork, anxiety, depression, exhaustion, and relationship issues.
Chocolate contains tryptophan an essential amino acid that increases the production of
serotonin, an anti-depressant and natural stress-reducer. Increased serotonin levels in the
brain create positive feelings of happiness which can boost people’s mood. Chocolate also
contains Phenylethylamine which is a trace amine occurring naturally in our brains that
releases dopamine in the mesolimbic centre’s for pleasure. Phenylethylamine plays a vital
role when we fall in love and fell passion and its levels peaks during orgasm. Therefore,
chocolate consumption in moderation can boost women’s mood and lift libido, providing a
tantalizing prelude to sex.
• Cause-Related Marketing: In order to tie-in our marketing program with a charity, DOVE®
chocolate will donate money to the Mother Baby Foundation to support its efforts. Mother
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31. Baby Foundation focuses on prenatal education, lactation consulting, and postpartum care.
This group of leaders, healthcare providers, and experienced moms assures that new moms
are in capable and caring hands. Mother Baby Foundation will be a good tie-in to support our
marketing program using the association’s name/logo on the new DOVE’s ® chocolate
package.
• Create your own Media: A dedicated micro site will be created to provide all related
information about DOVE’s® chocolate ability to boost women’s mood and lift libido. The
website will feature articles by scientists related to what causes lack of libido. It will also
feature tips from experts related to nutrition and sexual stimulation. This micro site will be a
place where women can be updated with information related to women’s sexual life. When
visiting the micro site, women would have the option to create a profile in order to discuss
with the other members of the DOVE® chocolate community and they could also chat live
with experts.
Direct Marketing
• Email: Using the house list of DOVE’s® chocolate and Victoria’s Secret, emails will be
send to reach current and potential consumers. The first email will be send as an informative
form about DOVE’s ® chocolate new positioning and encourage them to visit the new micro
site for further information. More emails will be send in regular intervals with feature titles of
the articles posted on the new DOVE’s® micro site. Once they click on the title, consumers
will be redirected to the new micro site. It is a way to establish a good relationship with the
consumers and also create frequent visits to the new micro sit.
•
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