Dove Whole Body Deo Creative Brief
Q4 2024
1
2
3
2
The Context Ask + Background
The Strategy Strategy + Opportunity
Inspiration & Provocations
Next Steps Timing + Considerations
What You’ll See Today
4
The Context
3
The Ask
4
Develop an experiential event for 200+ editors and influencers to celebrate the biggest deodorant (re)launch of 2025: Dove Whole Body Deo
RFP Submission: (1) Creative Concept with options for tiered scale
Budget: Gold ($400K-OOP/$100k - Fee); Silver ($200K-OOP/$50K-Fee); and Bronze ($80K-OOP/$25K-Fee) Idea
The Objectives
Primary: Buzz buzz buzz, create excitement & awareness of the launch
Secondary: Product education & differentiation
Experienced By Few
Seen By Many
Whole Body Deodorant Has Become a Bonafide Fad
5
Trending with multiple major CPG brand launches, Whole Body Deo seems to be everywhere. And in 2024, Dove got lost in the category explosion, falling for the same marketing tropes:
Source: Dove Whole Body Deo Experiential RFP Brief
To Shake Things Up, Dove Has Taken a Perfumed Approach
6
While they’re dialing up their skin care, Dove’s true differentiator is superior fragrances that feel inspired by notes you’d find in your favorite perfume
These scents include:
COOLING Spray
+2% glycerin & vitamin E
pH BALANCING Cream
+1.25% lactic acid (AHA)
ANTI-FRICTION Stick
+10% nourishing serum
*New to lineup
Source: Dove Whole Body Deo Experiential RFP Brief
The Strategy
7
No one really wants to talk about their pits, let alone their other bits
8
There’s a reason why all the marketing for deodorant uses euphemisms and puns - sweat and B.O. are kind of gross. But that doesn’t make us any less sweaty
15% of Americans are looking for a full-body solution
Searches for body deodorant were up over 4,000% from March 2023 to March 2024
Source: Unilever Research, Spate
Sweating is not just physical wetness + odor
- it’s emotional too
9
The emotional effects of sweat often create a sticky cycle
of anxiety that can quickly spiral
And there’s more things than ever to sweat about these days - from climate change to the election to the job market
Source: Dove Whole Body Deo Experiential RFP Brief
Internal or External Factors
Smell
Sweat
Even More Anxious / Shame
Sweat + Smell More
Anxious / Shame About Sweat & Smell
Yet still, we’ve become more judgmental of the stink
10
Every other day there’s a new article about a smelly celebrity, a new viral TikTok about stinky natural deo, or reddit threads about deodorant policies needed for clubs
As people have begun to live their lives again post-remote, we’re more aware of each other’s scents - and more self-conscious about our own
When you’re worried about your stink, you shrink
11
We’ve all had that moment
when you realize you’ve forgotten to put on deodorant for the day
Worrying about your smell makes you want to avoid others, take up less space, and makes you quieter
And the category isn’t helping by using cute euphemisms and playing into the shame of sweat by hiding your stink
12
Critics have accused whole body deo of of being of Feminine Hygiene 2.0: created to make
women feel bad about their bodies
Source: Allure, Bustle, Reddit Thread r/Feminism, Washington Post
But Dove knows the best deodorant shrinks your stink while you let your personal scent shine
13
Dove’s whole M.O. isn’t to focus on the shame, but instead what makes you feel confident; to live life a little louder, and their Whole Body Deo is created with that same mission in mind
While deo helps you take back control of your scent, fragrance helps you define it
14
Without stink to worry about, smell becomes a personal choice, fueling how you feel about yourself and how to you take up space in the world
Smell impacts up to 75% of our daily moods
In the quest for the perfect signature scent, people have begun to layer oils, lotion and sprays, all to create custom, multi-dimensional smells
Source: The Washington Post, Twisted Lilly, NSS G-Club,
If stink was about how we smell to others, scent has become about how we smell for ourselves
15
As a sensorial self-expression, people have begun to gravitate towards scents and perfumes with notes that are niche, controversial & deeply personal
Niche perfumes are expected to be valued at 6.2 billion by 2028
We’re choosing scents that aren’t rooted in other’s pleasure, but our own, making it an even deeper expression of self than before
Source: Veblen International,
Milk and marsh
-mallow
notes
Dill pickle scented perfume
Smelling like a London Fog tea
Notes of Tomato Leaves
The Opportunity
Smell Yourself
We’re leaving stink (& shame) behind at the door, inviting attendees to embrace their scentorial self through Dove’s Whole Body Deo line
16
Inspiration + Provocations
17
18
Fragrance can be incredibly loud, especially when you layer it on
Other than scent, what are other ways we can help attendees fill a room, experience the fragranced effects of Dove’s Whole Body Deo?
19
While Dove’s Whole Body Deo starts to play with scent & touch, there’s still 3 other senses to work with, and a million different ways to explore them
How could we reimagine the skin care and fragrance benefits of Dove’s Whole Body Deo in new sensorial ways? How does scent become sound?
20
Scent is transportative, often associated with key memories and locations that can make your favorite scents feel deeply personal
How could we create destinations for Dove’s Whole Body Deo, transporting guests to destinations our scents inspire?
21
You might think they’re unrelated, but guess again: Scent and Astrology are trending as a complementary pair to manifest your dream life
How can we play with fragrance’s unexpected dynamics in other aspects of life? What unexpected pairs does Deodorant have? (Deo Spicy Food?)
Next Steps
22
Timing
23
August
September
Key Considerations:
24
Questions? Thoughts?
Sweatin’ Anything?