Dove Social Media Audit
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Lexi Javorsky
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Section #1: Audit of Brand Accounts
dove products
Dove is a personal care brand that is widely known all over the world. They have a presence on most social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter), TikTok, YouTube, and LinkedIn. Dove’s main branding strategy is embracing natural beauty. They often post about body positivity and being your true self. This messaging is seen on each of their platforms. However, they do attempt to slightly alter their messaging to cater to the target demographic of each social media. Each platform has a variation of how they are used and the frequency at which they are used. In the Brand Audit above, I surveyed each social platform and reviewed the last 25 posts from each. I paid close attention to likes, comments, shares and views. This showed me how Dove is using their socials to effectively promote their brand.
After surveying each platform, the most used for does seems to be Instagram and TikTok. These platforms are not the most followed socials but they are the most frequently used. With these, Dove is taking a more modern approach in marketing their products. Through their content it is clear that they are attempting to resonate with a younger audience. This is seen with their use of trendy posts and aesthetic imaging. They also frequent posting on YouTube. This is where they post more long form videos and commercial advertisements. The platforms of X, Facebook and LinkedIn are frequented less. It appear as though they are doing this because they are trying to reach a different audience. For example, even though their Facebook has over 27 million followers their last post was over eight months ago. This is like because Facebook mainly attracts older audiences whereas platforms like TikTok and Instagram have more of the younger viewers. Overall, seems to have a decent social media presence that is engaging to all types of consumers.
Section #2: Observation of Social Media Care
After scouring their comment sections, Dove seems to be a very active brand. Across all platforms Dove’s team is fairly proficient at replying to comments. Not only do they highlight the positive feedback but they respond to questions and provide help when needed. Responding to comments is an essential part to keeping in touch with consumers. It shows their audience that they care about their feedback and what to know what they are doing that is good but also what they can improve upon. They are also not afraid to respond to negative feedback. This shows they care about their customers and also want to correct people when they make misconceptions about their products. This type of engagement allows the brand to maintain consumer relations and promote a positive image for their company. However, occasionally there were a few comments, specifically on Facebook, that were slightly negative that did not receive any attention from Dove. Whereas this could be seen as a bad move for the brand, I ultimately think it is the best choice for them to make. While it is good to respond to negative feedback sometimes “internet trolls” flood the comments in desperation for responses. By not responding, Dove is not wasting time on people who are just commenting to illicit a reaction but instead they are focusing on real customers that have genuine feedback and concerns.
Examples of comment interactions
Section #3: Observation of Social Comments
It can be tedious to search through thousands of comments to understand what people are saying about your product. Therefore, by using ChatGPT, I put a series of TikTok comments into the database to see what the top qualities of the products are, what people mention, what ideas users suggest, and other noticeable trends that are relevant. Here’s what it said:
Other Comment Trends:
Fear of Missing Out: Many users that do not have access the product express their concerns with missing out on trying the new products.
User Suggested Ideas:
International Expansion: Many users suggest the idea of bringing and making the products available to more countries
Expanding Scent: Some users give ideas for new scent options.
Qualities people like:
Excitement: TikTok users were very eager to hear the release of new products. This was specifically prevalent with international audiences.
Brand Love: many users expressed their overall love and admiration for the brand as a whole even on specific videos about certain products.
Section #4: Closing and Learnings
Overall, Dove seems to be doing a fairly decent job at monitering their social medias. They have a presence on all of the six major platforms. Their most frequented platforms are Instagram and TikTok. While they're least frequented are X, Facebook, and LinkedIn. This is like due to the fact that they are looking to target younger demographic of people so they are more tuned into the platform where they frequent more often. Even though they differ on their activity of each platform, they still remain engaged with consumers in the comment sections.
Learnings and Recommendations for Dove:
Most active on Instagram and TikTok
I recommend continuing to keep up with social media trends to target younger audiences
Based off their comments, there is a strong international want for Dove products
I recommend expanding the accessibility of products. Their is clear demand for the products therefore they should look into taking their more unique products global.
They are less active on some platforms than others
For months at a time they go without posting on some platforms, specially Facebook and LinkedIn. While it is clear they are focusing on newer platforms, it is still important to be consistent. Therefore, I recommend posting and replying more consistently on less used platforms to show that all customers matter.
Learnings and Recommendations for Nivea (Dove’s Major Competitor)
They focus on traditional scents
Dove has a wide variety of scents and many collaborations with other companies. Based on social media reviews these products are very popular. Therefore, I recommend that Nivea expand their scent range to connect with more audiences.
They do not have natural options
Many popular brands, including Dove, offer “clean” beauty options whereas Nivea does not. However for some brands their effort for sustainability can seem like “green washing”. That being said Nivea is also a sustainable brand. Therefore, I recommend showing off more sustainability in their advertising to attract more people.
A lot of their social posts feature their own staff
While it is good that they have a great staff that makes a lot of their content. It could be effective if to do more influencer or celebrity marketing.