Competitive analyses

Dove Chocolate prides itself on its delicious attributes. Many people who prefer Dove Chocolate is because of its "richness" and "smoothness" that they say surpasses other brands of chocolate. Dove Chocolate's biggest competitor would be Hershey's Chocolate. "Very few products, services, or groups are unique; most are parity products, that is, they offer qualities and functions similar or identical to those of their competitors. Branding and advertising differentiates these parity products, services, and groups in a crowded marketplace." (Chapter 4, pg. 50) The Hershey Company is the largest producer of quality chocolate in North America and a global leader in chocolate and sugar confectionery.  The Hershey Company has operations throughout the world with revenues of more than $6 billion, Hershey offers confectionery products under more than 80 brand names, including such iconic brands as HERSHEY'S, REESE'S, HERSHEY'S KISSES, HERSHEY'S BLISS, HERSHEY'S SPECIAL DARK, KIT KAT, TWIZZLERS, JOLLY RANCHER and ICE BREAKERS. Although being one of the leading producers of quality chocolate in North America there Hershey's does face some challenges. When The Hershey Co. outlined its five-year strategy to bulk up revenues to $10 billion by making significant inroads on the international stage, the company set out on a path that analysts find necessary for it to grow but analysts also caution that it will include an uphill slog in some markets. Basically, Hershey’s plans to use the Hershey's, Reese's, Ice Breakers, Kisses and Jolly Rancher candies to grow abroad, according to its presentation to investors. The company also plans to use what it's learned in the U.S. about consumer satisfaction, process improvement and marketing to better approach international markets. Seeing how Hershey's prides itself on how much money they make through all the brands they sell, DOVE chocolate focuses on the customers experience, that is what differentiates DOVE from Hershey's and that is how my campaign will be bigger and better, because this is something Hershey's has not done."What differentiates a brand is how it is characterized, its visual and verbal identity as expressed in each media unit and through every point of contact. Simply stated, differentiation is what distinguishes one brand from the rest." (Chapter 4, pg. 52) DOVE chocolate focuses on the experience. They believe in the power of chocolate to transform a mood, a party, a gift, even a life. “That is why it is critical to understand how a strategy and idea can work across media and how to start a conversation with people." (Chapter 4, pg. 49) Perhaps Dove’s confidence in its product also stems from the positive global impact Dove has been able to achieve thanks to research on chocolate sustainability.