Super Detailed Case Study on Hindustan Unilever Marketing Mix & Strategy (with SWOT Analysis)

Updated on: Oct 20, 2022
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Introduction

FMCG implies fast moving consumer goods which are oftentimes bought fundamental or unimportant products, for example, food, beverages, toiletries, and soda pops and spoils. They are items that have a fast turnover and moderately minimal effort. Quick moving purchaser products are otherwise called Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) (Samantha, 2016). Steadily, 2.5 billion individuals use Unilever items to feel better, look great and get more out of life. Unilever’s 400 brands are confided in each of the 190 nations they offer to and along these lines they have developed into one of the world’s best shopper merchandise organizations (Kathrin Jansen, 2016). 

The corporate technique of FMCG like Unilever assumes a fundamental function in furnishing business elements with a market bearing and the detailing and execution of corporate methodology which helps in furnishing organizations with capacities and abilities to keep up and create satisfactory movement with the reliably changing business climate, helps in the advancement of a key vision and spotlight on large business objectives and goals. The function of corporate technique turns out to be exceptionally huge when the business works all around the world. Unilever is expanding its endeavors. Through its settled dissemination network in both the customary and present day retail sources and with a decent capacity to adjust effective worldwide brand ideas to suit nearby business sectors. Unilever is in a fortunate situation to have the option to gain by the development gauge in the districts. In the beautifying agents and toiletries around the world industry, there is no uncertainty that Unilever’s significant competitors, throughout the following, will be Procter and Gamble and L’Oreal, the two brands are huge assets to new item improvement action, and react to changes in the market quicker than Unilever. L’Oreal likewise has the advantage of being only engaged with beauty care products and toiletries, dissimilar to both Unilever and Procter and Gamble which both have cross-industry association, for example, in bundled food. Much similar gathering of opponent organizations contends in a wide range of nations. Accordingly, the opposition seeks after the organization to be more creative in building up its items and keeping up it’s brands (Kalsoom, 2013).

 

Unilever SWOT Analysis and Marketing Strategy Case Study - Unilever

 

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History of Unilever

William Hesketh Lever established Lever Brothers in 1885. Switch set up cleanser processing plants the world over. In 1917, he started to enhance nourishments, securing fish, frozen yogurt and canned food sources organizations. In the Thirties, Unilever improved innovation with the growing business. The business developed and new goals were dispatched in Latin America. The innovative soul of the originators and their mindful way to deal with their workers and their networks stay at the core of Unilever’s business even today. Unilever was framed in 1930 when the Dutch margarine organization, “Margarine Unie” converged with British cleanser creator Lever Brothers. Both organizations were going after similar crude materials, both were engaged with huge scope promoting family items and both utilized comparable conveyance channels. Between them, they had activities in more than 40 nations. Margarine Unie developed through consolidations with other margarine organizations in the 1920s(Unilever, 2016). In a set of experiences that currently cross three centuries, Unilever’s prosperity has been impacted by the significant functions of the day – financial expansion, misery, universal wars, changing buyer ways of life and advances in innovation. What’s more, all through they’ve made items that assist individuals with getting more out of life – cutting the time spent on family tasks, improving nourishment, empowering individuals to appreciate food and deal with their homes, their garments and themselves. Towards the start of the 21st century, the Way to Growth procedure zeroed in on globally popular brands. Like never before, how brands are helping individuals ‘feel better, look great and get more out of life’ – a notion near Lord Leverhulme’s heart over a hundred years ago(Parvin, 2017). In March 2015, Unilever affirmed it had agreed to procure REN Skincare, a British specialty skincare brand. This was continued in May 2015 by the procurement of Kate Somerville Skincare LLC. In October 2015, Unilever consented to get the Italian premium frozen yogurt producer GROM for an undisclosed sum. On 16 August 2016, Unilever obtained Blue air, a provider of versatile indoor air filtration advances. In September 2016, Unilever obtained Seventh Generation Inc. for $700 million. On 16 December 2016, Unilever procured Living Proof Inc. a hair care items business. In March 2018, the organization reported that its base camp will be moved totally to Rotterdam, finishing its double Anglo Dutch structure and UK enlistment site. Indeed awarded Unilever as the UK’s ninth best private area boss dependent on a huge number of representative evaluations and surveys.

 

Unilever’s Business Model

Unilever’s plan of action starts with shopper knowledge that illuminates brand advancement, and cover the following things(Unilever, 2015):

Assembling: Unilever has the world’s No.1 flexibly fast assembly lines, as indicated by Gartner. 306 processing plants have been focused intensely in productivity and eco-creation.

Coordinations: Unilever concentrating its activities with an organization of worldwide Ultra Logistic control proves their intentions to improve client support, reduced expenses and lessen CO2 discharges. We progressively utilize half breed vehicles and rail as opposed to street.

Promoting: Unilever’s different stages to accomplish slice through in a profoundly divided media. Successful advanced promoting is basic and impacts shopping at all phases of the dynamic cycle and through all channels.

Deals: Unilever works intimately with retailers to win in the commercial center, ensuring all brands are consistently accessible and appropriately shown, in all channels from markets to the internet business.

Buyer understanding: Unilever applies knowledge into patterns, yet in addition, the capacity to anticipate them to keep the upper hand.

Joint effort: Unilever works with governments, NGOs and different partners to drive change that is useful for society and useful for business, and work with accomplices in our flexible chain, to make advancements in items and bundling.

Advancement: Unilever R&D (innovative work) mission is to construct brands through advantage driven development opened by science and innovation.

Sourcing: It has a €34 billion yearly obtainment program including farming crude materials, 51% of which are reasonably sourced.

 

Unilever Products

Unilever’s Personal Care, Foods, Home Care and Refreshment classes each contain an arrangement of brands that intend to convey steady, serious, beneficial and mindful development upheld by interest in advancement and promoting. Unilever has 13 brands with deals of €1 billion or above and a developing number of Sustainable Living brands, for example, Axe, Dove,Heart Brand, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lipton, Lux, Magnum, Omo, Rama, Rexona, Sunsilk, and Surf that convey solid social or ecological advantages. They effectively deal with their portfolio and in 2015 added a Prestige healthy skin range in personal Care through obtaining, and zeroed in a portion of our foods brands in another baking, cooking and spreads business (Unilever, 2015).

Unilever works in excess of 190 nations and is available in seven out of ten families universally. A few topographies are new; others, they have been in for over 100 years. Despite the fact that the brand works in certain business sectors that are unpredictable, with explicit dangers, the size and scale give hazard enhancement and consistency Unilever’s Personal Care, Foods, Home Care and Refreshment classes each contain an arrangement of brands that intend to convey steady, serious, beneficial and mindful development upheld by interest in advancement and promoting. Unilever has 13 brands with deals of €1 billion or above and a developing number of Sustainable Living brands, for example, Axe, Dove,Heart brand, Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lipton, Lux, Magnum, Omo, Rama, Rexona, Sunsilk, Surf that convey solid social or ecological advantages and they effectively deal with our portfolio and in 2015 added a Prestige healthy skin range in Personal Care through obtaining, and zeroed in a portion of our Foods brands in another Baking, Cooking and Spreads business (Unilever, 2015).

 

Unilever Branding Strategy

A brand is a name, term, sign, image or plan, or a mix of them, proposed to recognize the merchandise or administrations of one vendor or gathering of dealers and to separate them from the clutter in the market. Unilever is globally notable. This is on the grounds that Unilever keeps up a severe principle and utilization of its logo and different images, designs and so on. All the brands of Unilever have separate marking systems, however, each has a Unilever logo, plan, philosophy and message.

 

The 5M of Unilever’s Advertisement

The effectiveness of advertisements can be estimated by different techniques like digital ad ratings, consumer neuroscience, radio airplay and online streaming and so on. Showcasing and advancement of Unilever happens on an assortment of mediums, delegates or stages. The conventional mediums incorporate into print, radio, TV, POSM, retailers, merchants and so forth while the online mediums incorporate web based business, web-based media, web index showcasing and so on.

 

Unilever SWOT Analysis and Marketing Strategy Case Study - The 5M of Unilever’s Advertisement

 

The focal point of Unilever is moving from conventional media platforms to modern ones like social media. As more brands and individuals are engaging on social media, it gives a huge opportunity to attract individuals to brands. The primary focal point of Unilever is to make an omni-channel communication showcasing the organization where clients can draw in with the organization from any place they need to buy from any place.

Unilever is engaged with supporting a great deal of corporate social responsibility (CSR) which includes sports, imaginative exhibitions, network and social mindfulness raising projects. Numerous functions are made by Unilever also. By and large various brands of Unilever are related to supporting various functions. Ordinarily, Unilever together advances a function with different organizations as well. All the sponsorship of Unilever must match with its feasible improvement plan and basic beliefs (Parvin, 2017).

 

Unilever’s Marketing Strategy

All exercises and projects, which FMCG advertisers plan and perform, do that to convey an incentive to the FMCG buyers and to win their dedication, so it can be viewed as a mix of the item: the value, the conveyance organization, and the limited time methods.

 

Unilever SWOT Analysis and Marketing Strategy Case Study - Unilever’s Marketing Strategy

 Market Segmentation of Unilever

 

Unilever’s Marketing Mix 

All the brands of Unilever have diverse market divisions depending on their highlights and incentives. The cost fluctuates relying upon the kind of items that the brand intends to market. Unilever utilizes practically all the special devices accessible to advertisers. The results of Unilever are found in more than 190 nations. All the brands of Unilever have separate marketing strategies but each of them have a Unilever logo, plan, belief system and message. In its logo, it has 25 icons speaking to every significance of Unilever’s each of the 400 brands. Unilever has over 165000 workers, everywhere around the world with a huge organization of retailers and distributors(Unilever, 2016). Most Unilever items come in plastic packs or containers. They can be bought in retail locations, shopping centers, online and so forth.

 

Unilever SWOT Analysis and Marketing Strategy Case Study - Unilever’s Marketing Mix

The customers or clients of Unilever can be partitioned into different classifications in terms of ages, pay, and what Unilever can provide to them. The consumers of Unilever are from all age groups. The individual and home segment portion has an age group between 14-50, and income level is medium to high. The food division’s age bunch begins from the age of 5 and inclination for tasty and sound nourishments. The expense of the results that Unilever incorporates into production, packaging, showcasing, dissemination and so on is the cost which is likewise included into the pricing of the products (Kalsoom, 2013). Unilever utilizes different correspondence mediums and furthermore investigates and considers new mediums, however, the customers of Unilever buy items from retail locations, super shops, online shops and so on, and Unilever effectively puts conscious efforts to improve store areas than their primary competitors.

 

Unilever SWOT Analysis and Marketing Strategy Case Study - Unilever’s Marketing Mix - Target Market

 

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Conclusion

Unilever has pursued this marketing strategy since the buyers in developing business sectors are profoundly centered around cost. It can give nearby contenders the edge, except if an organization can discover an approach to pull in purchasers with deal costs just as better items. Unilever accepts the fact that productive development ought to likewise be liable for development. Unilever’s effective image advancement program is upheld with a significant level of showcasing and publicizing exercises which includes most of the media platforms. As there are numerous open doors in the unfamiliar business sectors, yet the inclination of danger is the same as circumstances. The incredible research and development (R&D) wing, enhanced and separate product offerings and market investigation are terrific significant components that cause an organization to make the most of its latent capacity and great piece of the overall industry in the unfamiliar market. To keep up a more fruitful brand an incentive there must be brilliant coordination and incorporation between the brand chiefs in the showcasing division. 

If you liked our analysis of Unilever’s marketing strategy, be sure to check out the series of case studies on various other companies’ strategies written by our students. IIDE makes its students capable to analyse and curate such campaigns and studies. If you would like to gain these skills yourself, IIDE offers various digital marketing courses for people just like you. Start your journey in upskilling yourself today!

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Aditya Shastri

Lead Trainer & Head of Learning & Development at IIDE

Leads the Learning & Development segment at IIDE. He is a Content Marketing Expert and has trained 6000+ students and working professionals on various topics of Digital Marketing. He has been a guest speaker at prominent colleges in India including IIMs......[Read full bio]

2 Comments

  1. Kabindra

    Very good information which is helping me

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  2. Sachin Adsare

    Nice information

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