In-Depth Marketing Strategy of UPL with Full compnay Overview

Updated on: May 22, 2021
Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study

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My name is Aditya Shastri and I have written this case study with the help of my students from IIDE's online digital marketing courses in India.

Practical assignments, case studies & simulations from Harvard Business Review helped the students from this course present this analysis.

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United Phosphorus Limited, popularly known as UPL, is one of the top five companies in the world when it comes to the generic agrochemical business sector.  

While this is a well-known fact amongst agrochemicals firms, there are still a surprising number of consumers out there that do not know much about this company. 

So in this case study, we will understand the marketing strategy of UPL by going through its 4Ps of the marketing mix, its marketing strategies and campaign along with its digital presence. Let us begin by first knowing about UPL as a company.

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About UPL

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - About UPL

United Phosphorus Limited is an Indian multinational corporation headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. 

The core business activity of the company is to cater to the agriculture sector. It is broadly an agrochemical company engaged in manufacturing products and services related to the agricultural industry.

The company was established back in 1969 about 51 years ago. Today, it has its presence spread across the world catering and solving the needs of the agriculture sector. 

In the chemicals sector, United Phosphorus Limited (UPL) has a plethora of experience. It has strong research and development (R&D) facilities in place and is actively involved in company acquisition rounds.

Now that we have an idea of what the company is all about in a brief, let us understand it further by going through UPL’s 4Ps of the marketing mix.

 

Marketing Mix of UPL

The marketing mix is the most fundamental and popular concept in the field of Marketing. The principles of the marketing mix model are based on 4Ps: Product, Price, Place and Promotion. 

The purpose of the marketing mix is to influence the customer and customers into buying a product. Let us see how UPL has formulated its marketing mix strategy.

 

Product Strategy of UPL

As previously said, UPL Limited is engaged in producing agricultural products such as a variety of high-quality seeds and crops as well as crop protection products like fungicides, herbicides etc.

 

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Marketing Mix - Product Strategy

 

The company also provides agricultural solutions like biosolutions, seed treatment, water conservation and public health-related services.

It has advisory services, namely, Adarsh Kisan Centre, Unimart, Adarsh Farm Services to help the farmers. 

 

Price Strategy of UPL

UPL Limited offers multiple products with an innovative and competitive pricing structure. The company has committed itself to provide its clients and customers with exceptional service at a competitive pricing range.

However, given that UPL has strong research and development capabilities, it also charges value-based pricing for its new innovations where prices are higher than the industry prices.

Regardless of the level of competition or economic climate, UPL Limited strives to maintain its competitive advantage by continually developing new technologies while simultaneously improving our client satisfaction levels with superior quality at a competitive rate.

 

Place & Distribution Strategy of UPL

UPL Corporation Limited has its presence all over the world catering to various demographics through its wide range of products and services.  It also uses e-commerce facilities to sell its products which helps it reach every part of India.

 

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Marketing Mix - Place & Distribution Strategy

 

The company has its operating branches established in 138+ countries throughout the world covering all the continents except Antarctica.

 

Promotion Strategy of UPL

UPL is a company that focuses less on marketing itself. Yes, UPL is one of those companies that has never gone out of its way to market itself. It has never launched a full-fledged marketing campaign for its products nor for any of its services. 

It’s also very much a case of money being spent on research and development as opposed to marketing the product. It has grown organically over the years.

However, the company also constantly works on enriching farmers’ lives by undertaking various welfare campaigns and open projects. 

This is how UPL has established itself on parameters of product, price, place and products. Let us now go through its marketing strategy that UPL relies on in the coming section.

 

Marketing Strategy of UPL

UPL Limited has always worked out one strategy and that is direct marketing. It didn’t rely on third parties or other mass mediums to promote itself.  It has grown organically over the years and still continues to do so thanks to its word of mouth marketing.

However, the company constantly works on CSR activities. Currently, UPL focuses on marketing itself by its sustainability programme campaign, OpenAg and through its digital presence.

 

OpenAg – A CSR Marketing Campaign of UPL

 

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Marketing Campaign - Open Ag

 

UPL has launched a worldwide sustainability campaign called OpenAg. This campaign seeks to be a hub for sustainable farming practices for a better future, benefiting farmers, customers and societies everywhere.

 

 

Through this sustainability campaign, it undertakes various agricultural projects and works with other companies, people and external stakeholders for innovation, new techniques and sustainable agricultural practices.

 

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Marketing Campaign - Open Ag

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Marketing Campaign - Open Ag

 

Digital Marketing Strategy of UPL

Over the past decade, the importance of digital marketing has become more apparent. Embracing a digital presence is not only a necessity for companies but also an important attribute for the successful implementation and growth of your business. A well designed and efficiently optimized digital presence can generate a lot of leads and conversions. 

So let us look at how UPL is working on these aspects.

 

Social Media Presence of UPL

Social media has become an important part of every business. It provides an avenue to customers, as well as allows direct interaction. Having a presence on major social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are incredibly important for your business in today’s market.

 

Social Media Presence of UPL
Facebook Instagram Twitter
Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Social Media Presence - Facebook Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Social Media Presence - Instagram Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Social Media Presence - Twitter
It has about 700k followers  It has 40.1k followers It has about 31.1k followers

 

UPL has maintained a decent presence on the major social media platforms. It also has many country-wise social media handles that help it engage with its audience better.

 

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study- Social Media Presence - Youtube

 

The company has low subscribers count on youtube. This problem can be addressed by increasing the number of subscribers. YouTube is a great platform that allows you to connect with your audience through video. It’s also a great place where you can attract new customers, and drive traffic to your website.

 

Focus on Digitalization

We now know that UPL is a helping hand to the farmers who strive to increase their productivity in a sustainable manner. The company has also started adopting digital transformation plans in the process. 

Future Media, a digital marketing agency was hired to roll out this digital transformation for both, national and global avenues.

 

Marketing Strategy of UPL - A Case Study - Digital Presence

 

With this we have come to an on this case study, let us go through the summary of the same in the coming section.

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Conclusion

Like several other competitive companies, UPL has a story of its own. Right from its birth, the company has been nurtured to become one of the largest exporters today. Also being a farmer’s friend, the company has rolled out a worldwide campaign focusing on sustainability. 

With the rapid rise of digital marketing all over the world, the company is working on digital transformation plans to reach out and engage with its target audiences.

Liked our work? Interested in learning further? Do check our website for more. Also, if you’re interested in Digital Marketing, you can check out our Free Digital Marketing Masterclass by Karan Shah.

Let us know your thoughts on this case study in the comment section down below. Thank you for reading, and if you liked our then do share this in your circle. 

Until then, see you next time!

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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]

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