Unilever takes HUL strategies like small packs, cheaper variants to developed markets
Friday, September 28, 2012
MUMBAI: During a 2009 India visit, Paul Polman, CEO of Anglo-Dutch consumer goods major Unilever, couldn’t conceal his delight with the Indian subsidiary’s strategy of offering brands with multiple price and packaging options, helping consumers trade down or up depending on the state of the economy.
“If we had that (such options) in the United States, there is no reason why we would be hit in a recession. We have seen that we tend to do well in markets that have a wide portfolio of brands in a category. So, we are trying to do the same in other markets,” Polman had said.
Three years on, the UnileverBSE 1.57 % CEO’s words are ringing true in developed markets. The home & personal care and foods giant is now dipping into the sales strategies being deployed by outposts in developing and emerging (D&E) markets, such as India’s Hindustan Unilever LtdBSE 1.57 % (HUL), to appeal to recession-ravaged consumers in the US and Europe.
