About the Company
About the company
In 1890 in the United Kingdom, Lever Brothers, a company which specialises on the soap industry was founded. Over time, Lever Brothers increased its company size by acquiring several small businesses, but it was not till 1929 that Lever Brothers merged with Margarine Unie, a Dutch margarine company that was created just two years before this agreement, to create Unilever.
The culture and the values of this firm were stated clearly since the beginning and have remained constant over time. “To make sustainable living something daily” is the common goal shared by all the goods that Unilever produces and sells every day.
Product categories
More than 2000 people use Unilever products on a daily basis. The company produces and sells products under the name of more than 400 brands and it divides its product portfolio into the following categories:
- Food and drink: Hellmann’s, Knorr, Lipton, Maizena, Savora, Cica, McColin’s and Ri·k.
- Personal care: Axe, Dove and Dove Men, Lifebuoy, Lux, Moussel, Pepsodent, Rexona, Sedal co-creations, Clear, Impulse, Livopen, Pond’s, Suave, Vasenol and Williams.
- Home care: Comfort, Omo, Ala, Brilhante, Cif, Drive, Livopen, Rinso, Skip, Vim, Vivere, Cuñataí and Nevex.
We will focus on the product category related to shower gels inside Personal care, so we will analyse the brands Axe, Dove, Moussel and Williams.
Unilever is using different brands and varieties in this product category to satisfy the needs of the different segments of the market, combining “what’s needed” with “what’s possible”. They are reaching the maximum number of segments by aligning one brand with one segment, by doing so, they manage to target the maximum number of segments possible.
Segments targeted and positioning strategy (STP – Segmentation / Targeting Segment / Positioning)
PRODUCT LINE | SEGMENTATION | TARGET SEGMENT | POSITIONING |
AXE | Psychographic (Lifestyle) Demographic (Age, Gender, Income) Behavioural (Frequency of use) | Male teens of middle class who like to take care of their skin and feel identified with the identity of the brand: woman attraction | The leader gel for teen and modern men |
Dove | Psychographic (Lifestyle) Demographic (Age, Gender, Income) Behavioural (Frequency of use) | Teens and female adults of middle class who like to take care of their skin and that look for a quality, affordable shower gel | A product for all women to make them feel more confident about themselves |
Moussel | Psychographic (Lifestyle) Demographic (Family structure, Income) Behavioural (Frequency of use) | Families with a classic lifestyle and which prefer traditional products | A traditional shower gel for the whole family |
Williams Ice | Psychographic (Lifestyle) Demographic (Age, Gender, Income) Behavioural (Frequency of use) | Early adults of middle-high class, who care about the protection of the skin and search the sensation of freshness. | The perfect shower gel to take to the gym, as it is three in one (shampoo, body and face gel) |
Targeting and positioning strategies implemented by the main competitors’ brands
PRODUCT LINE | MAIN COMPETITOR’S BRAND |
AXE | Old Spice Shower Gel (P&G) |
Dove | Nivea (Beiersdorf AG) |
Moussel | Lactovit (AC Marca) |
Williams Ice | Gillette Body Wash (P&G) |
The response of the different brands to the market trends done by Unilever and its main competitors is quite similar.
The main competitor of Axe is Old Spice by Procter & Gamble. P&G has chosen to target teen and early male adults of low class who want to smell good but do not care a lot about the health of their skin, by implementing a positioning strategy based on becoming the shower gel for authentic, confident and successful young men.