3. Unilever
United Kingdom/The Netherlands
www.unilever.com
Beauty sales: $15 billion
Corporate sales: $55.5 billion
Key Personnel:
Patrick Cescau, group chief executive; Kees van der Graaf, president, Europe; Ralph Kugler, president home and personal care; James A. Lawrence, chief financial officer; Sven Dumoulin, joint secretary; Stephen Williams, joint secretary and general counsel; James A. Lawrence, chief financial officer; Neal Matheson, chief technology officer; John Ripley, deputy chief financial officer; Pascal Visee, group treasurer; Alan Johnson, chief auditor.
Products/Brands: Axe/Lynx, Rexona/Sure and Degree deodorants; Dove, Caress, Lux and Lever 2000 soaps; Pond’s and Vaseline skin care products; Organics, Salon Selectives, Sunsilk, Suave and Thermasilk shampoos.
Dove's Real Beauty campaign never gets old with consumers.
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New Products:
Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Butter and Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil, Vaseline Intensive Rescue line, Caress Exotic Oil Infusions, Pond’s Rejuveness, Sunsilk ThermaShine, Axe Maximus line of shower gels, Suave Exhale Body Washes and Lotions, Dove SkinVitalizer, Dove Energy Glow Daily Facial Moisturizer with a Touch of Self-Tanner, Dove Pro-Age Anti-Perspirant/ Deodorant.
Comments:
Unilever has changed its corporate structure, announcing the appointment of James A. Lawrence, former vice chairman of General Mills, as chief financial officer; Neal Matheson has joined the company in a newly created position of chief technology officer. The restructuring is part of a reformed governance and a “One Unilever” program to create consistency, deliver cost savings and pursue customers on a global scale. According to the company, these changes have helped make 2006 a year of progress, showing broad-based growth in all regions and in all categories. Chairman Antony Burgmans, who will be stepping down after 35 years with the company, reports that Unilever “regained the initiation in the marketplace resulting in top-line growth of 3.8% and a stabilization of market shares.” Burgmans will be succeeded by Michael Treschow, former chairman of the board of Electrolux.
Dove, which is billed as the world’s No. 1 cleansing brand with annual sales over $3.4 billion, has used real-life women, without re-touching for more than 40 years, but its current campaign has soared in popularity. Now, its new Dove Firming lotion series, which features women of all sizes and shapes, is almost guaranteed success. A bevy of new products has been added to the line, for everything from facial care to deodorant. This year, the brand focused on luxury, as consumers search for products that feel luxurious, but are also good for the skin. To meet this demand, Unilever developed a technology for whipping natural oils into cream, laying the groundwork for Cream Oil Body Washes from both Dove and Caress. To meet consumer demands for sophisticated fragrances, Dove introduced Dove Ultimate Clear in Smooth Cashmere. Dove’s White Beauty Bar, however, remains the company’s No. 1 seller.
Dove's Beauty Bar is still Unilever's best-selling personal cleanser SKU.
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Unilever has introduced dozens of new products in the past year. Sunsilk hair products launched in 2006, targeting 20-something women with everyday hair dramas. Eight collections, designed to appeal to different textures and problem types, have catapulted Sunsilk into the No. 1 position in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, where it’s sold under local-language names—clearly effective, with $1.4 billion in annual sales. The newest product is Sunsilk ThermaShine, a three-product system that delivers the benefit of shine and protection from heat styling damage caused by flat irons, blow dryers, etc.
In August, Pond’s launched Rejuveness, an anti-wrinkle cream targeted to the U.S. Hispanic market, specifically to women of Mexican descent. This product launched in Mexico in 2005, and is now the No. 1 selling anti-aging cream there.
The company’s century-old Rexona product, billed as the only deodorant tailored to the needs of both men and women, has added Rexona Crystal, pioneered to eliminate white marks on clothing, a problem common with aerosols and stick deodorants. Rexona Crystal is being particularly targeted to low-income markets via mini sticks and roll-ons, and distributed as part of school education programs.
Axe, a popular men’s grooming brand, continues to target men with seductive fragrances and marketing campaigns, including one in Colombia where a female approaches men in bars and sprays them with the fragrance. Axe recently introduced the Maximus line of shower gels with names that include Snake Peel, Groove, Recovery, Reload and Boost.
In 2006, Suave introduced a variety of products. Suave Exhale Body Washes and Lotions in four fragrances, including Calming, Inspiring, Alluring and Lively, were designed as mood-enhancers. Suave Kids introduced Suave Kids 2 in 1 Shampoo Smoothers in Cowabunga Coconut.
In addition, Suave introduced four distinct hair care regimens to its Suave Professionals line. Each of these collections includes a shampoo and conditioner in addition to a variety of styling aides tailored to meet individual hair care needs.
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