Unilever is one such brand that is known by everyone. A popular household name, Unilever has a myriad of products including food, candy, energy drinks, cleaning detergents and solutions, pet food, healthcare items etc. The list honestly goes on: try picking up any product and check the logo at the back. Unilever has built an empire unlike no other.
| Company Name | Unilever |
| Incorporated In | 1929 |
| Mission Statement | “is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good, and get more out of life.” |
| Vision Statement | “to be the global leader in sustainable business. We will demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance, consistently delivering financial results in the top third of our industry.” |
Company Overview
Nearing a decade long journey, Unilever was born in 1929 in London and Rotterdam. Not many know this but the company was actually formed as a merger between two companies, Dutch Margarine Unie and Lever Brothers (a British soapmaker).
Unable to invest capital in Europe, Unilever went on to acquire big players in various fields and industries. This Dutch-British multinational consumer goods brand owns over 400 brands worldwide.
With a turnover of 53.7 billion euros in just 2017, Unilever has been able to invest capital in its brands efficiently which led many brands to reach a turnover beyond a billion euros individually.
Mission Statement
The Unilever mission statement is, “is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good, and get more out of life.”
Mission Statement Analysis
Unilever promises three key satisfaction aspects in its mission statement:
- adding a sense of spiritedness in people’s lives
- meeting demand for essential products to sustain life
- collaborate with brands that make people feel good, look good, and get more out of life
“Vitality” is an aspect that people expect from Unilever’s products. Unilever’s key strategy statement is, “…to create long-term value for our stakeholders.” These values are taken to a position of trustworthiness through the utmost candor.
Unilever recognizes the bridge between “everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene, and personal care” with the need to “feel good, look good, and get more out of life”. Thus, it is able to combine their scientific prowess with the goodness in products that consumers seek. This helps them contribute to a better lifestyle in people’s lives and ultimately help them achieve “vitality in life”.
Unilever has built a brand position for themselves where they always incorporate humanitarian work with all the brands that they work with. For example, attaining sustainable goals and bringing a positive impact on the world is something it has set to endeavor since the very beginning. It has done commendable work in contributing to saving the environment, improving healthcare for the underprivileged, promoting fishing, agriculture, and water issues, etc.
Vision Statement
Unilever’s vision statement is, “to be the global leader in sustainable business. We will demonstrate how our purpose-led, future-fit business model drives superior performance, consistently delivering financial results in the top third of our industry.”
Vision Statement Analysis
As mentioned in the mission statement analysis, Unilever has a successful brand positioning as a sustainable business mogul. Its greatest endeavor is to promote products for wellness by keeping the current ever-changing market conditions. This instills their efforts in building a business that is only lifting the future, ensuring positive impacts on people’s lives and on the world itself.
Through these acts of sustainable schemes, Unilever is able to persuade consumers to keep their fight towards sustainability at the heart of all that they do. They convince customers to join the team to ensure a healthy planet for the future.
Lastly, Unilever strives to attain a leading position in the top third of the industry by showing incredible numbers. The company’s 2020 vision is to help one billion people have a grasp on their health and wellbeing, improve the supply chains so that people have more favorable livelihoods, and to halve the impacts of environmental waste from all its products in the line. This is possible because while maintaining a corporate responsibility, they have been able to achieve glorious market share numbers that aid them in promoting positive social impact furthermore.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Unilever spend on R&D?
Answer: Unilever spends about 1 billion euros each year where they have a portfolio of patents and patent applications. Unilever has professionals who work consistently by building its brands through constant innovation.
Final Words
Even though the company’s mission and vision statements implicate a strong desire to attain sustainable lifestyles through its products, the vision statement vaguely mentions details on the goals they want to achieve throughout its journey.
Perhaps Unilever could clarify the goals they want to aim for in detail to attain a significant market positioning. This will help them persuade customers far better and establish a leadership stance in the industry.
References
1. En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Unilever. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilever
2. releases, P., 2020. Unilever Puts Vitality At Core Of New Mission. Unilever global company website. https://www.unilever.com/news/press-releases/2004/04-02-12-Unilever-puts-vitality-at-core-of-new-mission.html
3. Unilever global company website. 2020. Our Strategy. https://www.unilever.com/about/who-we-are/our-strategy/
