
Prizes & Awards
This case is amongst the top 50 most popular cases in the 50 years history of The Case Centre – 1973-2023
2022 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in Marketing
2022 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2021 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2021 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in Marketing
2020 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2020 The Case Centre Best-selling Classic Case in Marketing
2019 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2018 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2017 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2016 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2015 The Case Centre Best-selling Case in Marketing
2014 The Case Centre Best Selling Case in Marketing
2013 The Case Centre Best Selling Case in Marketing
2012 ecch Best Selling Case in Marketing
2011 ecch Best Selling Case in Marketing
2010 ecch Best Selling Case in Marketing
2009 ecch Best Selling Case in Marketing
2008 ecch Best Selling Case in Marketing
Overall Winner 2008, ecch
2007 ecch Best-selling Case in Marketing
Winner of 2007 ecch Case Awards, Marketing Category
2006 ecch Best-selling Case in Marketing
2005 ecch Best-selling Case in Marketing
Winner of 2004 EFMD Award, Marketing Category
Unilever is a solid leader in the Brazilian detergent powder market with an 81% market share. Laercio Cardoso must decide (1) whether Unilever should divert money from its premium brands to target the lower-margin segment of low-income consumers, (2) whether Unilever can reposition or extend one of its existing brands to avoid launching a new brand, and (3) what price, product, promotion, and distribution strategy would allow Unilever to deliver value to low-income consumers without cannibalizing its own premium brands too heavily.
This case deals with the question of whether marketing and branding create value for really poor consumers. It can therefore be used in an MBA, executive education or undergraduate core course on marketing management to illustrate the value of marketing and the marketing approach, or in a brand management course to explore the frontiers of branding. This case can also be used in a consumer behaviour course to examine the motivations and decision-making process of low-income consumers. Alternatively, it can be used in a global marketing or global strategy and management course to study the way multinational companies adapt their strategy to compete in emerging countries.
- Media support
- Branding
- Low-income consumers
- Marketing
- Poverty
- New product introduction
- Break-even analysis
- Advertising
- Pricing
- Poor
- Distribution
- Promotion
- Product
- Powder
- Detergent
- Guimaraes
- Brazil
- Unilever