Innovation and Creativity in Unilever: A Study

This study explores the innovation and creativity strategies adopted by Unilever, a multinational consumer goods organization, to enhance its growth and development. It covers the company overview, issues, innovation and innovation matrix, research methodologies, planning and implementation, and innovation and audit methodology. The study also discusses various techniques such as the scamper technique and design thinking model that can be used for innovation. The presentation is relevant to the course BM632 Managing & Developing Innovation & Creativity.

BM632 Managing &
Developing Innovation &
Creativity

INTRODUCTION
 Innovation defines as a unique ideology and strategy which
driven up the business growth and development in
successful manner.
 To run any organization it is required to bring an innovation
in the company so that the business can be able to grow in
definite manner.
 The company Unilever which is a multinational
organization deals in consumer goods and products which
fulfil the daily needs of the common person.
 The company requires to adopt some innovation from
where they can be able to become more successful and can
increase their productivity at higher level.

Chapter 1: Company Overview
• Unilever plc is a global consumer products corporation based in
London, England. Food, condiments, ice cream, wellness vitamins,
minerals, and supplements, tea, coffee, breakfast cereal, cleaning
agents, water and air purifiers, pet food, toothpaste, beauty goods,
and personal care are all items manufactured by Unilever. Unilever is
the world's largest soap manufacturer. [3] Unilever's goods are sold in
about 190 countries

Chapter 2: Issues/ Problems
Prices and Margin
• FMCG is now going through a challenging phase, with Unilever,
Procter & Gamble, Mondelez, and Nestlé all changing their
strategies and raising their pricing.There are a number of major
reasons for the decision, including increased material costs, but
customers will begin to experience the consequences of pricing
increases in the coming quarter.
• Previous price hikes have been gradual, and this shift in strategy
will put brand strength to the test. Price rises might possibly
backfire as firms strive to retain loyalty in the face of Amazon's
growth and competition from new competitors.

Define Innovation and relate to company
• The term "innovation" comes from the Latin verb
innovare, which meaning "to refresh." In essence, the
word's meaning has remained unchanged to this day. To
innovate is to enhance or replace something, such as a
method, a product, or a service.However, in the context
of businesses, the phrase requires clarification.
• A definition is required in the complicated business
situation..

Chapter 4: Research Methodologies
The Innovation Matrix
 The Innovation matrix is a method which helps an individual
to identify the different kinds of innovation which is based on
the particular goal of the company.
 It includes the areas where it is important to understand how
the innovation will accelerate, where to innovate and how to
manage the innovation in definite manner.
 This matrix is used for different aspects where to determine
the origin of innovation, its strategies and what governance
system have to utilize for the innovation.
 Thus, the mentioned organization can use this matrix which
will help them to innovate their services effectively. This
innovation matrix is consisted of four types:

Continue
 Breakthrough: The breakthrough innovation simple defines as where a company pushes
themselves internally to grow at next level and make the changes and innovation which can help the
company to attract the consumers effectively.
 Sustaining: This innovation refers where an organization creates an existing product and services in better
performing way from which they can be able to sell the products in higher profit and can satisfy the
customers as well. The Unilever company has decided to innovate their service from offline to online
marketing which helps them to attract the target market.
 Basic: The basic innovation is occurred in the company from which they can be able to get the effective
results such as a small investment in research and development department from which the company can be
able to research effectively to come up with an innovation in future.
 Disruptive: The disruptive innovation introduces where the company deliver the expensive and highly
sophisticated product in affordable range for attracting the maximum population and consumers.

Mind Map

The Scamper Technique
 The scamper technique is a kind of brainstorming method
utilized to develop and improve the products and services
where scamper stands for:
 Substitute: The company Unilever has to substitute their
marketing fro offline to online marketing platform which will
help the company to obtain effective results.
 Combine: Accordingly, the decision of innovating the
services by the Unilever can combine the marketing solution
and enable to attract the consumers appropriately.
 Adapt: Now, it time to adopt the change and implement the
innovation where the company Unilever has to move forward
from offline marketing to online marketing platform.

The Design thinking Model
• Design Thinking is a design process that takes a
solution-oriented approach to issue resolution. It is
highly beneficial in solving difficult challenges that
are ill-defined or unknown, by understanding the
human requirements involved, re-framing the
problem in human-centric ways, brainstorming
various ideas, and using a hands-on approach to
prototyping and testing.
• Understanding these five steps of Design Thinking
can enable anybody to apply Design Thinking
methodologies to tackle complex problems that arise
around us – in our businesses, in our countries, and
even on a global scale.

Planning and Implementation
 A proper planning is required to be done by each and every
organization from where they can be able to innovate their services
and products efficiently.
 Planning simply refers as creative plan which includes all the
essential areas like the main purpose, goals, strategies, alternative
solution and such more so that the company can be able to
implement the innovation effectively
 However, the Unilever company has facing the issue in the
marketing where they can innovate the marketing strategies from
offline platform to online or digital marketing which will help and
support them to attract the maximum number of the employee and
can increase the productivity of the company successfully.

Chapter 5: Innovation and Audit Methodology
 From the above report it has been evaluated that the company Unilever is facing the issue in the marketing where they have
to innovate their services and products so that they can be able to enhance their company growth and development.
Accordingly, Unilever has to adopt some steps and required to undergo through a process to implement their innovation in
the company. Here, describing the stages which the company needs to follow for the implementation of the innovation in the
organization.
 Idea generation: The company Unilever has to think about the new innovation which can help them to grow and develop
successfully and can provide the effective results and outcome.
 Identify the pros and cons: The second step defines to identify the strength and weak areas of the innovation so that the
company can be able to decide the effectiveness of implementing the innovation.
 Experimentation: This factor defines the company to experiment or test the new ideology and innovation so that the
company can be able to understand its effectiveness.
 Commercialization: Now, its time to understand that the innovation is solving the problems of the consumer or not and it is
delivering the satisfaction to the consumer.
 Implementation: This is the final stage where the company can implement their innovation effectively and can obtain the
successful and beneficial results

CONCLUSION
• This study report in relation to unilever
which sales the most soaps in the world this
report has discussed about the company, its
overview, issues, innovation and innovation
matrix, planning and implementation,
innovation and the audit methodology

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