BE533 Corporate Marketing Report: Unilever AC4ID Framework Analysis

This report provides an in-depth analysis of Unilever's corporate marketing strategies, utilizing Balmer's AC4ID Test diagnostic framework. The study examines the actual, communicated, conceived, covenanted, cultural, and ideal brand identities of Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company. The research draws on secondary data, including journals, articles, and annual reports, to assess how Unilever manages its brand image and aligns with its internal principles. The report presents findings on Unilever's brand management, stakeholder communication, and commitment to corporate social responsibility. It discusses how the company communicates its identity through various marketing techniques, engages with employees, and maintains a positive corporate brand image. The report also assesses Unilever's implementation of sustainable business strategies and its efforts to benefit the community and environment. Finally, the report makes recommendations for the future direction of the brand using the REDS2 diagnostic process, focusing on enhancing brand components and creating a sustainable position in the business environment.

Running head: CORPORATE MARKETING
Corporate Marketing
Name of student
Nam of University
Author note

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Executive summary
The report was prepared to apply the AC4ID test framework for enhancing the
corporate brand components for Unilever and create a sustainable position within the
business environment. The research drew information and data from secondary sources
followed by consistent analysis of findings. This has generalised the concept of corporate
brand management and marketing and even allowed the company to fulfil the requirements
all across he various dimensions of the corporate brand. The corporate brand was engaged in
communication with stakeholders and employees for building the brand, generated awareness
among people, drove changes in behaviours an even fostered the development of a good
culture to promote unity and contribute towards the community and environment at large.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................4
Technical description of the research and analysis...............................................................4
Presentation of findings...........................................................................................................5
Discussion and assessment.......................................................................................................9
Practical recommendations for the future direction of the brand....................................10

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Introduction
The report is prepared to discuss about the corporate marketing activities considering
the business organisation named Unilever in United Kingdom. The use of Balmer’s AC4ID
Test diagnostic framework will be done for conducting an audit of the business organisation
named Unilever in UK as a major corporate brand, furthermore, ensure analysis of the current
state of the organisation and make strategic recommendations to improve its business
efficiency in the future (Burghausen and Balmer 2015). The topic will also be of significance
because of the extensive knowledge and information to be provided about the corporate
marketing and also the diagnostic process framework, which can help in the managerial
decision making process as well as allow the organization to sustain within the competitive
business environment of UK much more comprehensively. The various aspects of AC4ID
framework will also be included here including the actual corporate brand identity,
communicated brand identity, conceived, covenanted and cultural brand identity along with
the brand strategies and identities required to identify the vision and mission of the
organisation (Unilever.co.uk 2020).
Technical description of the research and analysis
The technical description of the research highlights the importance of using the
Balmer’s AC4ID Test diagnostic framework as a major analytical tool here, on the basis of
the context. This kind of diagnostic has helped in focusing on the fact that both the
corporations and companies should not possess compound identities, which also could be the
result of poor alignment between the organisational culture and corporate brand image, as
represented by the company and supported by the management (Bruce and Solomon 2013).
While conducting the research in the corporate identity, Balmer proposed the AC4ID test
framework to divide the corporate identity into a number of divisions and understand how

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effective the company managed its marketing techniques too. The AC4ID test diagnostic
framework represents A for the actual corporate brand identity based on its origin and its
nature within the marketplace while the C1, C2, C3 and C4 represents the communicated
corporate brand identity, conceived corporate brand identity, covenanted brand identity and
the culture brand identity respectively (Hur, Kim and Jang 2016). The ‘I’ stands for Ideal
corporate brand identity, which represents the corporate brand strategies implemented while
the desired corporate brand identity has been related to the identity vision and how effective
the organisation Unilever has managed to implement strategies aligned with the vision and
mission of the organisation in overall (Unilever.co.uk 2020). The scope for using the
diagnostic tool or framework is multidisciplinary, which has helped in determining the
various aspects of corporate brand identity types and even allowed Unilever to emphasize on
the management of brand image as well as remain aligned with the internal policies and
principles in terms of corporate branding (Balmer 2017).
The collection of data and information related to the use of AC4ID framework for
Unilever has been done with the assessment of various secondary sources of data such as the
journals, articles, newspapers, documents and websites containing information about the
same. Moreover, the annual reports and financial statements have also been analysed for the
concerned company so as to determine how effective the company has been in terms of
managing the corporate brand identities integrated with nth Test diagnostic tool or framework
used here (McDaniel and Gates 2013).
Presentation of findings
Based on the secondary data and information and its linkage with the various
dimensions of the AC4ID test framework, it has been understood that Unilever has enabled
brand management, which is diagnostic, strategic and normative in nature and also
determined how the brand identities have been aligned with the covenanted corporate brand

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identities (Kasemsap 2018). Considering the linkage of the corporate brand, i.e., Unilever
with the various dimensions of the AC4ID test, it could be understood that the actual brand
identity lies in the identity of the organisation based on its origin. To be precise, the
company Unilever is a multinational transnational consumers’ goods company that has its
headquarters in London in United Kingdom. The company is specialised in the production of
good quality food items, energy drinks, ice cream and beverage items along with beauty and
personal care products too for catering to the different needs and preferences of the customers
all over UK and in the entire world (Balmer and Balmer 2013). The brand identity is clear
and appropriate to the nature of the organisation, as with a corporate mission of “To add
vitality to life. We meet every day needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands
that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life”, the company has successful
satisfied the customers through management of a wide portfolio of products to keep the
customers satisfied ar every aspects of their lives. Being a large transnational company, the
company has also been actively engaged in investments in the local economies and developed
the skills and knowledge of individuals, both inside and outside the organisation (Brexendorf
and Keller 2017). The management of various programmes related to the promotion of good
hygiene, providing nutritional value through its products, managing women empowerment
and awareness about protecting the environment have also contributed to the positive brand
identity for Unilever, United Kingdom (Unilever.co.uk 2020).
Considering the dimension of Communicated corporate identity (C1), the identity of
the organisation has been communicated with the help of various marketing and promotional
techniques. The identity of the corporate brand has not only been communicated externally so
as to rouse interest among the people, but also has been communicated internally, to make the
employees of the organisation acknowledged about their roles and responsibilities and even
about the organisational policies and principles integrated within the structure and culture of

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the organisation (Goldring 2013). Being a multinational corporation within the Fast Moving
Consumer Goods or FMCG sector in UK, Unilever has established great standards and
implemented state of art technology and managerial systems so as to comply with the legal
and statutory requirements and even ensured proper management of brand communication for
driving changes in behaviours thereabout. The employees have been engaged in meetings to
communicate about the various marketing techniques and even the knowledge and
information about the organizational policies and principles have been communicated to give
directions to the employees (Jukić and Dunković 2018). Moreover, the communication
channels used by the company have helped in transferring of vital messages and information
quickly to the employees for getting their feedbacks and opinions, thereby, facilitate the
making of decisions quickly. The company also has communicated with the employees via
telephonic conversations and though emails to gain their ideas over phone and exchange
message sand information to manage smooth business functioning. The customers have been
communicated with the help of sending emails and also by promotions via digital media such
as through social media platforms, emails, website managed by the company and through
advertisements shown on televisions, newspapers, magazines and internet websites (Abratt
and Mingione 2017). By responding o their queries, the customers’ services have improved,
which also created positive brand identity and ability of Unilever to communicate with them
properly.
All these ways have not only helped in communicating the organisation’s identity, but
also has helped in maintaining appositive corporate brand image, thereby, raised awareness
among the various stakeholders too, thus covered the third dimension of covenanted
dimension (C3). The various stakeholders in business include the shareholders, customers,
employees, managers and even the suppliers of the organisation. The tactics and approaches
have created influence on their behaviours and influenced to remain committed towards the

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brand effectively (Balmer 2017). The company has promised to satisfy the clients properly
and it has kept its promise by conducting its marketing tactics and at the same time, drove
change in behaviours of people to make them purchase the products and services consistently
too. To shape positive corporate identities, the company has strategized in such a manner that
the environment concerns have been addressed and necessary benefits have been provided to
benefit the community as a whole (Pérez and Del Bosque 2014).
The last dimension (C4) has been complied too with the help of maintaining highest
standards of corporate behaviours towards everyone that the company has worked with and
even with the communities and environment, on which, the company could create an impact.
The major values including the of integrity, responsibility, respect and pioneering have
allowed Unilever to do business accurately and interact with the business stakeholder
properly to expand into new markets, manage selection of new talents and guide people
towards effective decision making too (Pérez Ruiz and Rodríguez del Bosque Rodríguez
2014). The continuous improvement and constant communication within the workplace have
developed skills among the employees while at the same time, the management of diversity
with the inclusion of people from various backgrounds and cultures to work together as an
unit and in coordination to achieve the desired results too. It has fostered the development of
a healthy culture and improved the corporate brand image and identity too (Unilever.co.uk
2020).
Considering the dimension of being an Ideal corporate brand (I), Unilever has stressed
on implementing strategies that are aligned with the management of sustainable business. It
has allowed the company to deliver products and services that could add social purpose to the
positioning of brand and even benefit the community. The company has aimed at fighting
child hunger and even been engaged in sustainability strategies so as to encourage people to
buy sustainable products and services. This has helped inn making useful contribution to the

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society as well as ensured protection of environment largely (Jukić 2019). Few of the other
brand strategies include cost leadership and differentiation strategies, which has been possible
through management of an extended product portfolio to meet the varied needs of people in
different market segments. The differentiation strategy further helped in differentiating the
brand products from its competitors and ensured influence on consumers’ buying behaviours
too. Lastly, based on the vision, the company has presented the ‘U’ logo to represents its
identity and ensured fulfilment of the customers’ needs and preferences, fulfilled the
corporate social responsibilities and benefited all the other stakeholders in business to work
committedly towards benefiting the society and shareholders. This also helped the company
to attain profit and competitive advantage in business (Bruce and Solomon 2013).
Discussion and assessment
From the normative viewpoint, the AC4ID Test diagnostic tool or framework has
helped the marketing managers to ensure that the brand remains meaningful from the
organisational perspective and even benefit all the important stakeholders as well as the
shareholders in business to become a part of the brand building, management and
maintenance of brand image on a positive note too. Not only does the test has helped the
marketers to place the organization in a better place to meet the corporate level objectives and
strategic objectives, but also it has helped in the creation of better value for both the
stakeholders involved in business as well as the shareholders or investors. The Corporate
brands within the business environment have often been subjected to changes because of the
alteration in strategies, i.e., while managing the strategic corporate brand identity and even
through change of management vision (Balmer 2017). The shareholders and the various
stakeholders in business have enabled conceptualisation of the corporate brand, which further
helped the managers to reflect on the nature of the brand covenant as well as accommodated
the strategic corporate marketing goals and objectives properly with the vision and mission of

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the organisation. Also stated by Balmer (2017), that the development of corporate marketing
has been possible, which ensured following the right philosophies, policies and organisational
policies and also managed ethical CSR orientation, which ensured establishment of a positive
brand image and reputation along with facilitating the corporate communication, orientation
of stakeholders and formation of a healthy corporate culture too (Unilever.co.uk 2020).
Practical recommendations for the future direction of the brand
 It is recommended for the company to use its strengths and competencies such as
developing economies of scale for the purpose of production innovation and address
the competition as well as threats of imitations.
 To fulfil the marketing objectives, the company is recommended to adopt the social
media platforms for better outreach to the customers, create awareness and influence
their buying behaviours too
 The management of corporate social responsibilities is recommended for Unilever to
protect the environment and even provide benefits to the communities by reducing
hunger among people and even educational facilities arranged for them
 To focus on employee development must be facilitated with the help of training and
developmental programs for enhancing their skills and knowledge.

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List of references
Abratt, R. and Mingione, M., 2017. Corporate identity, strategy and change. Journal of
Brand Management, 24(2), pp.129-139.
Balmer, J. and Balmer, J.M., 2013. Corporate heritage, corporate heritage marketing, and
total corporate heritage communications. Corporate Communications: An International
Journal.
Balmer, J.M., 2017. Advances in corporate brand, corporate heritage, corporate identity and
corporate marketing scholarship. European Journal of Marketing.
Balmer, J.M., 2017. Corporate brand orientation: What is it? What of it?. In Advances in
Corporate Branding (pp. 175-202). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Brexendorf, T.O. and Keller, K.L., 2017. Leveraging the corporate brand. European Journal
of Marketing.
Bruce, M. and Solomon, M.R., 2013. Managing for media anarchy: A corporate marketing
perspective. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 21(3), pp.307-318.
Burghausen, M. and Balmer, J.M., 2015. Corporate heritage identity stewardship: A
corporate marketing perspective. European Journal of Marketing.
Goldring, D., 2013. Aligning communicated and conceived brand promise in professional
services firms. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness, 7(2), pp.72-82.
Hur, W.M., Kim, H. and Jang, J.H., 2016. The role of gender differences in the impact of
CSR perceptions on corporate marketing outcomes. Corporate Social Responsibility and
Environmental Management, 23(6), pp.345-357.

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Jukić, D. and Dunković, B., 2018, January. Analysis of corporate identity from the aspects of
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Contemporary aspects and role of international trade.
Jukić, D., 2019. Strategic analysis of corporate marketing in culture management. Strategic
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Kasemsap, K., 2018. The roles of corporate marketing strategies and brand management in
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Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 294-325). IGI Global.
McDaniel, C. and Gates, R., 2013. Marketing research. Singapore.
Pérez Ruiz, A. and Rodríguez del Bosque Rodríguez, I.A., 2014. Organizational and
corporate identity revisited: Towards a comprehensive understanding of identity in business.
Pérez, A. and Del Bosque, I.R., 2014. Organizational and corporate identity revisited:
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Unilever.co.uk. 2020. Home. [online] Available at: <https://www.unilever.co.uk/> [Accessed
13 April 2020].