Sales and Marketing Report: Unilever's Strategic Analysis

This report delves into the sales and marketing strategies of Unilever, a multinational consumer goods company. It begins by examining the role of technology in relationship marketing, analyzing customer data to improve customer expectations through digital media marketing channels such as SEO, email, and social media. The report then explores Unilever's segmentation strategies, including demographic, psychographic, behavioral, and geographic factors, and their impact on targeting and positioning. A new target group is identified, with suggestions to cater to their specific needs. The report concludes by determining marketing strategies Unilever needs to implement to meet customer satisfaction, emphasizing quality products and competitive advantage. The report provides a comprehensive overview of Unilever's approach to sales and marketing, offering valuable insights into its strategic decision-making processes.

SALES AND MARKETING

Table of Contents
SALES AND MARKETING..........................................................................................................1
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK 1...........................................................................................................................................3
Determine role of technologies in improving relationship marketing and analyse customer
data improve customer expectations through online means.......................................................3
TASK 2...........................................................................................................................................6
Determine segmentation strategies used by Unilever and impact of these strategies on
targetting and positioning ..........................................................................................................6
TASK 3...........................................................................................................................................9
Identify a potential new target group for your chosen organisation and make suggestion to
cater to their specific needs and requirements ...........................................................................9
TASK 4 ........................................................................................................................................11
Determine marketing strategies that Unilever needs to implement in order to meet customer
satisfaction ...............................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................14
REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................15

INTRODUCTION
Sales and marketing are crucial functions for any business. Sales generates revenue to the
business. Whereas marketing helps in boosting the sales of the organisation. Marketing are the
activities which helps in engaging with the target customers and make profitable relationship.
The primary objective for any business is to achieve sales margin of an organisation. For sales of
products and services a business needs to promote tits gods and services to the target customers.
Marketing involves in different marketing strategies in order build effective marketing
campaign. Unilever is British multinational organisation based out of UK, producing consumer
durable products like edible items, beauty products, pharmaceutical products, personal care
items, home cleaning equipments and so on. It captures a large share of consumer market,
rendering its services worldwide (Ancillai and et.al., 2019). This report covers role of
relationship marketing for managing customer expectations, concept of target, segmentation and
positioning, identify different ways to expand customer base, reconsiderations for marketing
strategy that accomplish customer needs and wants.
TASK 1
Determine role of technologies in improving relationship marketing and analyse customer data
improve customer expectations through online means
Marketing is a process which helps in building profitable customer relationship, it engages
with the final customer and conveys the marketing message of the business to the final
customers. Unilever uses different promotional tools to advertise its goods and services to the
target customers. Relationship marketing involves different marketing strategies to build
profitable relationship with the target customers. It involves different functions like segmenting,
targeting and positioning (Arnett, Wittmann, and Hansen, 2021). Where, segmentation involves
dividing people with similar needs and traits, targeting involves formulating plans and policies
for developing market offering and positioning includes different marketing strategies to attract
consumer. For attracting consumer, different marketing strategies are used to influence final
prospects through internet platforms. Engaging to customer via online platforms helps to
communicate to large segment of customers with limited time and efforts. Promoting goods and
services by directly visiting to the customer involves huge amount of time and efforts, thus,
Unilever uses different marketing channels to promote its good and services via different online

platforms which covers large market segment conveniently. Different online platforms used by
Unilever are discussed below:
DIGITAL MEDIA MARKETING
Digital media marketing is marketing tool to promote and advertise its good and services to
the target customer via online platforms or internet. In modern technological era, where large
section of the world population is involved in internet platforms. Digital media marketing is an
emerging and growing platform to connect people from different locations in the world.
Unilever is an online site for connecting and engaging target customers (Claro and Ramos,
2018). It serves through their online website where the customers can directly contact the
organisation. The online website of Unilever renders complete information about the company
from taking measures about the carbon footprints to save social cost, career and growth
opportunities and customers can even contact company from the online website where customers
can give feedback or take any cause related concerns to the organisation. Some of these digital
media marketing used by Unilever to promote its goods and services to the target consumer are
discussed under as:
 Search engine optimisation (SEO): It is a marketing tool to promote its goods and
services to target customers. When customer search for related products in search engine
like Google or any other, it customises searches related to the products and services of
the company. Unilever spends millions to ensure company name is prioritised at the top
in the search result. Unilever coordinates with search engine organisation. It depends on
organizational expenditure to for prioritising search results while searched by the
customers.
 Email marketing: Email marketing is a marketing tool for promoting the goods and
services to specific customer segment. Unilever sends specific emails to customers. So
that customers are aware about the company latest products and services, about the
purchase related information to the customers and customer can also revert feedback for
post purchase experience. It helps in build interpersonal relationship with each target
customers(Dent and White, 2018).
 Social media marketing: Social media marketing is an online platforms which helps in
connecting large number of the world population with just an click. Unilever uses social
media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn to connect customers in

different parts of the world. With the increasing emergence of social media platforms,
where almost half a billion of world population is connected over social media platforms.
Unilever has social media account where it uploads pictures and videos related to the
market offering of the company. It largely segment the youth population of the world
through social platforms.
 Influencer marketing: It is more like social media marketing but in influencer
marketing the company pays to different influencer who are well known and popular in
social media platforms. Unilever pays for endorsing the brands of the company to these
influencers. So that customers gets influenced by these promotional activities and attracts
to purchase the products and services offered by the company.
Data obtained of different customers helps to improve the customer relationship. By
collecting information about different customer segment any organisation will ascertain
customer expectation and finds different ways to satisfy their needs and wants. The major
objective of any organisation is to fulfil the profit goals by rendering products and services to the
customers (Gentsch, 2018). Unilever satisfies customer experience by collecting relevant
information about the customer needs and desires to achieve organisational objectives. It
conduct different market research and survey to analyse market demand. Some benefits and uses
of gathering information about different customers which improves customer relationship
through online means are discussed below:
 Marketing strategies: Data collected about different customers in a geographical
location, renders information about the market environment and market demand. It is
helpful in formulating marketing strategies that will best suit the target market.
 Analysing customer segment: It is helpful in analysing customer needs and wants, to
build strategic business decisions and formulating marketing plans to capture market
share and strengthen customer base.
 Customer relationship: Data collected about different market segment helps in
developing effective marketing strategies communicates to the target customer. It build
an profitable relationship with each customers (Hall and Lee, 2019).
 Market positioning: By analysing information about different market segment, it helps
in building effective positioning in the minds of the customer as the organisation build

products and services in accordance to the customer preferences and it builds market
positioning which helps in gaining competitive advantages.
 Customer satisfaction: Analysing information about different customers renders
information about taste and preference about target customers, it helps to develop
products and services which matches target prospects desires, it helps in attaining
customer satisfaction by rendering effective market offering.
TASK 2
Determine segmentation strategies used by Unilever and impact of these strategies on targetting
and positioning
Unilever is one of the world largest multinational organisation rendering consumer
durable products. It adopts different marketing strategies to aware and promote goods and
services to the consumers. For analysing marketing environment Unilever uses different
marketing approaches which involves segmentation, targetting and positioning for analysing
business environment. Business environment involves different factors which negatively and
positively affects the business environment (Hanssens and Pauwels, 2016). The organisation
uses segmentation, targeting and positioning to render for promoting its goods and services in
the market.
SEGMENTATION
Segmentation refers to the dividing large market share into small segments, in the other
words, dividing heterogeneous market into homogeneous units on the basis of different
attributes. Segmentation involves identification of the final prospects by segmenting large
consumer base into small segment possessing similar traits and demand. Different attributes like
demographic factors, psychographical, behavioural and geographical factors. Different
segmentation strategies are been discussed below:
 Identifying consumer: Unilever identifies different consumers, it divides the consumer
into different characteristics by different location and consumer behaviours. Consumer
living in different location will poses different attributes. The lifestyle pattern would not
be similar in nature of all consumer (Hetenyi, Lengyel and Szilasi, 2019). So, the
organisation segment these consumer on the basis of different ratios and then identifies
the target consumer.

 Analysing needs and wants: It involves around analysing needs and wants of the target
customers. By segmenting final prospects the organisation focus on target customer
needs and wants which helps to developing market offering to the final consumers.
 Identifying market demand: analysing market demand helps to ascertain the current
market demand and trend. Research and development department in Unilever, evaluates
market demand and trend to analyse favourable marketing policies (Ingram and et.al.,
2015).
Segmentation is crucial for an organisation to conduct sales and marketing functions. Some
importance of segmentation are been discussed below:
 It helps in gaining competitive advantage by rendering strong market positioning,
segmentation helps in analysing the needs and wants of the target customer which
renders helps in rendering effective market positioning.
 It helps in expansion of the business by developing strong customer base. Segmentation
on the basis demographic factors helps in analysing market. When an organisation
effectively analyse the market and satisfies market needs and wants, it leads to expansion
of market share.
 Segmentation supports to effectively communication with target customer, it develops
marketing strategies to promote and aware the target customers about the market
offering.
Targeting and positioning are the factors of marketing strategies which helps in
communicating organisational objectives to the target customers. Targeting refers to selecting
the target market and developing the advertising and other promotional tools to accomplish
organisational objectives. Positioning refers to developing the product or market offering which
is to be offered to the consumers. Segmentation impact on targeting and positioning of
marketing strategies are discussed below:
 Capture market share: For any organisation to identify the target market, segmentation
is crucial of defining the final prospects (Johnson, 2015). Unilever identifies target
market, it develops marketing strategies to attract customers. It helps in expanding and
capture market share. Different marketing strategies involves effective communication of
objectives to the final prospects which build customer engagement as more customers

buys products and services of the desired market brand. it helps to generate sales and
revenue which further helps in capturing customer segment.
 Profit maximization: The major business gaols for any organisation is profit
maximisation. Segmentation helps to strengthen customer base. It develops effective
marketing strategies to engage with target customers and helps to build profitable
relationship. Profit maximisation is achieved when customer needs and wants are been
achieved by rendering strong market offering (Johnson, Matthes and Friend, 2019).
 Improves customer experience: It improves customer experience by rendering quality
products and services which satisfies customer needs and wants. Targeting, positioning
helps to put special emphasis on particular segmented customers by improving their
customer experience. It develops products and services which are fulfils consumer
expectations.
 Quality products: While analysing the needs of the target customers, organisation uses
resource optimisation technique to save the cost of production which helps in attaining
product quality. rendering high quality of products and services to customers helps to
gain customer satisfaction, which further boost sales and profit goals of the organisation
and renders business success.
 Competitive advantage: It helps in attaining competitive advantage by rendering
product positioning in the market. Segmenting the target customers helps to develop
product position in the minds of customers than the competitors. An effective marketing
strategy influences the target customers in a way where customer choose product and
services of the organisation over the competitors. Strong product positioning not only
helps in attaining strong customer base but achieve competitive advantage (Keszey and
Biemans, 2015).
 Strong positioning: Segmentation helps in developing positioning of the products and
services in the market. Different segmentation strategies helps to target the final
prospects in a way which matches the needs and desires of the target both psychological
needs and financial needs. It develops market position which perceives a strong
marketing message in the minds of consumer and helps to establish a strong positioning
in the market from the competitors.

 Demand analysis: Research and development department of Unilever conducts marker
survey to evaluate demand analysis of the current market. by analysing current market
demand through different analytical tools it helps to evaluate different marketing
strategies to influence target market.
TASK 3
Identify a potential new target group for your chosen organisation and make suggestion to cater
to their specific needs and requirements
To expand the customer base, Unilever wants to expand its business line to home decors,
to attain new customer base and satisfy their needs as per market demand. Home décor includes
product for enhancing and improving home interior. Unilever implements different marketing
strategies to promote its goods and services to the target customers (Kotler, 2015). To cater
needs of new customer base some suggestion are stated below:
 Market analysis: Research and development department of Unilever can conducts
market survey to analyse the needs and demand of the target market. Analysing market
demand helps to produce goods and services in accordance of the current market trend. It
will promote stability and growth in the market. Market analysis involves analysing the
market demand and trend to build a strong market offering which renders stability and
market growth of the brand.
 Quality product: Unilever can produce quality products and services to build goodwill
and reliability for the product and services in the market. After production of products,
the products passes through quality check to ensure that the product matches the desired
standard.
 Supply chain management: Supply chain management refer to build good supply
relation with the supply and managing supply of goods and services right from the
producing to the delivery of goods to the final consumers. Unilever select the supplier to
render timely delivery of raw materials to carry production bat affordable prices.. While
delivering the products to customers the chain should be managed which renders timely
availability of the goods at different location (Kotler, 2016).
 Reduce complexities: While conducting different business activities, complex activities
which covers huge cost and time or unwanted process should reduced to achieve

efficiency and timely completion of each task. Unilever should follow adopt simple and
easy to understand steps and process to reduce unproductive nature. While management
of business functions, the organisation should implement and carry activities which are
useful and avoid complexities at work. It will helps to carry activities accurately and
efficiently.
 Innovative policies: Research and development department can formulate different
innovative policies and strategies to cope up with the external environment challenges.
Innovation in existing products will attract more customers and establish strong customer
base. As per the increasing competition developing innovative products will attract more
customer and expand customer base.
 Internal management: Managing internal business refer to conducting smooth business
operation. Maintaining ethical code of conduct among employees is crucial for carrying
operational business activities. Different department in an organisation should coordinate
with each department to accomplish business success (Kumar, Choi, and Greene, 2017).
 Social cause: Producing goods and services which are environment friendly will helps to
build reputation and brand image in market. Adopting carbon footprint measures will
not only fulfil moral responsibility but save the social cost. It can uses techniques which
involves low emission of greenhouse gases or other harmful pollutants from production
for other related activities.
 Pricing strategies: Unilever can formulate different pricing strategies in order to attract
customers. While formulating pricing strategies different factors are been considered.
These factors includes quality of the products, competitive pricing, profitability etc.
Different pricing strategies involves competitive pricing, market penetration, discounts
and rebate and different other pricing techniques in order to attract more customers. The
pricing of the commodities should be set in a manner which matches to customer demand
in the market. Prices of the products will attract more customer and attain competitive
advantage.
 Foreign trade policies: In order to promote trade practices across international border. It
involves different trade policies to capture foreign market. People living different
location posses different needs and wants, Research and development department of

Unilever should work with different designer in order to develop things which helps
meets market demand.
 Innovative products: Unilever should manufacture products and services which are
innovative and creative in the market. It works different designers to develop innovative
products which attracts consumer (Liu and et.al., 2020.).
 Brand management: Unilever should promote brand management techniques to
increase the current value of brand in the market, it involves formulation of different
policies to building a strong brand image in market.
 Promotion mix: Promotion mix involves using different techniques to attracts final
prospects and increasing the demand for products and services. It involves different
activities like advertising, direct selling, public relation, sales promotion, direct
marketing. For promoting and advertising its goods an services to the target market it
involves different online marketing techniques. Online marketing helps to connect and
reach the large section of population with just click. In technological advanced era,
internet platforms are emphasised more to engage people from different geographical
location (Malshe and et.al., 2017).
The above discussion states some suggestion that Unilever can implement to engage with
new target customers. These suggestion are helpful for developing strong brand image and to
increase the demand of the brand in the market.
TASK 4
Determine marketing strategies that Unilever needs to implement in order to meet customer
satisfaction
Marketing strategies determines different algorithms and techniques that an organisation
can use for meeting consumer needs and wants. It involves different strategies to engage and
communicate with target prospects effectively. Unilever can implement some recommendation
and suggestion in order to meet consumer demands and needs effectively. These are discussed
below:
 Budget friendly products and services: Unilever can manufacture products which are
budget friendly in nature. Budget friendly here refers to ascertaining the market price of
the products that cover the cost of producing the specific commodity, where low prices

attracts more customers to buy goods and services. Large section of the consumers buys
products which are affordable in nature, developing budget friendly products can satisfy
more customer as they will be able to perceive products with their needs and wants.
 Segmenting strategies: Research and development department of Unilever needs to
implement segmenting strategies which will helps in dealing with the target customer
more effectively, where large section of the population is been segmented into different
units. These units will ascertain different attributes, Unilever should formulate
segmenting strategies which will specifically focus of different individual needs and
wants (Malshe, Sohi and Krush, 2017).
 Analysing market trend: Analysing market trend is one the most important strategy that
helps in attaining market share. In some scenarios, commodities produced does not
matches to market trend that becomes a reason for product failure. It involves
scrutinising market trend and fashion which helps to maintain sustainability of the
product in the market.
 Customer needs and wants: An organisation needs to analyse different customer
segment needs and wants to formulate effective marketing strategies. Different consumer
posses different characteristics, so it requires scrutinising needs and wants of each
customer segment to develop effective marketing strategy. Unilever needs to conduct
market surveys and research for analysing needs and wants of different consumers.
 Consumer oriented marketing: Consumer oriented marketing refers to the marketing
strategies where major objective is to accomplish consumer desires. Where the prior
objective of the organisation is to meet consumer needs and wants it helps to strength
consumer base. It renders profitability and expanding market share (O’Hara and Low,
2020).
 Innovative Designers: Recruiting innovative designers in the organisation for
establishing creative design for home decor and interiors will end up developing new
innovative products. These products will help to maintain strong market positioning,
which will helps to accomplish the important objectives gaining competitive advantage.
Innovative products attracts consumer to buy products and take services will further
boost sales and accomplishes profit goals.

 Human capital management: Human capital management refer to efficiency internal
workforce in organisation. As humans are the greatest asset to any organisation who
performs holds functioning of business. Unilever should proper training and
development activities to the employees for smooth functioning of business activities.
Efficient workforce will render organisational success and accomplishment of objectives.
 Technological advancement: With the increase in technological advancement, Unilever
needs to implement different policies to maintain and adapt with technological change.
Different technological innovations like radio frequency identification device (RFID)
helps in tracking objects and people. Technological implementation in an organisation
will achieve efficiency and effectiveness in performing different task. Unilever can
implement technologically advanced equipment in production, operation activities or
other related business activities for carrying business objectives (Olsen, Wagner and
Thack, 2016.).
 Store localities: Accessibility of products and services to target customer is an
important factor. By easy accessibility it develops develops a stable demand and supply
of organisational products and services. When products and services are easily accessible
to all customers, they feel satisfied. It develops sustainable consumer relationship and
strengthen consumer base. Store localities will also help to increase number of customers
base in market(Sharma and Syam, 2018).
 Promotional tools: Developing effective promotional tools helps in acquire consumer
base and communicate organisational message to final prospects. It helps to promote
products and services of the organisation in the market, which helps to build strong
market positioning part from the competitors. Unilever should choose different
advertising campaign to communicate to the target customers. It helps to engage target
prospects and building a profitable relationship. Different advertising tools like indoor
out door advertising, digital marketing etc.
 Large scale production: Large production cuts down the cost of production. As
production in large scale will reduce variable cost. reduced cost in production will
increase the probability of organisation. Production in large scale also helps in achieving
economies of scale in production which renders efficiency in production activities.

 Control and coordination: Establishing proper control over different functional
activities helps to determine that how far a task has able to achieve effectiveness. It also
determines the deviation of different activities and corrective measures for different
identifies task. Whereas coordination with different departments to conduct proper
functioning of the business activities.
 Stakeholder reliability: Stakeholder involves different people who are interested in
business. Unilever can promote stakeholder reliability by rendering accurate and correct
information of the company in financial statement and balance sheet. It develops a sense
of reliability and goodwill of the organisation in the market (Zhang and Yeung, 2016).
 Consumer behaviour: It is one of the most important aspect for any business success. It
involves evaluating consumer response of the products and services offered by different
brands. For evaluating consumer response, a business should take proper feedback of
different consumer.
 Consumer satisfaction: The major business objective is to fulfil consumer needs and
wants and achieve consumer satisfaction. Consumer satisfaction helps to attains business
objectives and profitability. Satisfied consumers continues to buy products and services.
Above discussion clearly states different measures and strategies that Unilever can use to
engage with target customer at greater level. It also involves the importance of consumer
satisfaction, how it fulfils organisational objectives.
CONCLUSION
Sales and marketing are one of the crucial factors for conducting business activities.
Sales are the transfer of goods and services which generates revenue to company. whereas,
marketing refers to engaging with target customers and build profitable relationship. For
boosting sales, marketing activities are helpful to promote the goods and services of the
organisation. Marketing helps to enhance business productivity and efficiency. Marketing
involves gathering information about market trend and demand which helps in formulating
strategic decisions for smooth functioning of the business activities. Marketing and sales
generates revenue which helps to capture market share and build sustainability in the market.

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