Branding

Case Example: Proctor and Gamble

Proctor and Gamble is a company who has redefined the concept of a brand. With nearly 100 “brands” and thousands of products which bear the name Proctor and Gamble in tiny print on the back of common products, they have become their own biggest competitor. “Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®,

Crest®, Oral-B®, Actonel®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head &Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide” (P&G, 2008).

Part of Proctor and Gamble’s success is a direct result of smart buying and selling. In 2005, Proctor and Gamble acquired the Gillette Corporation, adding dozens of major product lines to the P&G family. Annual sales of Gillette products are an average of over1 billion dollars. In 2008,Proctor and Gamble made the bold decision to sell  Folger’s coffee to Smuckers Inc. According to Tim Smucker, co-CEO of Smuckers Inc., "Folgers is a perfect strategic fit within our portfolio of leading and iconic North American food brands. It will become our tenth No. 1 brand in North America and will further enhance the high quality, great tasting, diverse product offerings that consumers expect from Smucker” (CGT, 2008). This was a wise decision because the majority of P&G’s products revolve around personal care items and a (relatively) small food production line. It shouldn’t come as a shock if consumers and market watchdogs see P&G sell lines such as Duracell or Pringles.

Current plans for P&Gare to further develop their global sustainability plan. Social programs directed by Proctor and Gamble include:  Live, Learn and Thrive which is devoted to improving life for children in need, The Children's Safe Drinking Water Program which is focused on reducing sickness and death resulting from drinking contaminated water, and hundred of local programs to better domestic and foreign communities.

P&G. (2008). Proctor and Gamble News. Retrieved April 4, 2009, from P&G Web site:http://www.pg.com/news/sustainability_goals.shtml