A ‘Desi’ Multinational –A Case Study of Hindustan Unilever Limited

Abstract

India has become a second home to many multinationals’ over the years. The fact that Indiahas second largest population in the world is alluring because it translates itself into a hugeopportunity to encash for marketers across the globe. Hindustan Lever Limited which setfoot as the subsidiary of Unilever has been one such multinational which has almost becomea home grown brand. The strategies adopted by this corporate leaves no stone unturned incashing in on the tiniest niche markets available. Reaching the four billion populations in thebase of the pyramid markets has been a topic of research in recent times. Lot of exploratoryand case studies have been made in this field. This paper is a study on the strategiesdeveloped by Hindustan Lever Limited which has been one of the most successfulcompanies to foray into the emerging markets in South East Asia and successfully tapped thebase of the pyramid in India. A case study using archival material and secondary informationsources suggest that having a global lookout and one world one market strategy is notsuccessful when attempting to cut into base of the pyramid segments in emerging markets.The critical aspect here is developing grassroots’ connection and social empathy whichshould translate to a cooperative spirit which will leverage the strengths and overcome theweaknesses.