On June 2nd, Dial P released an episode explaining how Unilever CEO Alan Jope may have been ‘losing the plot’ by putting his company’s social mission before fundamental business practices. Unilever had asked each of its 400 brands to tie a social or environmental mission into their branding and marketing efforts, a mandate that delivered mixed results in a difficult year.
In 2022, the company failed to acquire GSK’s healthcare division after three attempts, saw its stock value fall 25 percent from where it was in 2019, and raised prices by 12.5 percent as consumers switched to less expensive store brands. When activist investor Nelson Peltz took a seat on the Unilever board in July, the writing was on the wall. Social agenda notwithstanding, Unilever was underperforming.
In this Dial P Updated Classic, Kelly Barner brings the Unilever story up to date and considers what may be next for the consumer brands giant.
