Ben & Jerry’s is not just Ben & Jerry’s any more. Ben & Jerry’s is a part of a much larger company, Unilever. Writing about Ben & Jerry’s in isolation wasn’t quite right for this final blog assignment. Unilever, the parent company, has to be the primary focus of this blog.Incredibly, the mobile platform is is so important to Unilever that they hired a marketing man, Kenneth Weed, seen in the picture, as their new CFO. He said ‘Measuring social media is a big issue for us’
Use this link to get the whole story .
Unilever has very well developed systems for communicating with stakeholders, and because investors are an integral part of Unilever’s success, the company shows their appreciation by using care when communicating with them. The Investor web page that provides information and access to the company simultaneously, is comprehensive, and offers links to all sorts of information specific to this critical audience. http://www.unilever.com/investorrelations/presentation_speeches/investorseminar2011.aspx
In addition to traditional means of sharing statistics and information, the company also uses social media, blogs, and internal and external technologic means, and even offers an annual Investor seminar, with this year’s seminar taking place in Istanbul, Turkey, on December 1st and 2nd. Now, that’s an Investor seminar that I would like to attend!
Although I can’t attend it in person, Unilever does offer a webcast option and it is possible to follow the conference through other means:
After acquisition, Unilever’s handling of Ben & Jerry’s was unusual. Unilever showed respect for Ben & Jerry’s unique identity. Rather than impose the conglomerate’s corporate structure on the small independent business, the company maintains a completely separate corporate structure for the ice cream producer. According to Goliath’s lead story, M&A CASE STUDY - BEN & JERRY'S: A big dollop of investment, @ http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4100248/M-A-CASE-STUDY-BEN.html
As an international corporation, Unilever is aware of their need to comply with local laws, especially those related to taxes. In fact, due to the broad range of countries, cultures, and legal systems, Unilever has a policy guiding corporate branches in addressing governmental interactions at the national and local levels in all of the countries in which they conduct business. They adhere and conform to local laws, but, they see the need to be involved in the review and setting of such rules and regulations. The company takes it seriously and has communication and follow-up to match.
Read Unilever’s complete policy on their web site @ http://www.unilever.com/sustainability/economic/pricing/.
Policy excerpt: “Our Code also encourages our businesses to represent their views on the formulation and administration of tax laws, either directly or through trade associations and similar organisations. We are actively engaged in discussions with the OECD and some of its member countries on the issue of tax and development, and how a fair and transparent tax system can contribute to the fight against poverty and corruption.”
Unilever has similarly clear and decisive policies for both standard and emergency community communications. Unilever has strengthened Ben & Jerry’s existing corporate model and expanded its position in the international community.
During a crisis, strategies must be implemented, simultaneously, on many levels. Outgoing communication must be clear, accurate, and timely. Directives have to prioritize and offer sequential steps toward a solution. Unilever’s management and employees also need a way to: ask clarifying questions, request support for things that are locally specific, and have a way to suggest solutions that are best determined on site. Finally, in emergency situations communication cannot be completely technology based. Therefore, local managers needs to have the power to make decisions. Unilever’s trust in the individual employee to forward the company’s purpose allows this communication circle to succeed.
Other Unilever companies and products:
Well-done Anne! I was very surprised to hear that Unilever owns Ben & Jerry’s! They have done an excellent job of maintaining the brand identities as well as integrating the individual franchisers while allowing them to trouble shoot their own crises on an individual basis.
ReplyDeleteBy the way I strongly urge the class read the article that Anne highlighted about Kenneth Weed the CFO of Unilever. It was an excellent article & fascinating for all of us that are interested in marketing ourselves. According to Weed, the use of the mobile device is going to be the wave of the future.
“Right now there are more new people connecting to the Internet through mobile than PCs. So while we’ve got 1.7bn people online globally, we’ve got 5bn mobile phones. And, if you actually look at the new connections to the Internet, it’s all coming through mobile. They say every time is a new time. That’s true. But I think this era is exceptional because of the twin trends of digitization and globalization, and the fact that they are both feeding off each other.”
What's funny about this is how Ben & Jerry's operates under the assumed nature of their company. The common person perceives the company as homegrown, and while that is true they are far from that now. So if there were to be a crisis, I wonder how that perception would be maintained.
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