• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Linkedin
AIM Leader
  • Cover Story
  • Features
  • AIM News
  • Alumni News
  • Multimedia
  • Life At AIM
  • Contact
  • Give
Select Page
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Articles

Unilever: Using Horlicks’s Brand Equity To Lead

by AIM Research and Publication

Research by: Sanchita Krishna, Sandeep Puri, & Rakesh Singh 

 

Abstract 

In December 2018, Hindustan Unilever Limited announced that it would buy out GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Consumer Healthcare Ltd. India business, which included popular brands such as Horlicks, Boost, and Viva. With Horlicks in its portfolio, Hindustan Unilever Limited expected to gain market share, draw synergies from individual strengths, and gain access to a larger consumer base. However, India’s health food drink category had registered only single-digit growth in 2017. Its primary target audience of parents, physicians, and nutritionists had concerns regarding the side effects of sugar as a key ingredient in beverages such as Horlicks. With consumer focus shifting to healthier, preservative-free alternatives, among other issues, Hindustan Unilever Limited was faced with a challenge: how could it build on Horlicks’s brand equity to sustain its leadership position in the disrupting health food drink market, leverage its leadership position to grow the company in this segment, and take that growth to double digits? 

 

Learning Objective

This case is designed for use in a graduate-level marketing course in a segment on marketing strategies for market leaders, product and brand management after mergers and acquisitions, or consumer behaviour. It examines the implications for both parties of a merger between two major players in the Indian food and beverage and consumer health care market and looks in detail at the Indian health food drink market, its outlook after the merger, and the consequent competitive shifts within the market. After working through the case and assignment questions, students will be able to 

  • describe the Indian health food drink market and the factors contributing to its existing condition; 
  • outline the structure of a deal between two major players in a competitive food and beverage market; 
  • assess the implications of the GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Consumer Healthcare Ltd. India deal for Hindustan Unilever Limited and the Horlicks brand; 
  • assess the outlook of the Indian health food drink market after the merger; and 
  • evaluate plausible future growth strategies for Hindustan Unilever Limited and Horlicks. 

 

Issues: brand management, brand equity, market strategy, mergers and acquisitions 

 

Disciplines: Marketing,  International 

 

Setting: India, Large, 2018 

 

Intended Audience: MBA/Postgraduate 

 

To cite this case: Krishna, S., Puri, S., & Singh, R. (2020). Unilever: Using Horlicks’s brand equity to lead. Ivey ID: 9B20A021. London, Canada: Ivey Publishing. 

 

To access this case: https://www.iveycases.com/ProductView.aspx?id=108887 

Related Articles

Faculty
December 8, 2022
An Order Allocation Methodology Based on Customer Repurchase Motivation Drivers Using Blockchain Technology
Research by: Qi Sun, Ming Dong, & Albert Tan   Executive Summary In the e-commerce market, the cost of customer acquisiti...
by AIM Research and Publication
Faculty
November 24, 2022
Portfolio Optimization Considering Behavioral Stocks with Return Scenario Generation
Research by: Michael N. Young, TJ Troy N. Chuahay, Yen-Hsien Lee, John Francis T. Diaz, Yogi Tri Prasetyo, Satria Fadil Persada, &...
by AIM Research and Publication
Centers
October 28, 2022
Re-thinking Governance in Tourism: Harnessing Tourism’s Post-Covid-19 Economic Potential
Research by: John Paolo R. Rivera, Eylla Laire M. Gutierrez, & Fernando Martin Y. Roxas Executive Summary In reviewing existin...
by AIM Research and Publication
AIM Logo

Learn how business works in Asia with the people who practice it.

  • Cover Story
  • Multimedia
  • Features
  • Life at AIM
  • AIM News
  • Contact
  • Alumni News
  • Give
Copyright © Asian Institute of Management 2021 | Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • Linkedin