Henkel Case Essay

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A very differenst approach to preserving local brands has been taken by Germany's Henkel KGaA. The company's strategy has been to focus on local heritage brands that can be supported by modern and integrated production methods—an approach that seems to contrast strongly with that of building global power brands. Like Unilever and Nestlé, Henkel entered the global market by acquiring local companies—adding factories and local brands to its holdings. But after Henkel realized it had more product variety than it needed, it resisted standardizing any brands with strong local identities. In contrast to strategies that seek production economies by reducing stock-keeping units, concentrating marketing support, and leveraging the most powerful brands with retailers, Henkel chose to retain a portfolio of national and international brands. Henkel has varied its laundry detergent strategies in Europe to address different laundry practices by culture. In Southern Europe, where people have traditionally washed their clothes using cooler water than in the North, consumers have wanted less powerful detergents that they could use with bleach. In Northern Europe, the preference is for hotter water, without the use of bleach. Packaging preferences in the two regions are also different; in the North, consumers prefer compact products, in the South, they want large boxes. Henkel's solution has been to market its flagship detergent brand (Persil) in Germany, France and the Netherlands with separate product formulations that address local preferences in each country, and separate detergent brands for Italy and Spain. Henkel markets the whiteness of Persil in Germany and France, but in the Netherlands, a green version of the brand was positioned as an environmentally-friendly product. In Italy, where the preference is for stain-removing ability and blue color, Henkel introduced a

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