Unilever was the first packaged goods company that could truly be described as multinational. Long before rivals such as P&G had established a broad international presence, Unilever exploited its British and Dutch colonial roots to establish a presence in virtually every corner of the globe, especially emerging markets such as Africa, India and Asia. Yet the inheritance of that early start was a widely spread, bureaucracy-heavy, often ill-coordinated giant, heavily invested in low-profit-margin areas such as chemicals manufacturing, plantation management, and commodity trading. Rapid economic, social and political changes from 1965 onwards necessitated a complete overhaul of the group's strategy and management philosophy, especially if it was to compete with more agile, faster-growing marketers. 

Commissioned by the group, and with full access to its corporate archives, this methodical study examines that reinvention in exhaustive detail, tracking the move towards brand marketing; the development and launch of global products such as Omo, Axe/Lynx, Rama among others; and the group's unsuccessful ventures into yoghurt and feminine hygiene products. Invaluable as a historical textbook on marketing and management change, its one very significant weakness is that it follows Unilever's progress only as far as 1990. The process of renewal and transformation of Unilever which began in 1965 is still continuing in 2005, and the most important recent developments, such as the acquisition of Bestfoods and the ambitious Path To Growth brand-reduction strategy, receive little more than a single mention in the brief epilogue. 

Added 27th October 2005