Procter & Gamble vs

Unilever: A Case of
Corporate Espionage
  It is an American multi-national consumer
goods corporation founded in 1837.

Procter & Gamble

 Headquartered in Downtown Cincinnati,
Ohio
 It primarily specializes in a wide range of
cleaning agents and personal care

 It is a British-Dutch transnational consumer

goods company founded in 1930.
 Headquartered in London, United
Unilever

Kingdom, and Rotterdam, Netherlands.

 It is Europe’s seventh most valuable
company.
  Collection and analyzing of actionable

Competitive Intelligence
information about competitors and
market place to form a business strategy.
 Legal and ethical way.
 Methods such as examining, publications,
web sites, patent filings etc.

 Spying in an unethical way on the

competitors to gather information
Company espionage

generally of the archrivals.

 Illegal method of collecting information of
competitors.
 More of illegal methods such as, bribery,
blackmail, technological surveillance etc.
 In early 21st century fortune magazine
reported an allegation on P&G to be
involving in some illegal corporate
espionage on archrival Unilever.
 To collect information of Unilever’s hair
care business.
 P&G admitted to take corporate
espionage over Unilever.
 In late 2000, CI executives at P&G hired
independent contractors to spy on
archrival Unilever.
 Independent contractor hired many sub-
contractors to execute the operation.
 Managed from ranch in Cincinnati.
 Espionage agents collected extensive
information about Unilever hair care
business in U.S.
  Confessed the allegations.
 Top management was not aware of such

Procter & Gamble

practices taking place in the
organization.
 Refuted that they were involved in any
illegal activities.

 Settlement agreement to be signed by

P&G or they will take legal actions against
them.
Unilever