Discussion Question – Proctor & Gamble
MKTG 5302 - Marketing Analysis
December 14, 2013
Proctor and Gamble Company
Proctor and Gamble (P&G) was founded on October 31, 1837 by British candle maker William Proctor and Irish soap maker James Gamble. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio and married sisters, Olivia and Elizabeth Norris. Alexander Norris, their father-in-law suggested Proctor and Gamble go into business together rather than be in competition with each other. As a result P&G was created with a combined total assets of $7, 192.94 (P&G History, 2013). Their beginning products of candles and soap, which at the time of inception, P&G depended heavily on their candle making but as the light bulb became popular, they had to turn their attention to the soap business. Soap was an unpopular item on consumers shopping list in the early parts of the 19th century. Being in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 19th century, tallow a raw material plentiful in supply due to the city’s prosperous pork industry allowed Proctor and Gamble to make their candle and soap products inexpensively. In 1859, company sales reached $1 million dollars. During the Civil War, the company was contracted to supply the Union Army with soap and candles. By this point, the military contracts introduced their products all over the country, by way of soldiers. Over the past two decades, P&G has become the model for companies to follow with the wide range of product mix and product lines. As of September 30, 2013, P&G’s revenue was $84.17 billion U.S. dollars (Proctor and Gamble, 2013).
Product Offerings
P&G is the world’s largest consumer goods company. The company markets over 300 brands globally. The company produces beauty, personal care, health, baby, family, and home products. According to Peter and Donnelly, a product mix consists of several product lines (Peter and Donnelly, 2013). P&G products can be broken down into two categories, which are beauty...