1. What is a brand? Write down you definition.

A brand is how a company is viewed in the eyes of a consumer. It extends beyond that icons, imagery, and communicated values and extends into what consumers thinks of the product, the company’s values and what consumers think of the products consumers.

2. Why does Unilever want fewer brands? Specify the logic.

By narrowing down the number of brands, Unilever is better able to market products. Consumers already have preconceived notions about existing brands and it makes it easier for a company to introduce new products. Customers will make assumptions about new products because they are able to make assumptions about quality and value based on what they already know about the brand. It’s a smart move for a company like Unilever, which has well established brands. They are also able to consolidate marketing efforts and budgets.

3. How did Unilever organize product category management and brand management prior to 2000? What was the corresponding structure after 2000?

Before 2000 brand management was highly decentralized and Unilever had spread itself across a variety of product categories within the general one of consumer packaged goods. Even though there were some advantages to such a structure, they were outweighed by the issues of control of brand management. There was no unified vision on what the portfolio should look like. Moreover, some brands even had different identities in the various locations around the world where they were sold. As a result of Unilever's brand confusion, in 2000, an initiative called the "Path to Growth" was launched. One objective was to decrease the number of brands from more than 1,600 to 400 (2). From the remaining brands, a few would be selected as "Masterbrands, and mandated to serve as umbrella identities over a range of product forms" (2). For each Masterbrand