Overview

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is America’s biggest maker of household products. Established on 31^st October 1837 by William Proctor and James Gamble, today it has become one of the multinational companies with at least 250 brands in six main categories: laundry and cleaning (detergents), paper goods (toilet paper), beauty care (cosmetics, shampoos), food and beverages (coffee, snacks), feminine care (sanitary towels) and health care (toothpaste, medicine).

P&G’s famous brands include Ariel, Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Fabreze, Sunny Delight, and Oil of Olaz. About half of P&G's sales come from its top ten brands.

P&G also makes pet food and pure water filters and produces the soap operas like Guiding Light and As the World Turns. P&G also produces chemicals. Today, P&G markets its products to more than five billion consumers in 130 countries. The company has on-the-ground operations in over 70 countries around the world, and employs more than 106,000 people. Last year’s (2000) turnover equaled $37 billion.

P&G is one of the world’s biggest advertisers. Advertising Age estimate a 1999 media spend of $4.7bn, of which around $3bn was outside the US, making it the world's #2 advertiser.

Fortune 500 lists America’s Top Performing Companies where P&G ranks #39 on the list, before its main competitor Johnson & Johnson (#57) and Kimberly-Clark (#142). P&G also outperforms Unilever and Nestle, the company’s main competitors overseas. Some of P&G billion dollar brands include:

a)     Ariel

b)    Crest/Oral B

c)     Bounty

d)    Duracell

e)     Gillette

f)     Head & Shoulders

g)    Pampers

h)     Tide