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If the “state of readiness” for me to read this book could be measured, it’d be really low on the scale. I don’t plan on entering the FMCG business anytime soon. Yet, this book—which is primarily about Hindustan Unilever (HUL)—captured and conveyed so many interesting ideas and stories that has lead me to look at the products lined up at the local department store in a completely different perspective. I mean, who doesn’t like business stories? Especially for the products that are present in greater count of the Indian households.

If you read the blurb at the back of the book and thought that it is just an expansive advertisement for HUL, you’d be not wrong. Though there is much more to it. This book explores the functioning of HUL, the values it imparts and the results of which many alumni of HUL lead (other) major Indian businesses today.

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While I don’t agree with a lot of points discussed here (you might find them in the notes), it has been done already and HUL is here. If you’re a non-software product professional, this book is a must read. As for the rest of us, just try to enjoy for what it is (and the fact that Paras Chopra saw it fit to recommend and give this book to a lot of students). The notes are going to be chapter-wise for the most part, but I haven’t labeled them that way. I will try to include headings of the main idea being discussed:

Contents:

The “secret sauce” of HUL:

The key reason why HUL is successful, Harish Manwani - the former chairman explains, is that HUL has a middle-class mindset. They are conservative, always looking to step-up, be careful and respectful in every walk of life. He also says that they are humble and to the ground, their integrity is high and willing to go the extra-mile.

The author talks about how they were forced to go to a remote village to distribute and promote their products for a year as a part of their training “stint”.

HUL is a marketing company:

The author implies that marketing of products is at the core and it’s different from advertising. In their marketing process, JTBD - Jobs to be Done is sort of big review that happens in periods of long time. The way the work is allotted is “who is to do what”.

There are also insights that data can be processed wrong if you don’t look at the whole picture.

It is easy for a brand to expand in the same category that in which it has a PMF established. But, it is hard and potentially dangerous for the already existing PMF if you expand in a new category.

Framing insights requires three ingredients:

  1. Observation
  2. Ability to make lateral connections between disparate observation
  3. Ability to state insights pithily.

Advertising:

Advertising should be left to the people of advertising department/agency after giving the problem statement and the user persona. They should not be bothered with the business details.

He also talks about the “goosebumps test” on the feel of an ad. Judging by conscience if an ad is good or not.

They also talk about how they successfully induced fear in rural women about their children’s health with soap ads.

Product > Everything else:

From my understanding, a new product should either disrupt a category with better pricing/quality well or enter in a entirely new category.