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The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) is an American multinational consumer goods corporation headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, founded in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble. It specializes in a wide range of personal health/consumer health,
personal care Personal care or toiletries are consumer products used in personal hygiene, personal grooming or for beautification. Products Personal care includes products as diverse as cleansing pads, colognes, cotton swabs, cotton pads, deodorant, eye lin ...
and hygiene products; these products are organized into several segments including beauty; grooming; health care; fabric & home care; and baby, feminine, & family care. Before the sale of
Pringles Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based crisps. Originally sold by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", the brand was sold in 2012 to the current owner, Kellogg's. As of 2011, Pri ...
to
Kellogg's The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...
, its product portfolio also included
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...
, snacks, and beverages. P&G is incorporated in Ohio. In 2014, P&G recorded $83.1 billion in sales. On August 1, 2014, P&G announced it was streamlining the company, dropping and selling off around 100 brands from its product portfolio in order to focus on the remaining 65 brands, which produced 95% of the company's profits. A.G. Lafley, the company's chairman and CEO until October 2015, said the future P&G would be "a much simpler, much less complex company of leading brands that's easier to manage and operate". Jon Moeller is the current president and CEO of P&G.


History


Origins

Candlemaker William Procter, born in England, and soap maker James Gamble, born in Ireland, both emigrated to the US from the United Kingdom. They settled in Cincinnati, Ohio, initially and met when they married sisters Olivia and Elizabeth Norris. Alexander Norris, their father-in-law, persuaded them to become business partners, and in 1837 Procter & Gamble was created. In 1858–1859, sales reached $1 million. By that point, about 80 employees worked for Procter & Gamble. During the American Civil War, the company won contracts to supply the Union Army with soap and candles. In addition to the increased profits experienced during the war, the military contracts introduced soldiers from all over the country to Procter & Gamble's products. In the 1880s, Procter & Gamble began to market a new product, an inexpensive soap that floated in water. The company called the soap Ivory. William Arnett Procter, William Procter's grandson, began a
profit-sharing Profit sharing is various incentive plans introduced by businesses that provide direct or indirect payments to employees that depend on company's profitability in addition to employees' regular salary and bonuses. In publicly traded companies th ...
program for the company's workforce in 1887. By giving the workers a stake in the company, he correctly assumed that they would be less likely to go on strike. The company began to build factories in other locations in the United States because the demand for products had outgrown the capacity of the Cincinnati facilities. The company's leaders began to diversify its products as well, and in 1911 began producing
Crisco Crisco is an American brand of shortening that is produced by B%26G Foods. Introduced in June 1911 by Procter & Gamble, it was the first shortening to be made entirely of vegetable oil, originally cottonseed oil. Additional products marketed un ...
, a shortening made of vegetable oils rather than
animal fat Animal fats and oils are lipids derived from animals: oils are liquid at room temperature, and fats are solid. Chemically, both fats and oils are composed of triglycerides. Although many animal parts and secretions may yield oil, in commercial p ...
s. Beginning in the 1880s, P&G advertised its wares in full-page advertisements in many general-interest magazines; by 1921, it had become a major international corporation with a diversified line of soaps, toiletries, and food products; in that year, its annual advertising budget reached $1 million. In the 1920s, P&G advertised its products on the new medium of radio, and from 1932 forward was one of the biggest sponsors of daytime serials, which soon acquired the nickname of '' soap operas''. In the television era, P&G sponsored and produced some twenty soap operas across six decades before the last of its shows ended in 2010.


International expansion

The company moved into other countries, both in terms of manufacturing and product sales, becoming an international corporation with its 1930 acquisition of the Thomas Hedley Co., based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. After this acquisition, Procter & Gamble had their UK Headquarters at 'Hedley House' in Newcastle upon Tyne, until quite recently, when they moved to The Heights, Brooklands. Numerous new products and brand names were introduced over time, and Procter & Gamble began branching out into new areas. The company introduced Tide laundry
detergent A detergent is a surfactant or a mixture of surfactants with cleansing properties when in dilute solutions. There are a large variety of detergents, a common family being the alkylbenzene sulfonates, which are soap-like compounds that are more ...
in 1946 and
Prell Prell is a viscous, pearl-green shampoo and conditioner product manufactured by Scott's Liquid Gold-Inc through their Neoteric Cosmetics subsidiary. History Prell was introduced by Procter & Gamble in 1947. The original formula was a clear gree ...
shampoo in 1947. In 1955, Procter & Gamble began selling the first toothpaste to contain
fluoride Fluoride (). According to this source, is a possible pronunciation in British English. is an inorganic, monatomic anion of fluorine, with the chemical formula (also written ), whose salts are typically white or colorless. Fluoride salts typ ...
, known as
Crest Crest or CREST may refer to: Buildings *The Crest (Huntington, New York), a historic house in Suffolk County, New York *"The Crest", an alternate name for 63 Wall Street, in Manhattan, New York *Crest Castle (Château Du Crest), Jussy, Switzerla ...
. Branching out once again in 1957, the company purchased Charmin
paper mill A paper mill is a factory devoted to making paper from vegetable fibres such as wood pulp, old rags, and other ingredients. Prior to the invention and adoption of the Fourdrinier machine and other types of paper machine that use an endless belt, ...
s and began manufacturing toilet paper and other tissue paper products. Once again focusing on laundry, Procter & Gamble began making Downy fabric softener in 1960 and Bounce fabric softener sheets in 1972. From 1957 to 1968, Procter & Gamble owned
Clorox The Clorox Company (formerly Clorox Chemical Company) is an American global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and professional products. As of 2020 the Oakland, California based company had approximately 8,800 employees worldwide. Net sales ...
, the leading American manufacturer of liquid bleach; however, the
Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
challenged the acquisition, and the U.S. Supreme Court decided against P&G in April 1967. One of the most revolutionary products to come out on the market was the company's disposable Pampers diaper, first test-marketed in 1961, the same year Procter & Gamble came out with Head & Shoulders. Prior to this point, disposable diapers were not popular, although
Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...
had developed a product called Chux. Babies always wore cloth diapers, which were leaky and labor-intensive to wash. Pampers provided a convenient alternative, albeit at the environmental cost of more waste requiring
landfill A landfill site, also known as a tip, dump, rubbish dump, garbage dump, or dumping ground, is a site for the disposal of waste materials. Landfill is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of the waste ...
ing. Amid the recent concerns parents have voiced on the ingredients in diapers, Pampers launched Pampers Pure collection in 2018, which is a "natural" diaper alternative.


Further developments

Procter & Gamble acquired a number of other companies that diversified its product line and significantly increased profits. These acquisitions included
Folgers Coffee Folgers Coffee is a brand of ground, instant, and single-use pod coffee produced and sold in the United States, with additional distribution in Asia, Canada and Mexico. It forms part of the food and beverage division of The J.M. Smucker Compa ...
, Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals (the makers of Pepto-Bismol), Richardson-Vicks, Noxell ( Noxzema), Shulton's Old Spice, Max Factor, the Iams Company, and Pantene, among others. In 1994, the company made headlines for big losses resulting from leveraged positions in interest rate derivatives, and subsequently sued
Bankers Trust Bankers Trust was a historic American banking organization. The bank merged with Alex. Brown & Sons in 1997 before being acquired by Deutsche Bank in 1999. Deutsche Bank sold the Trust and Custody division of Bankers Trust to State Street Corpor ...
for fraud; this placed their management in the unusual position of testifying in court that they had entered into transactions that they were not capable of understanding. In 1996, P&G again made headlines when the Food and Drug Administration approved a new product developed by the company, Olestra. Also known by its brand name 'Olean', Olestra is a lower-calorie substitute for fat in cooking potato chips and other snacks. In January 2005, P&G announced the acquisition of
Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...
, forming the largest consumer goods company and placing Unilever into second place. This added brands such as Gillette razors,
Duracell Duracell Inc. is an American manufacturer of alkaline batteries, specialty cells, rechargeables and smart power systems, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The company has its origins in the 1920s, through the work of Samuel Ruben and Philip Mallory, ...
,
Braun Braun is a common surname, originating from the German word for the color brown. The name is the 22nd most common family name in Germany. Many German emigrants to the United States also changed their name to ''Brown'' (''see Brown (surname)'') ...
, and Oral-B to their stable. The acquisition was approved by the European Union and the
Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent agency of the United States government whose principal mission is the enforcement of civil (non-criminal) antitrust law and the promotion of consumer protection. The FTC shares jurisdiction ov ...
, with conditions to a spinoff of certain overlapping brands. P&G agreed to sell its SpinBrush battery-operated
electric toothbrush An electric toothbrush is a toothbrush that makes rapid automatic bristle motions, either back-and-forth oscillation or rotation-oscillation (where the brush head alternates clockwise and counterclockwise rotation), in order to clean teeth. Motio ...
business to Church & Dwight, and Gillette's
Rembrandt toothpaste Rembrandt toothpaste is an American brand of toothpaste. History In 1990, the Rembrandt toothpaste brand was developed and owned by closely held Den-Mat Corp, which had been founded in 1974 by dentist Dr. Robert Ibsen. In 2003, it had about $73 ...
line to
Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson (J&J) is an American multinational corporation founded in 1886 that develops medical devices, pharmaceuticals, and consumer packaged goods. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company i ...
. The deodorant brands Right Guard, Soft and Dri, and Dry Idea were sold to
Dial Corporation Henkel Corporation, doing business as Henkel North American Consumer Goods, and formerly The Dial Corporation, is an American company based in Stamford, Connecticut. It is a manufacturer of personal care and household cleaning products, and is a ...
. In 2001, Liquid Paper and Gillette's stationery division, Paper Mate, were sold to Newell Rubbermaid. The companies officially merged on October 1, 2005. In 2008, P&G branched into the record business with its sponsorship of Tag Records, as an endorsement for
TAG Body Spray TAG Body Spray was manufactured by TAG Fragrance Company, a subsidiary of Procter & Gamble. It was first released in 2005. From 2005 to 2007, TAG Fragrance Company was part of Global Gillette, until Gillette was bought out by Procter & Gamble and ...
. P&G's dominance in many categories of consumer products makes its brand management decisions worthy of study. For example, P&G's corporate strategists must account for the likelihood of one of their products cannibalizing the sales of another. On August 25, 2009, the Ireland-based pharmaceutical company Warner Chilcott announced they had bought P&G's prescription-drug business for $3.1 billion. P&G exited the food business in 2012 when it sold its
Pringles Pringles is an American brand of stackable potato-based crisps. Originally sold by Procter & Gamble (P&G) in 1968 and marketed as "Pringle's Newfangled Potato Chips", the brand was sold in 2012 to the current owner, Kellogg's. As of 2011, Pri ...
snack food business to
Kellogg's The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toaste ...
for $2.75 billion after the $2.35 billion deal with former suitor Diamond Foods fell short. The company had previously sold Jif peanut butter, Crisco shortening and oils, and Folgers coffee in separate transactions to fellow Ohio-based company
Smucker's The J.M. Smucker Company, also known as Smuckers, is an American manufacturer of food and beverage products. Headquartered in Orrville, Ohio, the company was founded in 1897 as a maker of apple butter. J.M. Smucker currently has three major bus ...
. In April 2014, the company sold its Iams pet food business in all markets excluding Europe to
Mars, Inc. Mars, Incorporated is an American multinational manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products and a provider of animal care services, with US$40 billion in annual sales in 2021. Mars was ranked as the fourth-largest private ...
for $2.9 billion. It sold the European Iams business to Spectrum Brands in December 2014.


Restructuring

In August 2014, P&G announced it was streamlining the company, dropping around 100 brands and concentrating on the remaining 65, which were producing 95% of the company's profits. In March 2015, the company divested its Vicks VapoSteam U.S. liquid inhalant business to
Helen of Troy Helen of Troy, Helen, Helena, (Ancient Greek: Ἑλένη ''Helénē'', ) also known as beautiful Helen, Helen of Argos, or Helen of Sparta, was a figure in Greek mythology said to have been the most beautiful woman in the world. She was believe ...
, part of a brand-restructuring operation. This deal was the first health-related divestiture under the brand-restructuring operation. The deal included a fully paid-up license to the Vicks VapoSteam trademarks and the U.S. license of P&G's Vicks VapoPad trademarks for scent pads. Most Vicks VapoSteam and VapoPads are used in Vicks humidifiers, vaporizers and other health care devices already marketed by Helen of Troy. Later that same year in July, the company announced the sale of 43 of its beauty brands to
Coty Coty may refer to: *Coty, Inc., an American beauty products manufacturer *Coty Award, the Coty American Fashion Critics' Awards (1943-1984) by Coty, Inc. *COTY, abbreviation for Car of the Year awards People * François Coty (1874–1934), perfum ...
, a beauty-product manufacturer, in a US$13 billion deal. It cited sluggish growth of its beauty division as the reason for the divestiture. The sale was completed on October 3, 2016. In February 2016, P&G completed the transfer of
Duracell Duracell Inc. is an American manufacturer of alkaline batteries, specialty cells, rechargeables and smart power systems, owned by Berkshire Hathaway. The company has its origins in the 1920s, through the work of Samuel Ruben and Philip Mallory, ...
to Berkshire Hathaway through an exchange of shares. In December 2018, Procter & Gamble completed the acquisition of the consumer health division of Merck Group (known as EMD Serono in North America) for €3.4 billion ($4.2 billion) and renamed it as Procter & Gamble Health Limited in May 2019. In November 2018, P&G unveiled a simpler corporate structure with six business units that will be effective from July 2019.


Finances

For the fiscal year 2018, Procter & Gamble reported earnings of US$9.750 billion, with an annual revenue of US$66.832 billion, an increase of 2.7% over the previous fiscal cycle. Procter & Gamble's Shares traded at over $86 per share in 2017, and its market capitalization was valued at over US$221.5 billion in October 2018. Procter & Gamble ranked No. 42 on the 2018
Fortune 500 The ''Fortune'' 500 is an annual list compiled and published by ''Fortune'' magazine that ranks 500 of the largest United States corporations by total revenue for their respective fiscal years. The list includes publicly held companies, along ...
list of the largest United States corporations by total revenue.


Carbon footprint

Procter & Gamble reported Total CO2e emissions (Direct + Indirect) for the twelve months ending 31 December 2020 at 2,619 Kt (-1,441 /-35.5% y-o-y).Alt URL
/ref> In September 2021, P&G set a new ambition to achieve net zero emissions across its operations and supply chain by 2040.


Operations

, the company structure has been categorized into ten categories and six selling and market organizations. * Categories


Management and staff

Board of Directors The board of directors of Procter & Gamble currently has 12 members. Previous members of the board include: * W. James McNerney, Jr. * Nelson Peltz * Scott Cook * Frank Blake In May 2011, ''
Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...
'' editor-at-large Patricia Sellers praised P&G's board diversity, as five of the company's 11 directors were female and had all been on ''Fortune'''s annual Most Powerful Women list. In March 2011, Rajat Gupta resigned from the board after a SEC accusation of Galleon Group
insider trading Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider information ...
. In May 2013,
Robert A. McDonald Robert Alan McDonald (born June 20, 1953) served as the eighth United States Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He is the retired chairman, president, and CEO of Procter & Gamble. In 2014 he became Secretary of Veterans Affairs.A.G. Lafley, who returned as chairman, president, and CEO. Procter & Gamble is a member of the
U.S. Global Leadership Coalition The U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC) is a nonprofit organization formed by a coalition of American businesses and NGOs, senior national security and foreign policy experts, faith-based and community leaders from across the United States w ...
, a Washington, DC-based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger international affairs budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad. Senior Executives * Executive Chairman of the Board –
David S. Taylor David Scott Taylor (born April 20, 1958) is an American business executive who is executive chairman of Procter & Gamble, having previously served as chairman, president and CEO. Early life David Taylor was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, Uni ...
* President & Chief Executive Officer –
Jon R. Moeller Jon R. Moeller (born 1964) is an American businessman. He was elected Chief Executive Officer of Procter & Gamble on July 29, 2021, to succeed David S. Taylor on November 1, 2021. Biography Early life Jon Moeller was born in Chicago, Illinois o ...
* Chief Operating Officer – Shailesh G. Jejurikar


Employer recognition

''Fortune'' magazine awarded P&G a top spot on its list of "Global Top Companies for Leaders", and ranked the company at 15th place of the "World's Most Admired Companies" list. ''Chief Executive'' magazine named P&G the best overall company for leadership development in its list of the "40 Best Companies for Leaders". In October 2008, P&G was named one of " Canada's Top 100 Employers" by Mediacorp Canada Inc. and was featured in '' Maclean's'' newsmagazine. Later that month, P&G was also named one of Greater Toronto's Top Employers, which was announced by the ''
Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...
'' newspaper. In October 2013, the company was named the fourth-most in-demand employer in the world according to analytic data sourced by LinkedIn. In August 2013, P&G was named the 14th-hardest company to interview for by Glassdoor. In November 2013, Glassdoor also named them as a top 25 company for career opportunities. In February 2014, Glassdoor placed P&G 34th on their annual Best Places to Work list. In November 2014, P&G came out publicly in support of same-sex marriage in a statement made by William Gipson, P&G's chief global diversity officer. In November 2015, P&G was named the Careers in Africa Employer of Choice 2015 following a survey of over 13,000 African professionals from across the globe. P&G was also recognized as the most desirable FMCG business to work for in Africa. In 2016 and 2017, P&G was recognized as one of Forbes World's Most Reputable Companies.


Brands

As of 2015, 21 of P&G's brands have more than a billion dollars in net annual sales. Most of these brands—including Bounty, Crest,
Always Always may refer to: Film and television * ''Always'', a 1985 film directed by Henry Jaglom * ''Always'' (1989 film), a 1989 romantic comedy-drama directed by Steven Spielberg * ''Always'' (2011 film), a 2011 South Korean film, also known as '' ...
, and Tide—are global products available on several continents. P&G's products are available in North America, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. In 2018, P&G's fabric and home care division accounted for 32% of the company's total net sales, the highest of all its divisions. The division includes Downy,
Gain Gain or GAIN may refer to: Science and technology * Gain (electronics), an electronics and signal processing term * Antenna gain * Gain (laser), the amplification involved in laser emission * Gain (projection screens) * Information gain in de ...
, Tide, Febreze, and Dawn. According to '' Advertising Age'', Procter & Gamble spent $4.3 billion advertising their various brands in the United States in 2015, making it the top advertiser in the country. Manufacturing operations are based in these countries: * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Competitive innovation

In the 2021 review of WIPO's annual
World Intellectual Property Indicators World Intellectual Property Indicators (WIPI) is an annual statistical report published by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The publication provides an overview of the activity in the areas of patents, utility models, trademarks, ...
Procter & Gamble ranked 9th in the world, with 57 designs in industrial design registrations being published under the
Hague System The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Deposit of Industrial Designs, also known as the '' Hague system'' provides a mechanism for registering an industrial design in several countries by means of a single application, filed in one lan ...
during 2020. This position is down on their previous 6th place ranking for 65 industrial design registrations being published in 2019.


Radio and television production

Procter & Gamble produced and sponsored the first radio serial dramas in the 1930s. As the company was known for Ivory soap, the serials became known as " soap operas". With the rise of television in the 1950s and 1960s, most of the new serials were sponsored, produced and owned (20 series) by the company (including '' The Guiding Light'', which had begun as a radio serial, and made the transition to television lasting 72 years). Though the last P&G-produced show, '' As the World Turns,'' left the air in 2010, '' The Young and the Restless'', produced by Sony Pictures Television and broadcast on CBS, is still partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble; as of 2017, it is the only remaining daytime drama that is partially sponsored by Procter & Gamble. These past serials were produced by Procter & Gamble: * '' Another World'' * '' As the World Turns'' * '' The Brighter Day'' * '' The Catlins'' * '' The Edge of Night'' * ''
The First Hundred Years ''The First Hundred Years'' is the first ongoing TV soap opera in the United States that began as a daytime serial, airing on CBS from December 4, 1950 until June 27, 1952. A previous daytime drama on NBC, ''These Are My Children'', aired in 194 ...
'' * '' From These Roots'' * ''
Guiding Light ''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. It is listed in ''Guinness World Records'' as the third longest-running drama in television in American history. ''Guiding Light'' a ...
'' * ''
Lovers and Friends ''Lovers and Friends'' is an American soap opera that aired on NBC from January 3 to May 6, 1977. When the show didn't catch on immediately, NBC put the show on hiatus for seven months, and then brought it back on December 6, 1977 as a retooled sh ...
'' / ''For Richer, for Poorer'' * ''
Our Private World Our or OUR may refer to: * The possessive form of " we" * Our (river), in Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany * Our, Belgium, a village in Belgium * Our, Jura, a commune in France * Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), a government utility regulat ...
'' * '' Search for Tomorrow'' * '' Somerset'' * '' Texas'' * ''
Young Doctor Malone ''Young Doctor Malone'' (a.k.a. ''Young Dr. Malone'') is an American soap opera, created by Irna Phillips, which had a long run on radio and television from 1939 to 1963. The producer was Betty Corday (1912–1987), who also produced ''Pepper Youn ...
'' Procter & Gamble also was the first company to produce and sponsor a prime-time serial, a 1965 spin-off of ''As the World Turns'' called ''Our Private World''. In 1979, PGP produced ''Shirley'', a prime-time NBC series starring Shirley Jones, which lasted 13 episodes. They also produced TBS' first original comedy series, '' Down to Earth'', which ran from 1984 to 1987 (110 episodes were produced). They also distributed the syndicated comedy series ''
Throb ''Throb'' is an American sitcom that aired in syndication from September 6, 1986, to May 21, 1988. The series, created by Fredi Towbin, was produced by Procter & Gamble Productions in association with Taft Entertainment Television, and was dist ...
''. In 1985, they produced a game-show pilot called ''The Buck Stops Here'' with Taft Entertainment Television in 1985, hosted by
Jim Peck James Edward Peck (born April 16, 1939 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American television and radio personality based in Milwaukee and is perhaps best known for his time as a game show host. Early career After Peck graduated from Marquette Univer ...
; it was not picked up. Procter & Gamble Productions originally co-produced '' Dawson's Creek'' with Columbia TriStar Television, but withdrew before the series premiere due to early press reviews. They also produced the 1991 TV movie ''A Triumph of the Heart: The Ricky Bell Story'', which was co-produced by The Landsburg Company, and continue to produce the People's Choice Awards until the show was sold to E! channel in April 2017. In 2007, PGP teamed up with the now-defunct Cookie Jar Group to produce the Flash-animated children's series ''
Will and Dewitt ''Will and Dewitt'' is a Canadian flash-animated adventure television series featuring a frog named Dewitt, and a human boy named Will as the main characters. It is produced by Cookie Jar Entertainment and Two Presidents Productions. It first ai ...
'', which features the character Dewitt, the mascot for the Pampers baby product line's former sub-brand, Kandoo. They attempted with Walmart the
Family Movie Night ''Family Movie Night'' was an umbrella series of made for TV films owned and sponsored by Procter & Gamble and Walmart. The companies were inserting product placements within the films. Flyover Studios, P&G Productions and Telenext Media Inc. were ...
on broadcast networks in 2010–2011 then the Walden Family Theater on the Hallmark Channel in 2013. In 2013, PGP rebranded itself as Procter & Gamble Entertainment (PGE) with a new logo and an emphasis on multiple-platform entertainment production. P&G funded a six-episode series, ''Activate'', on National Geographic in 2019 focusing on extreme poverty, inequality and sustainability in conjunction with not-for-profit Global Citizen and production company Radical Media. The company agreed to a longform series deal with Stone Village Television in January 2020. In February 2020, P&G joined Imagine Documentaries' five project slate including ''Mars 2080'', the project closest to production.


Sponsorships

In addition to its self-produced items through PGE, Procter & Gamble also supports many Spanish-language novellas through advertising on all networks: Azteca América, Estrella TV, Galavisión, Telemundo,
UniMás UniMás (, stylized as ''UNIMÁS'', and originally known as TeleFutura from its launch on January 14, 2002, to January 6, 2013) is an American Spanish free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. The network's programming, which is ...
and Univisión. P&G was one of the first mainstream advertisers on Spanish-language TV during the mid-1980s. In 2008, P&G expanded into music sponsorship when it joined Island Def Jam to create Tag Records, named after a body spray that P&G acquired from Gillette. In 2010, after the cancellation of ''As the World Turns'', PGP announced they were phasing out soap opera production and expanding into more family-appropriate programming. Procter & Gamble also gave a $100,000 contract to the winners of Cycles 1 through 3 of '' Canada's Next Top Model'', wherein
Andrea Muizelaar Cycle one of ''Canada's Next Top Model'', the Canadian adaptation of Tyra Banks' ''America's Next Top Model'', aired on Citytv from May to July 2006. The show was hosted by Canadian model and actress Tricia Helfer, who also served the role of he ...
, Rebecca Hardy, and
Meaghan Waller Meaghan DeWarrenne-Waller (born October 16, 1989) is a Canadian fashion model, best known for winning cycle 3 of ''Canada's Next Top Model''. Early life Waller was born on October 16, 1989 in Thunder Bay, Ontario to a Scottish mother and a Canad ...
won the prize. Procter & Gamble has been a major sponsor of the
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
since 2012. It sponsored 150 athletes at the London games that year. They have also sponsored the Winter Olympics since
2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. It will do so at the
2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade, links=no) and also known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is s ...
in Paris, France besides the
2026 Winter Olympics ) , nations = , athletes = , events = 116 in 8 sports , opening = 6 February 2026 , closing = 22 February 2026 , opened_by = , cauldron = , stadium = San Siro Verona Arena , wint ...
in
Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; lld, Anpezo, ; historical de-AT, Hayden) is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomitic) Alps in the Province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the Boite river, in an alp ...
/ Milan, Italy. The company's sponsorship includes television ads in which Olympic athletes are portrayed as children to convey the sense that the mothers of these athletes still remember them as infants; other ads stress how Olympic mothers stood by their children through years of training all the way through to Olympic success. 2016's ad for the Rio Games notes upheavals as youths by an American gymnast, Chinese swimmer, Brazilian volleyballer, and German distance runner. The ads all make prominent use of the Ludovico Einaudi orchestral track "
Divenire ''Divenire'' (in English "to become") is a music album by the Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi. Released in 2006, the album includes his critically acclaimed track "Primavera". Shortly after its release, Einaudi went on tour to various places in t ...
" and related such instrumentals. The company has actively developed or sponsored numerous online communities, e.g. BeingGirl.com (launched in 2000) and Women.com. , the company had 72 "highly stylized destination sites".


Controversies


Price fixing

In April 2011, P&G was fined €211.2 million by the European Commission for establishing a price-fixing cartel for washing powder in Europe along with Unilever, which was fined €104 million, and
Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, commonly known as Henkel, is a German multinational chemical and consumer goods company headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany. It is active in both the consumer and industrial sectors. Founded in 1876, the DAX company is organi ...
. Though the fine was set higher at first, it was discounted by 10% after P&G and Unilever admitted running the cartel. As the provider of the tip-off leading to investigations, Henkel was not fined.


Toxic shock syndrome and tampons

"In the wake of the toxic shock syndrome outbreak of the 1980s" P&G's Rely left the market. Toxic shock syndrome (TSS) is a disease caused by strains of the bacteria ''
Staphylococcus aureus ''Staphylococcus aureus'' is a Gram-positive spherically shaped bacterium, a member of the Bacillota, and is a usual member of the microbiota of the body, frequently found in the upper respiratory tract and on the skin. It is often positive ...
''. Most people have these bacteria living in their bodies as harmless commensals in places such as the nose, skin, and vagina. The disease can strike anyone, not only women, but the disease is often associated with tampons. In 1980, 814 menstrual-related TSS cases were reported; 38 deaths resulted from the disease. The majority of women in these cases were documented as using super-absorbent synthetic tampons, particularly the Rely tampon created by Procter & Gamble. Unlike other tampons made of cotton and rayon, Rely used carboxymethylcellulose and compressed beads of
polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain the ester functional group in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include natural ...
for absorption. In the summer of 1980, the Centers for Disease Control released a report explaining how these bacterial mechanisms were leading to TSS. They also stated that the Rely tampon was associated with TSS more than any other brand of tampon. In September 1980, Procter & Gamble voluntarily recalled its Rely brand of tampons from the market and agreed to provide for a program to notify consumers. Since the 1980s, reported cases of TSS have dramatically decreased. Not all lawsuits following a death result in awards.


Child labor and forced labor

According to a 2016 report by
Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says it has more than ten million members and sup ...
, palm oil provider Wilmar International, the world's biggest
palm oil Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil derived from the mesocarp (reddish pulp) of the fruit of the oil palms. The oil is used in food manufacturing, in beauty products, and as biofuel. Palm oil accounted for about 33% of global oils produced from ...
grower in 2016 and supplier of raw materials to Procter & Gamble, profited from 8 to 14-year-old child labor and forced labor. Some workers were extorted, threatened, or not paid for work. Some workers also suffered severe injuries from toxic banned chemicals.


Animal testing

Procter & Gamble has received criticism from animal advocacy group PETA for the practice of testing on animals. On June 30, 1999, Procter & Gamble announced that it would limit its animal testing practices to its food and drug products which represented less than 20% of its product portfolio. The company invested more than $275 million in the development of alternative testing methods.


Other products

In 2002, P&G was sued for its ads falsely suggesting to the consumers that the drug Prilosec could cure heartburn in a day. In December 2005, the Pharmaceutical division of P&G was involved in a dispute over research involving its osteoporosis drug
Actonel Risedronic acid, often used as its sodium salt risedronate sodium, is a bisphosphonate. It slows down the cells which break down bone. It's used to treat or prevent osteoporosis, and treat Paget's disease of bone. It is taken by mouth. It was pa ...
. The case was discussed in the media.


Logo myth

P&G's former logo originated in 1851 as a crude cross that barge workers on the
Ohio River The Ohio River is a long river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing southwesterly from western Pennsylvania to its mouth on the Mississippi River at the southern tip of Illino ...
painted on cases of P&G star candles to identify them. P&G later changed this symbol into a trademark that showed a man in the moon overlooking 13 stars, said to commemorate the original
13 colonies The Thirteen Colonies, also known as the Thirteen British Colonies, the Thirteen American Colonies, or later as the United Colonies, were a group of British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America. Founded in the 17th and 18th centuri ...
. The company received unwanted media publicity in the 1980s due to rumors, spread largely by Amway distributors, that the moon-and-stars logo was a satanic symbol. The accusation was based on a particular passage in the Bible, specifically Revelation 12:1, which states: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of 12 stars." P&G's logo consisted of a man's face on the moon surrounded by 13 stars. Some claimed that the logo was a mockery of the heavenly symbol alluded to in the aforementioned verse, thus construing the logo to be satanic. Where the flowing beard meets the surrounding circle, three curls were said to be a mirror image of the number ''
666 666 may refer to: * 666 (number) * 666 BC, a year * AD 666, a year * The number of the beast, a reference in the Book of Revelation in the New Testament Places * 666 Desdemona, a minor planet in the asteroid belt * U.S. Route 666, an America ...
'', or the reflected
number of the beast The number of the beast ( grc-koi, Ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, ) is associated with the Beast of Revelation in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Book of Revelation. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of ...
. At the top and bottom, the hair curls in on itself and was said to be the two horns like those of a ram. The moon-and-stars logo was claimed to be discontinued in 1985 in a failed attempt to quash the rumors. In 1991, details of the logo were simplified to avoid the connection and remove aspects alleged to indicate Satanist affiliations. The company moved to a text-only logo in 1995, though in 2013 it unveiled a new logo with a hint of a crescent moon behind the text. These interpretations have been denied by company officials and no evidence linking the company to the Church of Satan or any other occult organization has ever been presented. The company unsuccessfully sued Amway from 1995 to 2003 over rumors forwarded through a company voice-mail system in 1995. In 2007, the company successfully sued individual Amway distributors for reviving and propagating the false rumors. The Church of Satan denies being supported by Procter & Gamble.


Reverse domain name hijacking

In March 2013, P&G was found by a World Intellectual Property Organization panel to have engaged in
reverse domain hijacking Reverse domain name hijacking (also known as reverse cybersquatting or commonly abbreviated as 'RDNH'), occurs where a rightful trademark owner attempts to secure a domain name by making cybersquatting claims against a domain name’s "cybersquatter ...
in an attempt to obtain the domain name "swash.com" from Marchex in a Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy proceeding. P&G originally stated it had generated more than $40 million in sales of its Swash laundry products over four years, a figure it later revised to $60,000. After losing the case P&G purchased the domain name from Marchex. In 2013 attorney John Berryhill suggested that P&G did not intend to use the swash.com domain to market its existing range, as it had said, but rather a new product described in a 2011 trademark application as "An appliance for domestic use in the nature of a garment steamer for the purpose of removing wrinkles and odors from clothing and linen". Berryhill's theory was shown to be accurate after swash.com went live in June 2014.


"The Talk"

In 2017, as part of the "My Black is Beautiful" platform, P&G released an advertisement called "The Talk". The advertisement shows African American parents throughout the decades giving their children " the talk" about racism. The advertisement garnered controversy for several different reasons. Some people criticized the advertisement for not showing any fathers giving "the talk", while others accused it of being anti-white. One scene shows a mother warning her daughter about being pulled over by the police. The daughter responds by saying that she is a good driver so her mother doesn't need to worry about her getting a ticket. The mother then implies that she might experience
police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
by being racially profiled and killed. Several police officers and police groups accused that part of the advertisement of being anti-cop. "The Talk" was accused by Michelle Malkin of '' National Review'' of being "liberal advertising". Malkin also called the advertisement " Black Lives Matter propaganda" and accused it of pandering and using identity politics. Despite the criticism, the advertisement also received a lot of positive reception and praise with some calling it "powerful" and "thought-provoking". The advertisement has also won several awards including the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity Grand Prix and the 2018
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Commercial is awarded to one advertisement each year. In the following list, the first titles listed in gold are the winners; those not in gold are nominees, which are listed in alphabetical order. The yea ...
during the
70th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards The 70th Annual Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards ceremony were held over two nights on September 8 and September 9, 2018. The nominations were announced on July 12, 2018. The ceremony was in conjunction with the annual Primetime Emmy Awards and ...
.


Gillette ad

On January 14, 2019, P&G subsidiary
Gillette Gillette is an American brand of safety razors and other personal care products including shaving supplies, owned by the multi-national corporation Procter & Gamble (P&G). Based in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, it was owned by The Gil ...
released a controversial advertisement called "The Best Men Can Be", ostensibly to address negative behavior among men, including bullying, sexism, sexual misconduct, and toxic masculinity. The ad was the subject of
controversy Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of conflicting opinion or point of view. The word was coined from the Latin ''controversia'', as a composite of ''controversus'' – "turned in an opposite d ...
and was received negatively by various online commentators, becoming one of the most disliked videos on YouTube. The ad led to calls for
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of Gillette and Procter & Gamble. Later in the year, its Gillette shaving business took an $8 billion dollar write-down in value, although the company and analysts pointed to accumulated currency fluctuations, the entrance of strong rivals and decline in the demand for shaving products since the division's previous valuation in 2005, rather than fallout from the ad.


Corporate diversity

In January 2019, CEO David Taylor said in Switzerland: "The world would be a better place if my board of directors on down is represented by 50% of the women. We sell our products to more than 50% of the women." Also in January 2019, '' The Wall Street Journal'' noted the company's board of directors had more than twice as many men as it does women. As of mid-2020, the board of P&G consisted of an equal number of men and women.


CEO-to-worker pay ratio

For the first time in 2018, a new
Securities and Exchange Commission The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government, created in the aftermath of the Wall Street Crash of 1929. The primary purpose of the SEC is to enforce the law against market ...
rule mandated under the 2010 Dodd-Frank financial reform requires publicly traded companies to disclose how their CEOs are compensated in comparison with their employees. In public filings, companies have to disclose their “Pay Ratios,” or the CEO's compensation divided by the median employee's. According to SEC filings, P&G paid its CEO $17,354,256 in 2017. In 2021, the median employee of Procter & Gamble was compensated $66,326 in 2017, and ratio between CEO pay to median worker pay was 309-to-1, compared to median of 141-to-1 across the S&P500 and the Russell 1000.


References


Further reading

* Kominicki, John, "James Gamble's Candles and Soap Lit Up Profit: Do It Right: He Helped Put P&G on an Ethical Path to Top", Los Angeles: '' Investor's Business Daily'', March 6, 2015, p. A3. * McGuigan, Lee
"Procter & Gamble, Mass Media, and the Making of American Life"
''Media, Culture, and Society'' 37 (September 2015), pp. 887–903. .


External links

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