Procter & Gamble

P&G is based in Cincinnati. Laundry, baby care, grooming, oral care, and home care are separate categories that share a common customer: the retailer who sets the shelf and often expects a category captain to recommend the layout.

Gillette handles and blade cartridges are a refill system, so a household that owns the handle keeps buying the matching cartridge. Tide pods and Pampers sizes are similarly specified, and private-label detergents and diapers from Walmart, Costco, and Kroger are the price alternative.

Unilever overlaps home and personal care, Henkel overlaps laundry in Europe, and Colgate overlaps oral care. A planogram reset at Walmart can move more volume than an advertising campaign because the number of facings is the distribution.

Category captaincy and slotting negotiations decide facings for Tide, Pampers, and Gillette.

Gillette cartridge geometry ties refills to the handle already in the bathroom.

Private label at the same retailers is the constraint on branded price.

Shoppers who want a specific diaper size or blade refill have to find the brand the store still stocks.

Retail buyers dealing with P&G are often negotiating several categories in one relationship.