Client story
PZ Cussons
Defining a new digital strategy
Helping an international consumer products business develop a unified digital vision, framework and roadmap to enable strategic, practical action
PZ Cussons is a global business, which owns long-standing and much-loved health, beauty and baby brands such as Imperial Leather, Carex, Child’s Farm and Sanctuary Spa.
PZ Cussons was on a journey from a traditional, trading consumer packaged goods (CPG) company, to a modern, brand-building, consumer-led CPG focused on driving sustainable growth. A recent focus on Amazon had illustrated the promise of digital channels and the company recognized it needed to evolve if it was to remain competitive and drive growth, particularly amid a rapidly changing retail landscape.
Consultancy expertise in both digital transformation and consumer products
The company had recently brought in a new Chief Information Officer. He was keen to bring together various digital initiatives happening across the business and to establish a coherent digital strategy that aligned with the company’s broader goals.
Having worked with The Berkeley Partnership previously, he engaged us to help. We brought a strong blend of experience in retail, consumer goods and digital transformation, which was crucial in understanding the nuances of PZ Cussons’ business.
Berkeley provided a small, highly capable team - not 'telling' but listening and then challenging appropriately. They worked well with PZ culture and it didn't feel like a Big 4 'taking over'. Berkeley came across well on organizational calls and generally got good buy in. Their external insights from other CPG organizations were good. Overall we were very happy!”
Global CIO, PZ Cussons
Differing definitions of digital
At the outset, different people within the company had very different perceptions of what ‘digital’ meant for the business, influenced by whether individuals were part of core functions, regional sales, brand marketing or other teams. For some, it meant eCommerce channels; for others, it meant consumer analytics or fixing core data foundations. In our experience, this is not an uncommon scenario, and we knew that aligning on a definition of digital is key.
Our task was to help PZ Cussons define digital in the context of a matrix organization, spanning both brand-led and regionally-led business units, and determine how digital could drive transformation and business growth.
Building a shared understanding of digital
We began with a comprehensive listening exercise, conducting over 40 interviews with senior leaders across the business. This included the entire executive leadership team, as well as executives from various brands and regions, reflecting the diverse perspectives within the organization.
To guide these conversations, we used a structured framework brought by the CIO that broke digital down into three key lenses:
How customers interact with PZ Cussons products through digital channels, such as online grocery retailer platforms, pure play digital platforms (such as Amazon and Alibaba), and direct-to-consumer websites.
How core functions like supply chain, HR, and finance could be digitised through integrated digital platforms and analytics.
Exploring opportunities for new revenue streams through online-only brands, value-add services (e.g. subscription models), or digital-first customer segments.
This framework allowed us to unpack the varied interpretations of digital across the organization and to build a shared understanding of its strategic potential.
Creating a digital vision and identifying specific digital capabilities to develop
From these interviews, we developed a shared digital vision and a set of agreed guiding principles that captured the needs of the business. Working with the full PZ Cussons executive leadership team, we identified and articulated a strategic high-level view of what the business wanted to achieve with digital across six key areas:
- Understand – Deepening customer insight through data and analytics.
- Engage – Enhancing digital touchpoints to improve customer interaction.
- Develop – Creating the right products with the right specifications.
- Serve – Optimising fulfilment across channels.
- Enable – Strengthening IT foundations and data capabilities.
- Inform – Improving business performance measurement and reporting.
Within these six categories, we identified 18 digital ‘plays’ – specific digital capabilities to develop that would help PZ Cussons realize their digital vision.
Prioritizing and mobilizing digital initiatives
Recognizing that not everything could be tackled at once, we facilitated a workshop to assess the company’s maturity across the six strategic areas. This helped PZ Cussons identify their present state and where they wanted to be.
We then worked with them to prioritize the digital plays based on impact and feasibility, resulting in six key activity areas to take forward initially as the pilot initiatives to demonstrate value and justify further investment. For example, initiatives that focused on improving consumer data and analytics were grouped together, while those that addressed inconsistencies in brand presentation across digital channels formed a different group.
This approach allowed us to translate abstract strategic goals into tangible actions. It also helped the leadership team see how different parts of the business could contribute to and benefit from the digital strategy.
We shared our client’s desire that the strategy would lead to a practical roadmap for change, rather than remain a theoretical exercise. To set PZ Cussons up for success in this respect, we concluded our engagement with a detailed mobilization plan outlining how to get started, who should be involved, and what success would look like.
A digital strategy to regain competitive advantage and drive growth
While this project was primarily about strategy definition and mobilization, the impact was significant. We helped PZ Cussons galvanize their leadership around a shared understanding of digital, prioritise key initiatives, and lay the groundwork for transformation. By aligning the digital strategy with their broader business goals, we helped the company take crucial first steps towards catching up with and exceeding the competition.
This case study exemplifies how we at The Berkeley Partnership approach digital strategy – not a one-size-fits-all solution, but a tailored journey grounded in listening, collaboration, and practical action. For PZ Cussons, it was about turning heritage into opportunity, and we were proud to help them take that first step.
