This past summer, Unilever was honored at the 57th Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival as the “Advertiser of the Year,” a global forum of communications professionals and companies coming together annually for seminars and debates about the world of communications. It is a seven day event that attracts top professionals in the advertising, media, marketing, production and design industries.
Unilever was given this award for its innovative efforts in marketing. This summer, Unilever announced some shifts it will take in revamping its website and social media presence. The company (currently the second largest advertiser behind Proctor & Gamble) states that it realizes that Unilever.com is very corporate and does not speak to the largest audience visiting the website: consumers. The company has found that 60% of website visitors are consumers and future-employees, and they wish to address that, by making the website more user-friendly and with less corporate speech.
The company is also doubling its digital marketing budget under the leadership of Keith Weed, Unilever’s new Chief Marketing Officer. In an interview, Mr. Weed discussed that in the U.S., 25% of people’s time is spent on digital engagement. Following this, he believes that marketing budgets should be ‘in that order.’ As he puts it, companies are in their infancy in realizing the power in social media, and the need to go “fish where the fishes are.”
What is interesting about these moves on behalf of Unilever is the implications it has both for research and public relations. First of all, through research conducted about consumer habits, Unilever is responding to what resonates with people. Additionally, Unilever is encouraging people to get involved, share their story, and create connections to the brand through digital forums, including Facebook and YouTube (if you haven’t already, be sure to check out Unilever’s latest and most expensive marketing technique, short videos with a Mad Men-esque approach).
It will be interesting to follow this effort to see how successful it will be in encouraging consumer creativity and feedback.
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