Unilever CEO: Talking about social responsibility marketing is a serious threat

He believes that there is a serious "inconsistency of words and deeds" in such marketing of many brands nowadays, and these enterprises ignore the significance of target marketing. At the Cannes International Creative Festival recently held in France, Alan Jope, CEO of Unilever, a European consumer goods giant, warned brands and advertisers in his speech that the marketing method of "woke-washing" promised the world that brands would act to make the world a better place, but actually did nothing. And this kind of marketing is seriously damaging the credibility of the whole industry. Some companies, organizations or individuals in their speech expressed a high degree of concern for some marginal groups or social issues (stature, race, gender inclusiveness, recyclable, natural organic raw materials, etc.) and committed to make changes to this, in order to establish a good corporate image and make more profits. But no action has actually been taken.  Alan Jope said: "In 35 years of marketing work, I have observed that'Goal'is the most exciting opportunity for our industry. If we practice it responsibly and properly, it will help the industry rebuild its reputation, release the limitless creativity in our work and help the brand grow rapidly." "But now, target marketing is at a critical crossroads, because woke-washing is threatening marketing and undermining the credibility of the industry. And we could have done more for some social problems.

There are serious "inconsistencies between words and deeds" in many brands of this kind of marketing nowadays, and these enterprises neglect the significance of target marketing. The goal of marketing is "not only to make consumers moved, but also to let consumers buy. The world needs action!"

To this end, Alan Jope appealed to advertising companies to refuse to cooperate with those"inconsistent words and deeds"in marketing plans, while promising that Unilever would not cooperate with advertising companies with such records. He called on the whole industry to use innovative ideas that can mobilize people's enthusiasm, change their minds, stimulate action, and invite advertising companies to cooperate with Unilever in a new way to input new ideas for corporate behavior and cultural change.

According to Unilever's research and development, consumers now value brand's important role in society more than products sold by brands: 64% of global consumers say they prefer to choose brands with certain social problems.

Last week, Unilever announced that its 28 sustainable lifestyle brands (including Dove, Knorr, Persil/OMO, Rexona, etc.) grew 69% faster than its other brands in FY2018. Alan Jope said it was difficult for brands without clear goals to achieve long-term cooperation with Unilever. "All our marketing input must be targeted," he concluded.

Unilever has accelerated its entry into the cosmetics industry in recent years. Its newly announced acquisitions of new brands such as Tatcha have strong and distinct USP (unique sales proposition). Dove and other old brands under the Group also convey diverse and inclusive brand values to consumers, and take practical actions to implement the "pursuit of real beauty". 

In addition, Unilever announced this month that it has cooperated with UNICEF to promote "Real Beauty". Millions of young people provide self-esteem education programs.

Alan Jope officially served as CEO of Unilever on January 1 this year, and has been leading the group's largest sales of beauty and personal care departments since 2014. According to the results of the first quarter of the fiscal year ended March 31, the group's continuing sales grew by 3.1% to 12.4 billion euros from a year earlier, and the beauty and personal care sectors grew by 3.1% to 5.2 billion euros from a year earlier.