Unilever's chief marketing officer recently said: 'We need to build brands with purpose. We need to go from "marketing to consumers", to "mattering to people"'.In other words, the consumer products giant believes in purpose-driven marketing.
One year ago Marketing Week named the top 100 firms for brand purpose--and at the top was Unilever.
Just weeks ago, Unilever arranged to buy Seventh Generation, a US-based brand of household cleaners known for sustainability.
Unilever's executive vice president for global marketing notes that brands need to be activist as part of their purpose: 'Consumers are really expecting brands to create movements. They want to be part of those movements', she explains.
Yes, the firm's brands seek to make a positive difference (via social responsibility, sustainability and so forth). And in the process, Unilever benefits by meeting customers' needs, increasing public trust and, ultimately, improving the bottom line. 'Fifty percent of Unilever's growth today is coming from brands that are acting on their purpose', the EVP says.
