Unilever Chief Growth & Marketing Officer On Winning Hearts, Minds—And Machines

Key Concepts

• Desiraability: The unconscious urge to possess something, driving premium and value.
• Brand Value: A measure of desiraability, reflecting attractiveness and power.
• Reach, Engagement, Conversion: Fundamental metrics for communication effectiveness.
• Differentiated Desirable Brand Position: A unique and compelling positioning that creates desire.
• Many-to-Many Model: A communication approach where numerous individuals communicate a brand to others.
• Act Local, Scale Global: A strategy emphasizing local relevance while expanding globally.
• Creator Economy: Utilizing creators to drive desiraability at scale.
• Hearts and Machines: Capturing both human emotions and machine algorithms.
• Share of Model: Understanding and influencing the algorithms of Large Language Models (LLMs).

Marketing as Growth and Desiraability

The conversation begins with the idea that marketing is fundamentally about growth. The speaker emphasizes that marketing is not separate from general management but is integral to creating value and growing a brand in a differentiated way. This involves understanding people, using insights to create desiraability, and positioning products or services uniquely.

• Warren Buffett's Quote: The legend that is Warren Buffett has said that being an investor has made him a better chief executive and being a CEO made him a better investor.
• Marketing's Core Function: Marketing is about growth.
• Creating Value: Figure out how to create value and grow my brand in a differentiated way.
• Understanding People: You have to understand people.
• Positioning: Position your product or service in a way that is unique and compelling relative to the whole set.

Desiraability in CPG vs. Luxury Goods

Desiraability is defined as the unconscious urge to possess something. While luxury goods use scarcity to create desiraability, CPG aims for desiraability at scale. In CPG, it's about balancing rational function with form, elevating the brand through superior science, aesthetics, and sensorial experiences.

• Definition of Desire: Desire is that unconscious urge that makes you feel I just have to have that desire.
• Luxury vs. CPG: In CPG, it's desire at scale, which is the balance of this rational function form.
• Elevating the Brand: Superior science, incredible technology, aesthetics, sensorials.

Desire vs. Preference

Preference is more rational and related to needs and wants, while desire is non-rational and emotional. Creating desiraability allows a brand to earn a premium, deliver a richer product experience, and create more value.

• Preference: Preferences are more in the space of needs and wants...more rational.
• Desire: The desire again is not rational. It's that's what I identify with.
• Premium: When you create desiraability, you earn a premium.

Measuring Desiraability

Brand value is the key measure of desiraability. This is assessed through brand power and attractiveness. Additionally, the efficiency of investment in reach, engagement, and conversion indicates brand strength.

• Brand Value: The measure for desiraability to me is brand value.
• Brand Power: It's brand attractiveness.
• Investment Efficiency: The less you have to invest to get that conversion.

The Changing Marketing Model

The traditional broadcast model has shifted to a many-to-many model. Desiraability is fundamental in this new model, where numerous individuals communicate the brand to others.

• Old vs. New Model: The old world...was a broadcast model...It is now a mini to- mini model.
• Desiraability's Role: The desiraability and the engagement of the brand...is fundamental in that mini to many.

Fundamental Questions for Marketing

Two fundamental questions are: (1) How much reach, engagement, and conversion are you getting? (2) What is your differentiated desirable brand position?

• Reach, Engagement, Conversion: How much reach, engagement, and conversion you get.
• Brand Position: What is your differentiated desirable brand position?

Reach in the Modern Era

While reach remains important, the way it's delivered has changed. The focus is on broadscale reach achieved through various channels, including CTV and social platforms.

• Broadscale Reach: We need broadscale reach.
• Changing Delivery: How you reach is what changes.

Consistency and Reimagination

Consistency is crucial, but it must be reimagined to cut through the noise. Dove's 20-year campaign for real beauty exemplifies this approach.

• Consistency: There's no substitute for consistency.
• Dove Example: Dove 20 years of the campaign for real beauty...the business has grown three times.

Marketing's Role for CEOs

Marketing is about creating demand for a brand. To do this, you must understand the customer and create a brand that stands out.

• Creating Demand: Marketing is about creating demand for your brand.
• Understanding the Customer: You have to understand who that customer is that the brand matters to.

Marketing vs. Selling

Marketing is a sales tool and a positioning tool. It creates demand without actively selling, while selling involves persuading someone to get a product on or off the shelf.

• Marketing as a Tool: I see marketing as a sales tool, but it's also a positioning tool.
• Creating Demand: Marketing is what creates the demand without actively selling.

The Collapse of the Funnel

The traditional funnel is collapsing, with every moment becoming a chance to build a brand and earn a conversion.

• Funnel is Dead: I really do believe the funnel is dead or has been collapsed.
• Every Moment Matters: Every moment is a chance to build a brand and every moment is a chance to earn a conversion.

Building Brands at Scale

Social platforms are key to building brands at scale. This involves identifying consistent brand elements and adapting them for different audiences and platforms.

• Social Platforms: These social platforms are scaled today. So that's how we build the brand at scale.
• Adaptation: We adapt them, personalize them for the audience and the platform.

Act Local, Scale Global

The emphasis is on acting locally and scaling globally. This involves understanding local market needs and building the brand based on its overall value proposition.

• Local Wins: Act local scale global like it's local wins hearts, global wins business.
• Local Insight: Emphasizing the importance of local insight today.

The Creator Economy

The creator model is about driving reach, engagement, and conversion in a new way. Creators have communities that share content, making them essential for the many-to-many model.

• Creator Model: The creator model is all about shifting...to a new way of driving reach, engagement, and conversion.
• Many-to-Many: Creators are all about this many to many model.

Capturing Hearts and Machines

Marketing in the future is about capturing both hearts and machines. This involves understanding the algorithms of LLMs and ensuring the brand resonates emotionally.

• Hearts and Machines: Marketing in the future is about capturing hearts and machines.
• Machine as Audience: We have to think about the machine as an audience.
• Desire as Antidote: Desire is the antidote to help win hearts and machines.

The Role of Growth in Marketing

The title "Chief Marketing and Growth Officer" reinforces that creating desire for brands is at the core of the growth strategy.

• Growth in Title: Having growth in our in the marketing title goes back to reinforce that creating desire for our brands is at the core of the growth strategy.
• Marketing's Expectation: The expectation that we have of marketing is growth.

Synthesis/Conclusion

The conversation emphasizes the evolving role of marketing in driving growth through desiraability. It highlights the shift from traditional marketing models to a more dynamic, interconnected approach that leverages social platforms, creators, and an understanding of both human emotions and machine algorithms. The key takeaway is that marketing must adapt to the changing landscape by focusing on creating desire, building brands at scale, and capturing both hearts and machines to achieve sustainable growth.