Congratulations
to Keith Weed, Unilever’s CMO who was awarded Marketer of the Year. Earlier in
the year before his appearance at our Annual Conference, he talked to Marketing
Society editor, Elen Lewis about cheese, instinct and sustainability.
The
Marketing Society Marketer of the Year award is decided by a select panel of
judges. It recognises an individual for their achievements and contribution to
the industry over the past year.
In a
closely-fought contest, Keith Weed, Unilever’s global chief marketing and
communications officer, stood out for the judges. He is the driving force
behind the brand-owner’s ambitious plans for sustainable living, an initiative
launched at the end of 2010 by its chief executive, Paul Polman.
Weed is also pivotal in Unilever’s aim to double its sales and
halve its environmental impact by 2020. He has set the standard for corporate
social responsibility (CSR), not just in the UK, but across the globe.
In the past year, Weed, who also oversees all branding and PR
activities at the company, has championed the philosophy that brands should
build CSR into all their working practices rather than have standalone
departments. It is using CSR to drive growth of the business by catering to
consumers’ needs.
One such example is the soap Lifebuoy. Unilever is putting its
weight behind the product in developing markets, highlighting how washing your
hands with soap can help to stop infectious diseases spreading. The company
also aims to ensure that all its Lipton teabags will be sourced sustainably by
2015.
Before taking on the chief marketing position in 2010, Weed was
Unilever’s European vice-president for global homecare and hygiene, and has
worked for the business in the UK, France and the US.
Unilever’s plan to take a ‘more magic, less logic’ approach to
marketing, an initiative led by the brand’s senior vice-president of marketing,
Marc Mathieu, is overseen by Weed. The aim is to shake up Unilever’s
numbers-led strategy to reward marketers who are prepared to take risks, and
back creative ideas. The brand has created a 10-year plan, designed to ‘enable
marketers to fail’, where previously they had been ’scared’ to.
At a time when many marketers have complained privately that the
industry is becoming too focused on ‘meaningless metrics’ at the expense of
creativity, Weed’s vision has resonated strongly among fellow marketers.
Judges remarked that Weed is revered by Unilever staff and the
wider marketing industry alike.
