Vegas Gathering Has Become a Crucial Stop for Marketers Who Want to Learn About the Devices Affecting Consumers' Lives
KEITH WEED
CMO, Unilever
At this point, you're a CES veteran. What kind of team are you bringing this year?
We are bringing a reasonably sized team, 10 people. But we're not just bringing out media and marketing teams like last year. This year I'll be with our CIO and CFO.
Why is CES important to Unilever? We go to get a feel for the pace of change. We have an interest in the way people live their lives, and that has undergone radical change in the past five years, perhaps the most radical change since the Industrial Revolution. We are interested in where they are spending their media time. As the world's second-largest advertiser, that is important to us.
What do you expect to see this time? One thing that was present last year was that everything is mobile and connected. This year, the hardware and software are not locked into the device, they're in the cloud. A car connected to a fridge via the cloud is nothing more than a mobile shopping cart. Can you imagine driving by a shop and knowing you're short on Hellmann's and then being alerted that there's a deal on Hellmann's?
Is there a risk of getting too far ahead of consumers? My principle is, I want to get to the future first and welcome consumers as they arrive. That way we don't have to chase them. There is nothing wrong with failing as long as you do it quickly and don't scale the failures.
About Me
- Keith Weed
- I am responsible for the marketing and communication functions at Unilever, a role that also includes leading Unilever's sustainability work, its drinking water business (Pureit) and the Unilever brand. Prior to this I was Executive Vice President for Global Home Care & Hygiene at Unilever, covering Fabric Cleaning, Fabric Conditioning, Household Cleaning Products, Oral Care and Potable Water. Previously I was Chairman of Lever Fabergé and Chairman of Unilever Export. I have worked for Unilever in the UK, France and the United States, as well as in a variety of global and regional management and marketing roles. Outside Unilever, I am a Fellow of The Marketing Society and, as an engineering graduate, a Fellow of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers. I am also a non-Executive Director of Sun Products Corporation.