"The way peoples' behavior is changing intrigues all marketers," says Keith Weed, global chief marketing officer at Unilever, who attended Mobile World Congress in full force with his team this week. "To us, of course, this is a source of connection with people, but also a potential source of entertainment."
While many brands have embraced a 360-degree approach to marketing, wherein brands aim to surround the customer with content across every screen or medium available, Weed says he's now pushing Unilever to foster something he calls 365. "Our approach much more now is about 365, every day, 24/7. How can we provide content that really engages people?" he says.
"Not only are we interested in leveraging opportunities in this area through media, but we're also interested in investing in companies so we can scale in market," adds Weed. "One of the things an advertiser has to do is break through the clutter."
Because Unilever is an international conglomerate of many brands in vastly different cultures, Weed is driving his team to test new ideas that are more culturally and sociologically relevant to its target customers in each local market.
In India, for example, Unilever discovered that the act of making a call and hanging up before the receiver picks up is widespread because it helps people avoid charges but still reach out and connect with someone. So the company played off that cultural reality and developed a campaign where users could call a number displayed on the packaging for Omo, a laundry detergent, have the call immediately disconnect after one ring and then receive a callback with a pre-recorded message from a Bollywood start. The branded callback feature also offered customers varying amounts of free airtime depending on how many times they purchased the product and placed the initial call.
"I'm only interested in delivering good value for our dollars," he says. If a campaign doesn't deliver a worthwhile return on investment, Weed is likely to abandon the idea and move on. "I think the important thing is to setup expectations up front," he continues. "Measurement is key because at the end of the day we want to make sure we're spending good money."
"You really have to define the measurement for the task," he adds. "The ROI we're getting on mobile is indeed very interesting, and it certainly justifies the money we're putting into it."
As for how much money Unilever is committing to mobile, Weed declined to provide specific numbers, but he shared some other anecdotes to help indicated how important the area is for the CPG company. "We don't give out the percentage we spend on mobile, we don't even give out the percentage we spend on digital," he says. "As far as I'm concerned, I fish where the fish are... All I can say is that it's a number that is growing very fast."
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.