Consumers vote with their dollars, and brands are doing the same lately. Many are opting to create positive change by aligning their media spends with their core values.
Unilever is one of the companies that has the clout to make a difference with how it spends its media dollars. It recently demonstrated this when it protested the irresponsibility of social media companies last year through a six-month social media advertising boycott. The boycott included its longtime partner, Facebook.
Unilever took center stage during a discussion at Mediaweek, as Rob Master, Unilever’s vp of media and digital engagement, discussed financial and social responsibility with Amanda Richman, CEO, North America at Mindshare and moderator Christian Juhl, global chief executive officer at GroupM.
A ‘responsible framework’
During the discussion, Master charted Unilever’s 100-plus year journey, starting with the company’s beginnings centering on fiduciary responsibility and “getting what you paid for” in terms of marketing and advertising. He also spoke about brand safety and the importance of making industry and media partners accountable for brand-safe environments. Lately, that has evolved into a “much more holistic kind of consumer safety, industry ecosystem environment,” he said.
Richman finds that clients care deeply about what they believe in. But those beliefs also pave a path to growth, especially “when you’re doing right by society and your consumers, and developing more relevant and deeper relationships.”
Richman used the example of Mindshare and Unilever’s partnership on the Commit to C.A.R.E. Now initiative with Dove Men+Care and the National Basketball Players Association. It honored the humanity of Black men while addressing issues like public safety, fair voting and community engagement.
Unilever and Mindshare have also partnered to develop a “responsible framework” for holding both the industry and the company responsible for what it puts out to the world. The three pillars of the framework are responsible infrastructure, responsible content and responsible platform partnerships (with nondivisive platforms). The responsible infrastructure involves making sure that the company works with third parties that allow it to see measurable, brand safe-environments. Lastly, it’s equally important to ensure that consumer data is being managed properly, because “the digital ecosystem is the golden goose for all of us,” Master said.
To find those partners, companies need to take bets on platforms like YouTube and Facebook. While not all may lead to success, those bets can pay off by having the partners understand where they stand. Brands also need to make choices on what they stand for, who their consumers are and what their beliefs are—and stand by that, rather than trying to be everything to everyone, according to Richman.
Ultimately, when brands do this, they should also build a dialogue around it. The companies need to work together with agency or brand partners to determine the KPIs on responsible investment goals, and they must be confident that operating with a purpose will lead to business success, according to Juhl.
