Here’s Why Unilever Doesn't Have a CMO Any More

Unilever, one of the world’s biggest advertisers, no longer has a dedicated chief marketing officer (CMO) role. Since April 2022, its most senior marketer, Conny Braams, has been appointed as its first chief digital and commercial officer to reflect the “blurring lines” between digital marketing and commerce. “It doesn’t mean we’re dropping marketing. It means we’re adding sales,” Braams told Adweek. The Unilever veteran was elevated to the CPG’s (then newly created) position of chief marketing and digital officer (CMDO) in 2019 following the departure of longtime CMO Keith Weed. However, with consumer behavior reconfigured for digital following Covid-19, Unilever has decided to rejig its marketing lead role too. “The convergence that’s been happening in media, entertainment and shopping channels has driven us to rethink what the core of marketing and sales really is. We can now build brands and convert sales at the same time, so why would [we] artificially split that?” she explained. She acknowledged this is a trend marketers have been seeing for some time, but said it’s been taken to “new heights” in the last few years as digital adoption and ecommerce have accelerated. In her updated role, Braam will guide a newly-formed team of category marketing leads across segments including nutrition and beauty. Online shopping continues to be a key growth driver for the Dove and Persil owner. In fact, Covid-19 reverberations triggered a 44% increase in ecommerce, with online purchases now representing 13% of its $57 billion turnover. Last year, Unilever undertook a $3.3 billion media review which saw it ultimately retain WPP’s Mindshare with an expectation that there would be a growth in focus on ecommerce. It’s no surprise then that the corporation has been one of the frontrunners in experimenting with blending digital and shopping channels across brands such as Ben & Jerry’s and Vaseline. At the end of last year it inked a partnership with shoppable livestream startup Firework. As part of its foray into the virtual world, it also launched a "Hellmann’s" island on Animal Crossing in 2021. British snack favorite Pot Noodle also got in on the action, hosting its own augmented reality jobs fair for students which delivered a 400% uptick in attendance on the previous year. A metaverse warning for marketers Speaking for the first time on her new role, however, Braams was focused on the next development for marketers: the advent of Web3 and all that comes with it—NFTs, the metaverse, virtual reality and more. Braams believes this new era of the internet where people use a digital identity to shop, play and interact presents endless opportunities for marketers to engage with consumers and grow their businesses. However, she is cautious that the brands building experiences within it have a responsibility to ensure it’s not only safe for advertisers but for consumers, too. As it stands, people partaking in Web3 experiences have already come up against some unsavory behavior including virtual sexual assault and financial crypto-scams. “Web3 can’t become the problem of the next generation,” she said. “We have a window to act, [advertisers] must put their shoulders under this and build something that is inherently transparent and puts people first.” She took the opportunity to address around 800 of her peers at an event held on April 7 in Athens, Greece by the World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) on this topic. Her speech warned that the challenges of consumers today will only be amplified in an environment where personal data becomes more personal. She said brands need to learn from the challenges that still plague the current online landscape—including brand safety, ad fraud and declining consumer trust. “We need a shift in mindset, from solving problems to preventing problems. We need to act so we don’t react. Prevent before we need to treat. Foresight instead of hindsight,” she added. “This technology revolution must be accompanied by the development of substantial, new ethical infrastructures and policies. The internet without trust is scandal.” With Bloomberg Intelligence forecasting the metaverse will represent an $800 billion market by 2024, Braams has called for collective action from regulators, governments, tech platforms, advertisers and people to ensure Web3 is a “truly decentralized, safe and trusted environment.” Unilever has its own “Web3 collective” internally looking at ways to rise to the challenges presented. “This task force has representation from every part of the business in it, because we really want to be well prepared. We only have a couple of years to get this right,” Braams revealed. Over the past few years, Braams has been focused on ensuring the 400 brands in the consumer firm's portfolio each stand for a purpose, in line with the vision of CEO Alan Jope. She's also been leading the way on Unilever's sustainability initiatives. Unilever Marketing Chief Conny Braams on How Marketers Benefit From Sustainability

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Unilever Doesn't Have a CMO Any More—Here’s Why

Unilever’s Conny Braams is stepping into a new position bridging online marketing and sales.

Rebecca Stewart

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Rebecca Stewart