Unilever outlines 'more magic, less logic' marketing philosophy

The FMCG brand-owner wants to shake up its numbers-led marketing strategy to reward marketers who are prepared to take risks and back creative ideas.

At a recent global briefing, principally featuring Unilever’s brand teams worldwide, along with roster agencies, senior marketers Keith Weed and Marc Mathieu outlined a 10-year plan. Providing that the company subsequently learned from its mistakes, they believe this new philosophy would ‘enable marketers to fail’, where previously they have been ‘scared’ to take risks.

Mathieu, Unilever’s senior vice-president of marketing, emphasised the need to diverge from what one source described as an ‘unthinking adherence to quantitative market research at the risk of losing some of the creative spark that leads to great creative ideas’.

It is understood that Unilever hopes the change will help move it away from the type of model used by rival Procter & Gamble.

Mathieu, a former senior marketer at Coca-Cola, took up his role at Unilever in April. His appointment completed an overhaul of the marketing team by Weed, Unilever’s chief marketing and communications officer.