Unilever shakes up brands marketing

Campaign 17-Mar-06

Unilever is testing a new marketing approach and is assigning six of its marketers to integrate marketing across its leading brands.

The company is trialling the system across six of its 12 product
categories.

However, if successful, it will be rolled out across other
categories.

Five of the six individuals are dedicated to digital media.

The initiative will be overseen by Unilever's global media director,

Alan Rutherford, who believes the group's agencies are struggling to
achieve a truly integrated approach to marketing.

The move comes as Unilever continues to shift more of its marketing
budget out of traditional advertising and into other media.

Rutherford said that only about 65 per cent of the Dutch-owned company's
advertising budget was now spent on TV, down from about 85 per cent in
2000.

As part of the new approach, Unilever has developed an advertiser-funded
programme for its Sure brand in the build-up to the World Cup.
Sure/Rexona Fans United launches in the UK on ITV1 on 22 March. The 13
30-minute episodes will look at what drives football fans.

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