Unilever wanted to invest in their masterbrand, and build it into a trustmark that could increase sales of their many product brands. They asked us to help.

It was a more complex challenge than it sounds. All their product brands have different purposes, initiatives, audiences, and identities, and we needed to find a way to unite them and allow each of their individual sustainable claims to shine. So rather than generalize or summarize ‘above them’, which can lead to bland corporate claims disconnected from the products and the consumer, we instead decided to embrace the complexity. We developed a campaign that allowed us to connect the many different parts, products and purposes at Unilever.

By starting with the consumer action – using Unilever products – and building from there to tangible outcomes, we could show consumers the impact they can have. Every time you buy a product with a U on it, you’re doing some good somewhere in the world. Every squeeze of Domestos builds much needed toilets in rural schools. Every scrub with Dove funds girls’ self esteem workshops. We wrote a line – ‘Every U Does Good’ – that encapsulated it perfectly.

But as an FMCG brand, how do you stand out? Many competitors now talk about brands with purpose, but in practice they only play lip service to it, employing separate PR teams to create one-off actions that are then heavily promoted.

So we set about crafting a campaign that would radically differentiate us from competitor greenwashing. We found and collaborated with a fantastic illustrator to create a brand world that was distinctive, bold, and would work for many markets and products. The campaign has been well received and continues to roll out around the world.