Nathan Cook’s Post

#Dove CMO Alessandro Manfredi and I took to the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity stage to present the real beauty of long lasting brands, sharing our approach to making brands Unmissable. It comes down to three characteristics: 🔑 Ruthlessly simple: successful brands have a clear 'centre of gravity'. Just take a look at how Dove ="Real Beauty” and Magnum = "Pleasure". Simplicity is key. 🤝 Powerful emotional connections: in this rapidly changing era, forging deep emotional connections with consumers is paramount. Having a strong brand compass, cultivating authentic emotional bonds, standing out within the cultural landscape, and ensuring brands are effortless to buy all contribute to becoming unmissable. ⏳ Consistency over time: Dove's enduring success can be attributed to its unwavering clarity on its purpose and values, which have become its compass. By consistently delivering on its promises and values, Dove has built robust and lasting memory structures with its audience. You can read more about it here: https://lnkd.in/exS-ParQ #UniquelyUnilever #CannesLions70 #CannesLions2023 #Marketing WARC Unilever

Brilliant brand building: 1. Simplicity 2. Connection 3. Consistency 🙌

Do you know the iconic brand Unilever? If yes, you must know the person who played a massive part in making this brand iconic: Alessandro Manfredi. Yesterday, he stepped down from Unilever. Thus, today I want to express my gratitude to him. Being a marketing and advertising professional, he is an inspiration to me. - Who is Alessandro Manfredi? → A cornerstone at Unilever for over two decades. → Served as the Chief Marketing Officer of Dove. → His innovative vision and commitment to authentic brand values have left an indelible mark on the industry. - Why is he special? → He successfully combined business acumen with a deep sense of purpose. → His approach wasn't just about selling products but making a real difference in people’s lives. → His leadership has proven that brands are responsible for bringing social change. - Impactful Contributions: → Dove’s Real Beauty Campaign: This campaign challenged conventional beauty standards and empowered millions of women worldwide. → Growth and Education: Under his guidance, Dove became the #1 provider of body confidence education globally, reaching 114 million children and tripling its business to a 6 billion Euro brand. → Sustainable Business Model: Alessandro proved that with authenticity and real stories, a brand can change the lives of millions and bring the required change. - What I Have Learned: → A brand should use its power for the right purpose. → A brand’s tiniest contribution can impact society, as millions of people include brands in their lives. → Authenticity sells. Dedication will be remembered for decades to come. He taught me to always seek a ‘better’ way of doing business. As a marketing professional, brand manager, or working in the advertising field, you must prioritize humanity and emotional connections. Thank you, Alessandro, for always inspiring me! #Gratitude #Leadership #Dove #RealBeauty #Inspiration

🏈 What a game last Sunday – and what great ads to go with it! The Big Game is a notable day highlighted in every marketer’s calendar. This year I felt particularly proud to be part of Team Unilever as Dove made its triumphant return to football’s biggest night for the first time in the last 18 years. I’ve already shared how much I loved Hellmann’s 'purrfect' spot advocating for reducing food waste - but my Dove colleagues never cease to amaze me with their marketing genius either. Once again, they’re working for an important cause: keeping girls in the game. Dove and Nike did their research and what they found was shocking. Low body confidence is the reason that almost 50% of girls quit sports by the age of 14 and 45% of girls step off the field permanently annually. That’s twice the rate of boys, can you believe it? 🚴♀️ Sports are for every body – it needs to be a place where girls can thrive and feel like they belong! Dove and Nike came up with a first-of-its-kind solution to help. Their Body Confident Sport Programme helps 11-17-year-old girls build body confidence with scientifically-proven coaching tools, so that they can continue pursuing their athletic passions! 🏆 An amazing initiative, but that’s par for the course when the brilliant purposeful marketing minds at Dove are involved!   Thank you to my Dove colleagues for helping to #KeepHerConfident with the Body Confident Sport program. Head to Dove.com/confidentsports for more and share and download the Coaching tool here: bodyconfidentsport.com   Creative: Ogilvy  PR: Edelman  Paid Media: Mindshare  Digital: Media Monks, NAS. Music: BigSync Influencer: Collectively  Talent: UEG, U Entertainment    #KeepHerConfident #LetsChangeBeauty #DoveSelfEsteemProject #UniquelyUnilever #Dove #Unilever

Do have a look at this Unilever Global #CaseStudy I love the depth in thought. |Creative Strategy| Keep moving FEARLESSLY and BE YOURSELF WITH CLEAR, BE FEARLESS! To distinguish Clear from its competitors, a sponsorship campaign with the Turkish Amputee National Football Team was devised. Despite their talent and achievements, the Team did not get much notice by the media. Clear's 'Fearless Heroes' campaign was a groundbreaking initiative that not only garnered national recognition for the team but also showcased brilliance in creativity. |Media Strategy| To dominate TV and digital in the World Amputee Football Championship. |Context| When delved into the world of CLEAR, HUL recognized that the brand had always been about more than just shampoo and product effectiveness. Their communication efforts went beyond mere hair care, as they strived to inspire individuals to embrace self-confidence and unlock their 'true potential' by conquering both physical and mental hurdles. However, they recognized that their storytelling had largely existed as an emotional aspect of their communication, running parallel to their functional messaging. To align with UNILEVER's purpose-driven branding strategy, they needed to tap into the brand's foundational essence and integrate it into the approach. #media #strategyconsulting #advertising #marketing #purpose #brandstrategy

Great news! Unilever has been awarded Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year 2024! This is a huge achievement, especially since the last time Unilever won this award was in 2010. Between then and now, Unilever has won a whopping 230 Cannes Lions. This outcome is a result of a focused effort to raise the bar on creativity. Some key learnings from my experiences over the past 10 years in this space : - Link the outcomes of enhanced creativity to superior business outcomes. We have pioneered new testing methodologies and attribution models to better embed the case with General Managers. -Land a clarion call-to-action with our agency partners and internal teams. Setting upfront clear expectations backed with focus in resource allocation, perseverance, and collaboration. -Resource multi-year internal capability building programmes. Our Get on the Frontline programme with a focus on Getting Real, Doing Good and Being Unmissable with our consumers. -Move from Marketing to Mattering via more purposeful brand positionings. Transition from advertising ideas for TV to social ideas that can inspire creators and consumers alike -Build stronger partnerships with social media platforms to executing better within each platform. -Recognize great work internally via internal awards and talent acceleration. A big shoutout to all our agency partners and Unilever teams who have collectively raised the bar on creativity. We could not have done it without you! Read more about this exciting news at the link below in the comments. #uniquelyunilever.

𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐍𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥 In today's world, consumers are looking for more than just functional products. They want to connect with brands that share their 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘴 and make a 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. This is where purpose-driven advertising comes in. Ursula Mejía Melgar, Marketing Director Southern Europe for Diageo, joined us on the MCA Prodcast to share her insights on how Diageo’s brands create deep and meaningful connections with their consumers. 𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬: ➤ 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒂 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒕𝒐 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 Ursula argued that brands have a responsibility to go beyond selling products and contribute to a better world. This is not just about philanthropy, but about embedding purpose into the core of the brand identity. Statistics show that the advertising industry spends twice as much money as the film industry. This enormous reach gives brands the power to shape and reflect society. With such influence comes the responsibility to use it for good. ➤ 𝑨𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒊𝒔 𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 One of the biggest challenges for brands is authenticity. Consumers can easily see through greenwashing and superficial attempts at purpose. True purpose needs to be embedded in the company's core values and reflected in all aspects of its operations, from production to advertising. ➤ 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒃𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝒕𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔 𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒚 Diageo is a prime example of a brand integrating sustainability and inclusion into every element of its business strategy. Dove is another example, showcasing the success of purpose-led advertising with its "Real Beauty" campaign. This campaign challenged societal norms and empowered women, demonstrating the positive impact brands can have. ➤ 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒂𝒔𝒌 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒎𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒗𝒆𝒔 𝒅𝒊𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒖𝒍𝒕 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏s The conversation needs to shift. Instead of focusing solely on product benefits, brands and agencies need to ask themselves deeper questions about their impact throughout the entire value chain. This includes considering the environmental footprint of production, the diversity and inclusion of their workforce and partners, and the overall message they are communicating. By taking the time to ask the right questions, brands can act with 𝒑𝒖𝒓𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒆 and create 𝒎𝒆𝒂𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒇𝒖𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒔. This ultimately leads to a more sustainable and equitable future for both brands and society as a whole. Such great insight from Ursula. For more, listen to the full episode for free:  https://lnkd.in/edQigpTc #brands #values #purpose #connections #change

We’re super excited to announce that our record-breaking case - Rexona: Primeros Pasos has been acknowledged at Festival of Media – reaching a Gold Trophy at the Best Event or Experiential Campaign. Primeros Pasos is a purpose-inspired effort to tackle one of the most significant causes of preventable death worldwide: Sedentarism (physical inactivity). 7 out of 10 Argentineans do not practice any kind of activities for fear of prejudice and failure – and we all know that the first step is always the hardest because it's the scariest – and that’s why we've created a consumer-led platform to empower consumers to move with confidence – delivering a record high in our business & consumers metrics. Primeros Pasos is a re-confirmation that consumer-centric and relevant purpose-inspired campaign can ignite your business and drive a clear Point-of-Difference with your consumers - helping your brand to stand out in culture. This effort was done together with Unilever Marketing team, BBDO & Initiative Argentina – so hats off to all the unstoppable team who is always willing to do the extra mile. Get up, Get moving. #BeUnmissable #FOMLA23 Maria Micaela García Alai Paulo Avila Agustin C. Nuria Hernández Crespo Poliana Sousa Ana Paula D. Julián Sosa Collado Rocio Serafini Mariana Giordano Victoria Iñiguez Novello Ariel Bergamo Joaquin Schamber Rafaela Mendes Romina Furci Nicolás Woszezenczuk Maria de los Angeles Julia Folguerona Manuel Ocon Natalia Lugo Jeremy King

Sharing a great speech by the team at Unilever from their win at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity that highlights the importance of understanding brands, people and the importance of creativity. Spoiler: at no stage did I hear any mention of email open or click through rates being the real measurement of success, I know, controversial right! Key takeaways (which is almost a transcript TBH) •Making sure that brands were at the centre of the growth agenda •Making sure the E2E brand experience was superior •Understanding that creativity was at the centre of that •Creativity does build brands and it connects to commerce •And what is the magic to creativity? It’s matchmaking brands with you In conclusion, I’m personally reminded that creativity is important. Creativity can be both artistic, commercial and successful. It’s a reminder that good ideas can be creative ones. It’s a reminder that those in the more rational positions at an organisation, might need a friendly reminder to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable” when it comes to creatives, because creativity is more than open rates in a campaign and it’s more than pretty colours or fonts, it’s the reason for us to believe. It’s the heart and soul. #canneslions2024 #creativemarketing #marketing #advertising

Following up on Béla Szabó's Spectaculum Society post, here are some positive examples of how Brands can contribute to changing societal values. The strongest brands like Dove or Cadbury now care less about their Image, and care more about creating an impact. Dove is also the perfect example of a Brand taking strategic approach to Purpose- now almost over a decade. We need more of these, for sure. https://lnkd.in/dFcTZ663 https://lnkd.in/dpAuq2AV