Responsible marketing
As one of the world's leading consumer goods companies, we use many forms of brand communication to connect with those who buy our products. Advertising helps inform people about the benefits of our products and innovations. It is also a way for us to engage with consumers on issues that matter to them. For example, Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty challenges current stereotypes about beauty. Omo/Persil's 'Dirt is good' campaign emphasises the importance for children of feeling free to play outdoors as part of their learning and development.
At the same time, we recognise the influence of marketing and advertising on consumers and take our responsibilities seriously. This means ensuring that all claims we make have a sound scientific basis and that all such communication passes the baseline test of being 'legal, decent and honest'.
International self-regulatory codes
We support the development of international self-regulatory codes for all marketing and advertising and apply these across our business.
Working through our industry trade bodies, such as the World Federation of Advertisers and the International Chamber of Commerce, we have supported the development of general principles in this area and their integration into advertising and marketing self-regulatory codes and systems around the world.
Food & Beverage Marketing Principles
In 2003, in addition to national laws and international self-regulatory codes, we chose to apply our own principles to the marketing and advertising of all our food and beverage products. These Food and Beverage Marketing Principles are rolled out by our Marketing Lawyers Network, our global network of marketing legal experts, in collaboration with our marketing teams.
We strive to ensure that our messages are appropriate in the light of obesity issues (avoiding the depiction of over-sized portions for example) and that our marketing materials exclude anything that undermines the promotion of healthy balanced diets and healthy lifestyles, or misrepresents snacks as meals.
Marketing food & beverages to children
Our Food and Beverage Marketing Principles contain additional principles for marketing foods and beverages directed at children. They require that our marketing practices:
do not convey misleading messages
do not undermine parental influence
do not encourage pester power
do not suggest time or price pressure
do not encourage unhealthy dietary habits
do not blur the boundary between promotion and content.
In 2005, we committed to voluntarily restricting all paid marketing communications directed primarily at children under the age of six years. This measure reflects a commitment to act responsibly because of increasing evidence showing that children below six years do not have the cognitive ability to distinguish between advertising/marketing and programming.
In 2007 we extended this commitment to further restrict marketing to children between the ages of 6 and 11 for all products except those that qualify for our Choices stamp. Our aim is to help parents and their children towards healthier choices. This will cover all forms of communication to consumers including packaging, labelling, in-store activities, consumer, trade/sales and professional promotions, TV, radio and outdoor and internet marketing as well as other forms of communication such as product placements. This commitment will be implemented by the end of 2008 in all our markets.
Promoting healthy body images
In May 2007 Unilever adopted a global guideline to prevent the use of 'size zero' models or actors in its advertising to ensure that our advertising does not promote 'unhealthy' slimness. All brand directors and agencies will be expected to use models and actors with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 18.5 and 25 as a guideline. This is in line with United Nations guidance of what level of BMI can be considered healthy.
Dove continues to challenge beauty norms
There is much debate around the fashion and marketing industries' portrayal of unrealistic images of beauty through media and advertising. In 2004 Dove launched its Campaign for Real Beauty, featuring women of all shapes and sizes, to challenge stereotypical perceptions of beauty.
In 2007 Dove's short film "Evolution" was one of the most downloaded clips on YouTube. The video shows a woman being transformed through make-up, lighting and airbrushing. A second Dove film, called Onslaught, showed a young girl being bombarded by advertising campaigns portraying unrealistic images of beauty. Both videos go on to promote self-esteem workshops.
New internet marketing guidelines
Online advertising and communication is a growing trend. With people everywhere being able to access online material, our new internet marketing guidelines, published internally in early 2008, ensure that campaigns aimed at a particular market are sensitive to cultural differences in other parts of the world.
