Advertising & marketing

Responsible marketing

As a leading global consumer goods company, we promote the benefits of our products using many different channels of brand communication. Advertising can be a powerful force for behaviour change.

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 promotes getting dirty as a natural and positive part of growing up for children – all 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 meet the benchmarks as set out in our Nutrition Enhancement Programme or meet the criteria for externally-validated labelling initiatives such as the Choices Programme or the "Eat Smart – Drink Smart" logo in the countries in which they exist. See Unilever Global Principles for Food and Beverage Marketing for full details.

This commitment took effect at the end of 2008 across our business and forms the basis of our support for our voluntary Pledge programmes in countries such as the US, the EU and Thailand.

Promoting healthy body images

In 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 are 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. Interestingly, our Dove 'real-women' models may have a BMI typically in the range of 25 to 30 which is the upper level associated with good health.

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.

Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty aims to improve self-esteem among young people by challenging traditional stereotypes of beauty. Dove's Self-Esteem Fund aims to reach 5 million young people over 2005–2010. In 2008 it reached over 1 million people in 27 countries, taking the total to date to over 3.5 million. Examples of the campaign include BodyTalk workshops addressing body image and self-esteem which reached 69 000 people in the UK, and similar workshops delivered by our partner, the Girl Scouts of the USA, which reached another 240 000.

External recognition

In May 2008 Unilever was presented with the AED Corporate Leadership Award by the Academy for Eating Disorders in recognition of our responsible marketing campaign in advancing the awareness and treatment of eating disorders.

New internet marketing guidelines

Online advertising and communication is a growing trend. With people everywhere being able to access online material, our internet marketing guidelines, published internally in 2008, ensure that campaigns aimed at a particular market are sensitive to cultural differences in other parts of the world.