Unilever Brand Building Masterclass with Esi Eggleston Bracey, CMO
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
Esi Egglestone Bracey, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer at Unilever, shares her strategic approach to building brands at scale in this masterclass episode. (00:51) Esi discusses her journey from biomedical engineering to becoming one of the world's most influential CMOs, highlighting her evolution from P&G to Unilever and the cultural differences between the two organizations. (02:17) The conversation explores Unilever's significant 15% marketing investment, their innovative SASSY framework for creating desire at scale, and how they're adapting to win both "people and machines" in today's AI-driven landscape. (14:14)
- Core themes include brand building at scale, the evolution from functional to emotional marketing, managing 400+ brands across 190 markets, and leveraging AI while maintaining human connection in marketing strategies
Speakers
Esi Egglestone Bracey
Esi Egglestone Bracey is the Chief Marketing and Growth Officer of Unilever, joining the company in 2018. She has served as President of Unilever USA and CEO of Personal Care in North America, leading their $5 billion Beauty & Personal Care portfolio including brands like Dove, TRESemmé, Suave, Vaseline, Degree, and Axe. She has been recognized with numerous industry awards including Forbes World's Most Influential CMOs, Forbes Entrepreneurial CMO 50, Women's Wear Daily Marketer of the Year, ADCOLOR Legend, and Ad Age Vanguard Award.
Key Takeaways
Prove Marketing's Business Impact Through Demand Creation
Marketing fundamentally creates demand for brands and converts that demand into commerce, with the ultimate goal of making products desirable rather than just needed. (05:04) Esi emphasizes that to increase marketing budgets, marketers must prove the case by demonstrating both short-term and long-term returns on investment. The key is showing sustained demand creation that moves consumers from "I need that" to "I just have to have that" - tapping into emotional, unconscious urges that drive purchasing decisions. This approach has enabled Unilever to increase their marketing investment from 13% to 15% of revenue by consistently proving marketing's value to business growth.
Embrace the "Everything and Nothing" Philosophy of Modern Marketing
While marketing fundamentals remain unchanged - understanding people and helping them solve problems - everything about how people behave, where they show up, and their attention spans is evolving rapidly. (12:29) Marketers must maintain clarity around brand purpose and consumer understanding while adapting to new platforms, shortened attention spans, and cultural shifts. This requires brands to connect in culture rather than push product benefits, speaking into people's passions and appearing where they already engage. The most successful marketers balance consistent brand fundamentals with dynamic execution that evolves with consumer behavior.
Win Both People and Machines in the AI Era
Modern marketing requires winning over both human consumers and the algorithms that influence them, as algorithms now control 85% of the content people see. (14:03) This means developing strategies for "knowledge media" (factual content that feeds LLMs), "interest media" (content that performs well in algorithms), and traditional "brand media." Marketers must treat algorithms like influential retailers - they need to be "sold to" and convinced to favor your brand over competitors. However, the fundamental goal remains serving human needs, as machines may influence purchases but don't actually use products.
Implement the SASSY Framework for Desire at Scale
Unilever's SASSY framework creates brands that generate desire at scale through five key elements: Science (products that work with sexy, competitive science), Aesthetics (beautiful packaging and design), Sensorials (desirable textures and experiences), Said by others (credible third-party endorsements), and Young-spirited (modern, relevant point of view). (19:56) This framework helps brands move beyond functional benefits to create emotional connections that drive unconscious purchasing decisions. The approach democratizes desire beyond luxury categories, making aspirational products accessible to broader audiences through compelling storytelling and authentic experiences.
Transition from One-to-Many to Many-to-Many Marketing
Traditional broadcast marketing (one message to many people) no longer works due to fragmented attention and demand for personalized engagement. (27:15) The solution is a many-to-many model where brands maintain core ideas but express them in multiple ways for different audiences, while leveraging authentic voices of influencers and creators to reach their communities. This approach maximizes reach, engagement, and conversion by allowing brands to scale credible messaging through trusted sources. Success requires selecting influencers who share brand values and can speak authentically to their audiences, from mega-influencers down to nano-influencers who add credibility within specific communities.
Statistics & Facts
- Unilever has increased their marketing investment from 13% to 15% of revenue, demonstrating their confidence in marketing's return on investment. (04:27)
- Algorithms now control 85% of the content that people see across platforms, making it essential for brands to win over both people and machines. (14:23)
- The Vaseline Verified campaign generated 63 million impressions with a 43% conversion rate, demonstrating the power of the many-to-many marketing model. (30:27)
