Introduction

Personal selling, free samples, and discounts were all tried-and-true marketing methods that helped businesses boost their brand’s efficacy. To promote firms, modern marketing methods rely on more than big data and analytics. They intend to use client social networks to improve brand ties (Kureshi and Thomas, 2019). In order to develop and improve relationships between their brands and customers, companies also seek to influence or capitalise on customer attitudes, emotions, and perceptions of their goods. This research looks on three aspects of Unilever’s brand interactions with customers.

Source: (Kureshi and Thomas, 2019)

The first phase is designed to assist children understand why they should behave appropriately (such as cleaning the human body and removing the percentage of bacteria). The next stage is to show how simple it is to take action (buying Dove soap and using them). As a result, they must make the new behaviour desirable (cleaning the human body will keep the whole family safe from various bacteria) (Ionescu-Somers and Brassey, 2019). Customers should feel good about themselves for doing so since it helps to enhance cleanliness (for themselves, their families, and society). Finally, provide a method for sustaining the behaviour across time (ask individuals to clean once a week, for example). Dove has utilised these five efforts to urge millions of people across the world to practise good handwashing habits while simultaneously promoting the Dove brand.

Factors of Emotions and Attitudes

Unilever connects its trademarks with its consumers’ attitudes, ideas, and emotions. To aid in the creation of effective marketing tactics to affect emotional reactions to Unilever goods, the business conducts comprehensive consumer research to understand consumers’ viewpoints, thoughts, and emotions. The approach includes one-of-a-kind events and marketing that convey a value proposition in order to influence customer behaviour. According to Shaikat (2020), businesses recognise the need of understanding their customers’ thoughts, emotions, and attitudes in order to impact their reactions and perspectives on a brand’s goods. Unilever, for example, undertakes research to better understand women’s emotions and attitudes in order to inspire the creation of advertising and other communications aimed at influencing women’s emotional reactions, attitudes, and ideas about the company’s beauty and body care goods.

Factors of Memory and Perception

Unilever’s brand design encourages customers to adopt a specific mentality while using its goods. Customers must have a positive experience with Unilever’s branded goods in order to have a favourable opinion of the company’s products. Sensory perception is critical for improving interactions between businesses and their consumers (Raj and Aithal, 2018). Brand performance is influenced by both implicit and explicit perceptions. Customers’ decisions on which Unilever items to buy are influenced in part by memorable brand experiences. A product’s appearance, flavour, or aroma may promote sensory awareness and long-term memory. They may also be swayed by the item’s emotions and appearance, as well as the opinions of other consumers or corporate personnel (Humphries-Kil, 2019). Unilever has tried to improve the sensory perception and recall of its brand products in order to strengthen the global interaction between its brands and consumers.

Factor of Social Media

Unilever connects its brands with consumers via social media. The firm may target a certain market niche with its various brand-name items by using social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Brands are promoted on social media and specific websites, and consumers provide feedback on the use and value of various brands, as well as information on the use of various body and personal care products (Anitah, 2019). These social media marketing techniques keep customers interested in Unilever’s goods. Companies use social media to convey value offers and other brand-related information to customers in order to influence their behaviour, namely their purchase choices, according to research. Companies may construct a website for each demographic target, promote items to that audience, participate in online forums, and provide other brand-related information via that website (Dube, 2020).

Connecting with Consumers

Due to its innovative approach and strong leadership, Unilever has become a role model for other businesses and customers. Marketing and advertising have the power to influence people’s opinions dramatically (Augusto, 2020). They educate people on the advantages of a product or concept. Unilever’s companies use social media to interact with customers in real time. To sell their goods, gain customers’ attention, and connect with them, companies under the Unilever brand use innovative tactics. These websites acted as virtual focus groups. The benefit of utilising Facebook for market research and response tracking is that replies may be sent at any time, in real time (Tien, 2019).

Figure 2 Consumer business model

Source: (Unilever Direct-To-Consumers Business Model, 2018).

One of Dove’s most well-known advertising campaigns is the “Campaign for Real Beauty.” Based on significant market research into women’s views and attitudes, the campaign utilised advertising, YouTube videos, Facebook, and special events to promote the concept that true beauty goes beyond the surface (Prado Perez, 2020). The Dove ad is an outstanding example of how a link was established between essential themes in order to elicit the desired feeling (Siddique and Sultana, 2018). As a result of this encounter, the spectator is forced to identify physical appeal with actual individuals. Dove and Ragu use social media to build emotional connections with their customers and better understand their evolving needs and interests (Dube, 2020). The merchandise as well as the brand are marketed. Unilever offers food, cleaning, and personal care products to highly targeted audiences, such as Latino families in the United States and both male and female health and beauty aware clientele, through Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and specialised websites.

Conclusion

Unilever’s brands have a strong relationship with consumers since they communicate with them using modern marketing strategies. Customer attitudes are one technique to sway emotional responses and opinions about a company’s products. Customers get a new perspective on what the firm has to offer thanks to the company’s products. Customer perceptions are enhanced as a result of exceptional brand encounters. Finally, Unilever’s brands are on social media, allowing consumers to interact with them on a regular basis.

 

 

References

Anitah, J.N., 2019. Industry 4.0 Technologies and Operational Performance of Fast Moving Consumer Goods Manufacturers in Kenya: a Case Study of Unilever Kenya and L’oreal East Africa (Doctoral dissertation, University of Nairobi).

Augusto, M.P., 2020. A study of Unilever’s online consumer-brand engagement in Portugal (Doctoral dissertation).

Dube, M.L.N., 2020. Using self-identity and brand personality in advertising appeals: a Unilever Dove case study (Doctoral dissertation).

Humphries-Kil, M., 2019. Unilever and Leadership: Gender, Race, and Classification in Corporate Globalisation. SAGE Publications: SAGE Business Cases Originals.

Ionescu-Somers, A.M. and Brassey, J., 2019. Unilever’s Super Stretch Goal for 2020. In Managing Sustainable Business (pp. 623-635). Springer, Dordrecht.

Kureshi, S. and Thomas, S., 2019. Saving lives through Lifebuoy’s “help a child reach 5” social marketing campaign. In Social Marketing in Action (pp. 257-269). Springer, Cham.

Prado Perez, S., 2020. Sustainability Discourse in the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Sector–A comparison between Procter & Gamble and Unilever.

Raj, K. and Aithal, P.S., 2018. A ‘Desi’Multinational–A Case Study of Hindustan Unilever Limited. International Journal of Case Studies in Business, IT and Education (IJCSBE)2(1), pp.1-12.

Shaikat, M.D., 2020. A case study on the financial outlook of Unilever in terms of stock valuation.

Siddique, F.B. and Sultana, I., 2018. Unilever Sustainable Living Plan: A Critical Analysis.

Tien, N.H., 2019. Comparative Analysis of Multidomestic Strategy of P&G and Unilever Corporation. International Journal of Foreign Trade and International Business1(1), pp.5-8.

Unilever Direct-To-Consumers Business Model - FourWeekMBA. (2018). Retrieved 8 June 2022, from https://fourweekmba.com/unilever-business-model/

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