Collaboration with Content Creators and Distributors will kick-off new era of Unstereotype initiative

We need to talk about content. Actually, we need to do more than just talk about it. We need to act. That’s the message I took to Cannes this week and it’s one that all of us at Unilever strongly believe in.

As for why, let me start by rewinding to 2016. That was the year Unilever first launched #Unstereotype, our global commitment to getting rid of diminishing, outdated portrayals of gender in our advertising.

Of course, a major part of that came down to getting our own house in order – something I’m pleased to say we have made great strides in achieving. We have tested more than 1,000 ads in the last two years and we know that progressive adverts are 25% more impactful and new data now tells us that consumers see this type of content as 16% more relevant and 21% more credible, and that progressive ads can increase purchase intent by 18%. The economic case is just as strong as the social case for change.

But we wanted #Unstereotype to be bigger than just us. To have the impact at scale we wanted – needed - it had to be an industry-wide initiative adopted by brands and media companies all over the world. That’s why this time last year, we co-convened the Unstereotype Alliance led by UN Women. It brings together top industry leaders across creative, marketing and media to take collective action in eliminating outdated stereotypes to drive long-term, positive cultural change.

Fast forward to today, and it’s time to take #Unstereotype a step further.

It’s no longer enough to look only at advertising as a means to tackle unhelpful stereotypes. We must consider how we portray people in all forms of content – from films and TV programmes, to web series and podcasts. We have to constantly challenge ourselves with the question: ‘do our characters and storylines capture the rich diversity of the world around us and do they represent real people living real lives?’

If the answer is ‘no’, we have to be brave enough to stop, think again…and do better.

In a recent industry audit, we saw that while Hispanic/Latina women make up 17% of the US population, they only show up in less than 5% of ads. Or in South Africa white women feature in more than 40% of the ads, although their population is only around 8%. The silver generation, or Baby Boomers, make up 18% of the world population but only 8% of ads.

So, the other question is: where is the diversity and the accurate representation of people of colour and different ethnicities, the silver generation, people with disabilities, people with diverse sexual preferences? These are all layers that play a role in defining people, and their stories need to be elevated and celebrated. 

Of course, a major motivation for doing so is to help build the modern, diverse, equal society we all want. But there’s an economic imperative too. Across the board, consumers are demanding content that better reflects the uniqueness of their beliefs, roles and lives. So, for brands wishing to sell to them, unstereotyping is becoming a matter of survival.

At Unilever and through Unilever Entertainment, we’re putting our money where our mouth is. Literally. This week in Cannes, we announced a new multi-million-dollar partnership between the world’s biggest deodorant brand, Rexona, and NOW UNITED, Simon Fuller’s new, unstereotyped global pop group comprising 14 artists from 14 countries.

Together, Rexona and NOW UNITED will co-create multi-channel content that unites different cultures through the joy of dance and music. Crucially, it will reach millions of young people with positive, progressive messages that encourage them to be proudly whoever they are, wherever they are. It also comes on the back of another partnership we launched earlier this year, which sees Dove collaborate with Cartoon Network’s hit television show Steven Universe. The aim? To help educate and inspire the next generation around body confidence.

Investing in content we can be proud of is an important step. But the key word here is partnership. When it comes to content, no brand can change the game on its own – and we can’t just rely on sponsoring existing shows and projects. Instead, we must be part of the creative process, working with content creators and distributors to make authentic, unstereotypical characters and storylines, and deliver them at scale.

Brand or content creator, marketer or moviemaker, we need to start being ahead of the cultural curve, not trailing it.