How Does Unilever Communication Work?

Unilever communication operates through a three-layered ecosystem that connects 127,000 employees across 190 countries with 2.5 billion daily consumers. The system integrates internal organizational channels, external brand messaging, and stakeholder engagement platforms, all anchored by the company’s values-driven approach to sustainability and purpose.

The Organizational Communication Structure

Unilever restructured its communication framework in 2022, moving from a complex matrix to five distinct Business Groups: Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care, Home Care, Nutrition, and Ice Cream. Each group maintains full accountability for strategy and messaging while operating under unified corporate communication standards.

The Unilever Leadership Executive (ULE) oversees corporate-level communication through specialized teams for finance, marketing, and corporate affairs. In January 2025, the company merged its sustainability, communications, and corporate affairs departments under Chief Sustainability Officer Rebecca Marmot, signaling a shift toward integrated messaging that connects business objectives with social responsibility.

This structural change addresses a practical challenge: how do you maintain consistent messaging across 400 brands while allowing regional flexibility? The answer lies in what the company calls “category-focused autonomy with corporate cohesion.” Business Groups control their brand narratives, but corporate teams ensure alignment with Unilever’s overarching values and compliance standards.

Geographic divisions play a supporting role, adapting global strategies for regional markets. European messaging differs from Asian approaches not in values but in cultural execution—local teams translate corporate priorities into region-specific campaigns while maintaining brand integrity.

Internal Communication Channels

Unilever’s internal communication system prioritizes transparency and two-way dialogue. The company abandoned traditional top-down communication in favor of what they call “radical listening.”

The “Your Call” initiative, launched during Alan Jope’s CEO tenure, dedicates most of its time to employee questions rather than executive presentations. Virtual town halls during the pandemic evolved into regular forums where employees at any level can engage directly with leadership. These sessions aren’t scripted—leaders respond to concerns in real time, creating what employees describe as genuine connection rather than corporate theater.

The GPS-Pulse survey system measures employee sentiment every six months, with an annual deeper dive through UniVoice. About 96,000 employees participated in the 2022 UniVoice survey, producing engagement scores of 81% in offices and 84% in factories—placing Unilever in the top quartile for employee engagement against industry benchmarks.

But surveys alone don’t drive communication. Unilever created a “people framework” in collaboration with employees worldwide to package HR initiatives in ways that resonate emotionally while connecting to business performance. Rather than broadcasting policies, the framework invites employees into co-creation, ensuring programs reflect actual needs rather than corporate assumptions.

Communication professionals across the company connect biweekly through “Comms Connects”—a forum for sharing best practices and coordinating messaging. This prevents what Charlotte Carroll, Unilever’s Global Head of People Communications, calls “air traffic control problems” in a company of Unilever’s scale. When 172,000 people work across hundreds of locations, even small communication gaps can create major operational disruptions.

Traditional channels remain important: emails, memos, and written documentation provide clarity for complex directives. Phone systems connect peers across time zones. Digital platforms like Chatter enable quick exchanges. The mix matters because different information types require different delivery methods—policy changes need documentation, urgent updates need speed, and strategic shifts need dialogue.

External Brand Communication

Unilever’s external communication underwent a fundamental transformation, shifting from what Chief Growth & Marketing Officer Esi Eggleston Bracey calls “one message to many people” toward “many messages to many people.” This reflects how consumers actually discover brands today.

Research shows 50% of consumers prefer discovering brands through social media, with 1 in 2 making at least one influencer-initiated purchase monthly. Unilever adapted by implementing what they term “Desire at Scale”—a marketing model that builds authentic connections through culturally relevant content delivered at speed.

The Sketch Pro system exemplifies this approach. In-house graphic design studios across Jakarta, London, São Paulo, Mumbai, Durban, Shanghai, and Istanbul create high-quality content in hours rather than weeks. During Ramadan in Indonesia, the team identified a lip-syncing trend in the morning and launched brand content the same day, generating over 6 million organic views and boosting TikTok visibility by 22.5% for brands like Rinso and Sunlight.

This speed comes from AI-powered tools that compress production timelines by 30% while maintaining brand consistency. But technology serves strategy, not the reverse. Unilever listens continuously through social monitoring, identifies emerging conversations and cultural shifts, then contributes value through entertainment or information rather than hijacking trends for commercial gain.

Brand communication centers on purpose-driven narratives. The Dove Real Beauty campaign didn’t just sell soap—it challenged beauty standards and sparked societal conversations about self-esteem. Lifebuoy’s “Help a Child Reach 5” campaign addressed childhood mortality. These initiatives align product benefits with larger social issues, creating emotional resonance that transcends transactional relationships.

Unilever maintains active engagement across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, but platform presence alone doesn’t constitute strategy. Content quality matters more than volume. Campaigns like Knorr’s #UnlockYourGreenFlag identified cooking as a desirable trait in dating culture, partnered with social dating apps across 23 markets, and used AI to localize content in real time.

The company’s communication adheres to the International Chamber of Commerce code for advertising and marketing, ensuring ethical practices. Unilever stopped marketing to children under 16 as of January 2023, prioritizing responsible messaging over short-term gains. Transparency in sustainability reporting reinforces trust—the company publicly acknowledges past missteps in brand purpose implementation, demonstrating accountability rather than defensive PR.

Stakeholder Communication Framework

Unilever’s communication extends beyond employees and consumers to encompass shareholders, governments, suppliers, NGOs, and local communities through structured engagement protocols.

Shareholder communication happens through quarterly results broadcasts, conference presentations, and direct meetings. The company met with over 200 institutional investors in 2022, discussing business performance and consumer trends. Senior leaders and board members engage directly on strategic topics, such as presentations on the Prestige business and Health & Wellbeing strategies.

Government and regulatory engagement occurs both directly and through trade associations. Unilever participates in policy discussions on climate change and technical subjects like product safety standards. The company’s Standard on Trade Association Memberships provides governance for these interactions, ensuring alignment with corporate values.

Supplier communication emphasizes transparency and ethical expectations. Unilever’s Code of Business Principles extends to partners, setting standards for behavior throughout the supply chain. The company treats suppliers as collaborators rather than vendors, sharing information about strategy shifts and market trends.

Community engagement follows structured protocols when business decisions affect local populations. Outreach activities listen to concerns rather than simply broadcasting corporate messages. The Take Action digital hub demonstrates this approach—users complete a quiz about personal interests, receive a customized plan, then access initiatives relevant to their values. Over 20 million annual visitors to Unilever.com can discover social enterprise opportunities, with the Careers section serving as the second-largest driver to Take Action.

NGO partnerships amplify Unilever’s sustainability commitments. The “Handwashing Habit” campaign partnered with UNICEF to promote hygiene education. These collaborations provide credibility and reach that corporate messaging alone cannot achieve.

Communication Technology Infrastructure

Unilever’s communication infrastructure combines established platforms with cutting-edge innovation. The company’s digital ecosystem centers on Unilever.com, which receives over 20 million visits annually and serves as the hub for brand sites, career information, and sustainability initiatives.

Internal systems include portals, Chatter for quick exchanges, and video platforms for town halls. The company invested in autonomous operations capabilities, such as the Hefei factory in China that ships directly to consumers, enabling supply chain agility that supports social-first marketing.

AI powers multiple communication functions. The Beauty AI Studio accelerates creativity and efficiency across Beauty & Wellbeing brands. Recipe Intelligence, developed for the food service business, optimizes menus to attract younger demographics and has achieved a 96% satisfaction rate with user engagement tripling to 13-minute chat durations.

Digital twin technology creates single digital truths for product images that teams can alter for language or packaging needs, compressing content creation timelines from weeks to hours. This “always-on” content pipeline frees marketing teams to focus on insights and ideas rather than execution.

The company uses chatbots and automated messaging on social platforms to provide quick responses outside working hours. When consumers inquire about product usage on brand Facebook pages, they receive guidelines immediately through automated systems that enhance service quality while maintaining the human touch for complex interactions.

The Values-Driven Communication Core

What distinguishes Unilever’s communication isn’t technology or organizational structure—it’s the foundation of values and purpose that guides all messaging. The Sustainable Living Plan, which focuses on reducing environmental impact and promoting social responsibility, serves as the north star for communication decisions.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, this values-driven approach became particularly evident. The “United for the Future” campaign communicated commitment to frontline workers, essential product provision, and employee safety. By aligning messaging with core values rather than opportunistic marketing, Unilever reinforced brand loyalty during crisis.

This commitment to authenticity creates consistency across diverse communication contexts. Whether addressing employees about organizational changes, engaging consumers about new products, or reporting sustainability progress to shareholders, the underlying message remains coherent: Unilever’s business success connects inseparably to positive social and environmental impact.

The company learned through experience that purpose-driven communication requires demonstrable business cases rather than aspirational statements. Former communications chief acknowledgment of “mis-stepping” on brand purpose reflects this evolution. Unilever now focuses sustainability efforts on areas that “materially impact the business” rather than spreading commitments too thinly across all 400 brands.

How Communication Drives Business Performance

Unilever’s communication strategy produces measurable business outcomes. During the pandemic, the company reported strong sales growth, with increased demand for hygiene and cleaning products attributed partly to effective messaging about product relevance and availability.

Brand equity remains strong, with consumer surveys indicating Unilever ranks as a socially responsible brand in consumers’ perception. This reputation advantage translates to customer loyalty—when consumers trust a company’s values, they’re more likely to choose its products consistently and recommend them to others.

Employee engagement scores demonstrate internal communication effectiveness. The 81-84% engagement rates place Unilever in the top quartile, correlating with lower turnover and higher productivity. Engaged employees serve as brand ambassadors, extending Unilever’s communication reach through authentic personal networks.

The shift to social-first marketing powered by AI delivers tangible growth. Content completion rates and click-through rates doubled with AI-optimized creative. TikTok visibility improvements of 22.5% translate to increased brand awareness among younger demographics. Campaigns that go from concept to launch in hours rather than weeks capture cultural moments while they’re still relevant.

Communication efficiency also improves through technology. The 30% reduction in asset production time frees resources for strategy and innovation. Automated customer service handles routine inquiries, allowing human teams to focus on complex problem-solving and relationship building.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does Unilever maintain consistent messaging across 400 brands in 190 countries?

Unilever uses what it calls “category-focused autonomy with corporate cohesion.” Each of the five Business Groups controls brand narratives and regional adaptations, but corporate teams ensure alignment with core values and compliance standards. Regular “Comms Connects” meetings coordinate messaging across regions, while the company’s Code of Business Principles provides ethical guardrails. The key is distinguishing between what must remain consistent (values, ethical standards) and what should flex (cultural execution, local campaigns).

What role does AI play in Unilever’s communication strategy?

AI accelerates content creation, enables real-time personalization, and provides consumer insights for decision-making. Tools like Sketch Pro compress design timelines by 30%, allowing teams to respond to cultural trends within hours. AI powers chatbots for customer service, optimizes social media content for engagement, and helps identify emerging conversations. However, Unilever positions AI as augmenting human creativity rather than replacing it—technology delivers speed and scale while people provide strategy and authentic connection.

How does Unilever’s internal communication differ from typical corporate approaches?

Unilever prioritizes two-way dialogue over top-down announcements through initiatives like “Your Call” sessions where most time goes to employee questions rather than executive presentations. The GPS-Pulse and UniVoice surveys actively measure sentiment and influence leadership decisions. The company co-creates communication frameworks with employees globally rather than imposing HR initiatives. This “radical listening” approach treats internal communication as genuine conversation rather than corporate broadcasting.

How does purpose-driven communication affect Unilever’s business results?

Purpose-driven communication strengthens brand equity and customer loyalty by creating emotional connections beyond product features. Campaigns like Dove Real Beauty and Lifebuoy’s health initiatives position brands as forces for positive change, attracting consumers who prioritize values alignment. During the pandemic, Unilever’s values-driven messaging contributed to strong sales growth. Consumer surveys show significant percentages view Unilever as socially responsible, a perception advantage that influences purchase decisions and brand advocacy.

Communication in Continuous Evolution

Unilever’s communication system isn’t static—it adapts as business needs, technology capabilities, and consumer behaviors shift. The 2022 organizational restructuring, 2025 department merger, and ongoing AI integration demonstrate this evolution.

What remains constant is the three-layered approach: organizational structure that clarifies accountability, channels that enable efficient information flow, and content strategy that maintains purpose-driven consistency. Together, these layers create a communication ecosystem that operates at the scale and speed required for a global consumer goods leader.

The system works because it balances seemingly contradictory needs: global consistency with local relevance, corporate authority with employee voice, brand promotion with authentic values, and rapid execution with strategic thoughtfulness. That balance, refined through decades of practice and continuous adjustment, makes Unilever’s communication effective across its vast operational scope.