Edgewell's Jonathan Norman - making the useful joyful

Jonathan Norman didn’t start out with a laser focus on marketing (despite coming from a marketing family), nor did he follow a perfectly linear path into brand management. But thank God he didn't.

Over the past two decades, he has crafted a career that blends commercial nous (with a particular focus on consumer insight) with creative bravery. Now, at Edgewell Personal Care, he’s putting that to full use, most notably on the historic Wilkinson Sword brand, and Intuition working with agency Pablo.

Having cut his teeth in insights at TNS (now Kantar), Norman developed a strong grounding in consumer behaviour - something that still anchors his approach today. From there, he moved through food and drink businesses - from Premier Foods to Fuller’s to SABMiller (later Asahi), where he helped shape brands like Peroni and Asahi Super Dry at both local and global levels. But after 12 years in beer, he craved a fresh challenge - something outside his comfort zone.

Edgewell, the home of Wilkinson Sword, Bulldog Skincare, Hawaiian Tropic and more, provided that challenge. As marketing director for Europe, Norman now oversees a diverse portfolio of personal care brands at different stages of maturity, all with their own distinct audiences, category dynamics, and growth potential. While Wilkinson Sword can trace its lineage back to the 1770s, he also oversees Bulldog – a male skincare brand founded in 2006

So from heritage razors to sun care revivals to challenger skincare brands, Norman is applying a refreshingly creative lens to categories that don’t always sparkle with originality.

For example, working with Pablo, he repositioned Wilkinson Sword with the pan-European campaign ‘The Blade Masters since 1772’ last May. The campaign humorously showcases the brand’s 250-year expertise in blades by highlighting the uselessness of dull razors compared to Wilkinson Sword's more sophisticated offering.

The campaign was in marked contrast to the tired shaving genre - one that relies mainly upon handsome smiling men stroking their freshly shaved chins in self-satisfaction, or the ability to shove more blades into a razor unit then anyone else.

Norman talks to Creative Salon about bringing humour and honesty into functional categories (and that have traditionally used functional advertising), the power of challenger thinking, and the need to hold yourself - as well as your agency partners - to bold creative briefs.

Creative Salon: Tell us about how you got into marketing - why did you choose it as a career and hat do you enjoy about it?

Jonathan Norman: It’s an interesting one, because I didn’t necessarily plan to go into marketing. My dad was in marketing—both B2B and B2C—before setting up his own consultancy, which he ran for over 25 years. So I was exposed to that world early on. Towards the latter part of his career, he focused more on insight and strategy, which is probably where my own interest came from. I was always drawn to business strategy - understanding why decisions are made and how companies operate. That was what excited me, but it didn’t automatically lead me to marketing.

I studied business at Kingston University and did a placement year in marketing. That’s probably when it clicked - seeing the impact of what we did, watching people choose your product off the shelf - that really motivated me. It’s the connection between people and product that made me realise marketing was where I wanted to be.

When I graduated, I still wasn’t sure which part of marketing I wanted to go into. I ended up in insights at TNS (now Kantar), working on fashion tracking with clients like M&S and Next, helping them understand consumer trends and behaviour. That’s where I realised I wanted to be part of the whole process—not just the research up front, but shaping the full marketing journey.

And where was your first brand-side job?

After Kantar, I went travelling to reset a bit. When I came back, I decided that FMCG would be the best learning ground, and I joined Allied Bakeries. I then moved through a range of food businesses, including Kingsmill, and Premier Foods, working on brands like Ambrosia in both commercial and marketing roles.

Eventually, I moved into beer - first with Fuller’s, then with SABMiller (which became Asahi). I spent 10 years there in both UK and global roles - leading brands like Peroni, Asahi Super Dry, Grolsch and others. It was a fantastic experience, but after 12 years in beer, I felt it was time to challenge myself again.

So that’s when Edgewell came in?

Exactly. I wanted to broaden my experience and step outside alcohol and food. Edgewell gave me that opportunity. The brands were familiar - Wilkinson Sword, Hawaiian Tropic, Bulldog - but the categories were new to me, and the marketing challenges were different. That combination of familiarity and stretch was exactly what I was looking for.

I was also drawn to the role because marketing had a full, end-to-end remit across Europe. That level of responsibility, combined with the steep learning curve, made it an exciting opportunity.

It’s quite a big portfolio - how many brands do you oversee?

Five in total. Wilkinson Sword for men’s shaving, Intuition for women’s shaving, Hawaiian Tropic in sun care, Bulldog in skincare, and a smaller incubator brand called Cremo, which is a US-born men’s grooming brand. They’re all at different stages of maturity, in different categories, serving different needs. That makes the job incredibly diverse and stimulating.

Even Wilkinson Sword and Intuition - while technically from the same masterbrand - require entirely different approaches. You can’t treat them the same way. They have shared values and history, but the audiences, expectations and communications need to be distinct.

So you've got some well-established brands - and then you’ve got challengers.

Bulldog and Cremo are both challengers, but even Wilkinson Sword is a challenger in spirit, despite its 250-year heritage. We're not market leaders in most categories, but we have a right to exist and grow by behaving like challengers - doing things differently, being brave and bold, and embracing creativity.

That challenger spirit really comes through in the recent campaigns - there’s humour, humanity. It’s quite rare in shaving.

If you look at the shave category, it's traditionally majored on function. But I learnt in beer that emotional connection is everything. You have to deliver the functional benefit, but to really resonate, you also need emotion. Humour helps us stand out. It gives us a distinctive voice in a category that can otherwise feel quite clinical. And we've worked closely with Pablo to bring that tone through - whether it’s the 'Blade Masters' campaign for Wilkinson Sword or 'Any Hair, Anywhere' for Intuition.

The female shaving campaign felt especially bold- talking openly about body hair in an honest way. Was that a tough sell internally?

Surprisingly, no. Our business is really embracing creative bravery. We weren’t setting out to shock - but we wanted to be honest. Hair exists - let’s talk about it. Our research told us women weren’t looking for a spa moment or a political statement - they just wanted a razor that works well for them. That’s what we delivered. And the feedback has been amazing - women messaging us to say they finally feel seen. That kind of response is rare and incredibly rewarding.

Is there nuance in how these campaigns land across Europe?

Every market has its nuances, especially in retail execution. But the universal truths still hold - people want products that work, that feel relevant, and that connect with them emotionally. If you can tap into that human insight, it travels.

Can you tell us about Bulldog and your plans for that.

Yes, Bulldog is a great brand - founded in the UK, acquired by Edgewell about six years ago, and growing fast both here and internationally. We’ve just signed a multi-year deal with Ironman Europe. It’s a perfect fit- high performance, outdoors, self-care, and SPF skincare all come together in that space. And it’s a way to reach a broad, engaged audience with a relevant message.

Do you use influencers and content creators as part of that?

Absolutely. The media landscape is fragmented, especially in Western Europe, and we need to meet our audiences where they are. Influencers - or rather content creators - are essential for reaching younger audiences authentically. But we also invest in partnerships and more traditional media when it’s right for the brand.

And what about Hawaiian Tropic? That feels like a bit of a revival.

Yes, Hawaiian Tropic has had a fantastic year. We’ve recently reinvested in it - running a big event in Spain with influencers and customers to reintroduce them to the brand, and launching a UK partnership with Perrie Edwards from Little Mix. It’s about reminding people what’s great about the product while making it culturally relevant again.

You’ve got lots of brand strategies at once - how do you manage that?

There’s no one-size-fits-all. Each brand has different needs, audiences, and category dynamics. But we always start with the consumer - what do they need, and how can we meet that? Then we set a clear three-year strategy and vision, and we stick to it. We review and refine, of course, but we don’t pivot every year. Consistency matters.

And how do you manage your agency partnerships?

We work closely with Pablo on Wilkinson Sword and Intuition, and they’ve been brilliant. Chemistry, challenge and shared ambition - that’s what makes it work. When we briefed them, we said we wanted to be bold, and they called us out: “Everyone says that. Do you mean it?” And we did. That honesty led to the kind of work we’re proud of today.

So what’s coming next at Edgewell?

We’re excited about the Ironman partnership for Bulldog - it’s already live and growing. We’ve got big plans there. And we’re continuing to build momentum across all brands. Someone once asked me why I’d leave beer for personal care but there’s so much opportunity here. These might be “useful things,” but our job is to make them joyful. That’s Edgewell’s ethos - and we’re having a lot of fun bringing it to life.