Tati Lindenberg Puts a Social Spin on Unilever’s Laundry Brands

Unilever's social-first Smart Series campaign for Persil and Comfort puts influencers front and centre, designed to draw consumers closer to the product while building the trust that inspires confidence.

Reflecting the brand’s new wave of marketing investment, Tati Lindenberg, chief marketing officer at Unilever Home Care, speaks to Creative Salon (see video below) about the research and ecosystem driving this social-exclusive campaign, and the social listening insights that paved the way for the AI-powered ‘D.O.S.E’ robot.

The Smart Series is the first time Unilever has created a direct-to-consumer model designed to reach the specific 12 per cent of UK households with auto-dose machines. Lindenberg says that from market research, there is a higher correlation between consumers who buy smarter devices at home and their desire to know more about the products and also the science behind those products.

Through consumer insights showing that 60 per cent of UK homes have a smart device and one in four UK homes will have smart washing machines by 2031, the campaign is strongly data led incorporating how the target audience makes purchasing decisions and from that how influencers can help engage them, creating socially-embedded marketing. It focuses on what Lindenberg calls the “sassy” principles - science, sensory, sustainability, social relevance and youth appeal.

With the increase of smarter products and smarter devices, the cultural conversations and social listening behind the campaign reveals a fascination with technology. The teaser strategy, the AI robot D.O.S.E, not only mimics how tech companies release a new product but also creates a viral potential. Having picked Lola Madrid to create the campaign, Lindenberg believed the agency could bring the tailored craft to the film, showing that there's no need for robots and that smarter solutions are within reach.

By using influencers like Ethan and Faith of Sidemen to spark debate on social media about the robot D.O.S.E, it not only appeals to a specific audience but also aligns with the targeted audience, extending how creators guide consumers around products and choice.

The D.O.S.E campaign backs Unilever's strategy to invest intelligently into advertising that matches the social listening of the brand from an audience perspective. Rather than traditional advertising, Lindenberg says the use of influencers, such as @homeswithroo, creates a way to build already trusted brands like Persil and Comfort closer to consumers' everyday lives.

Lindenberg says “The proximity of what those products are doing and how that can be used at home is something that we could bridge by using influencers and working with creatives”. She says “Laundry and household cleaning are part of everyday lives, so why not create space for it, and build what I call a ‘share authorship’, bringing the brand closer to people's lives.”

The combination of data- and creator-led marketing creates a tailored campaign that, although exclusive, makes a simple laundry product become strategically desirable at scale. Its specific assets are influencer driven to not only create interest but to make the brand culturally relevant.