Umbrella Companies

Have you ever been shocked to find out that some of the brands and products you have been so very loyal to for ages were actually subsidiary companies to a larger, potentially less customer centred holding company? Well, Unilever is attempting to be one of the first to break that shock by incorporating all of its subsidiary companies into their newest logo, as seen below.

Research has recently found that customers are becoming increasingly aware of these company relationships and are therefore also becoming more interested in the intentions of their preferred brands and their holding companies.
It has therefore become pertinent to large companies such as Unilever to show their intentions and the success stories they are able to help create through their subsidiary brands. Although critics claim that the corporate figure should stay out of the advertising, Unilever is having success creating loyalty for the corporation through the inter-brand relationships that are now being recognized by consumers. This change in marking strategy will take a long time, but is ultimately hoping to increase consumer trust immensely.

Proctor & Gamble has taken a very similar approach with their Olympics ad which can be seen below:

This ad really helps show how P&G has contributed through all of their products to the Olympics and its athletes as well as their families. This type of campaign is really to identify the intentions of the larger company, their positive effects on consumers, and can really help create trust.

Christine Drpich
Current student in the Master of Marketing program at the University of Sydney Business School