The semiotics behind Unilever’s un-stereotyping initiative

Moving away from outdated stereotypes at Unilever, the global consumer goods company, came with inherent risk – that the company might just create a new set of stereotypes. Semiotic analysis of brand imagery instead helped create a nuanced set of guidelines for its brand communications.

Why it matters

Unilever looked to expand beyond fighting gender stereotypes to address other forms of stereotyping, around race, sexual orientation, disability and other forms of difference.

Takeaways

• Consumer cynicism and the public’s readiness to call out perceived tokenism means work has to feel authentic.
• Context is a key aspect of building credibility; casting the right variety of talent is just the beginning.
• In addition to the big picture stuff, it’s important to get the details surrounding the context right as well.
• Remember that what great representation and inclusivity looks like differs from market to market.

Key quote

“It is so easy sometimes to simply admire the problem and surface what’s wrong. Of course, that’s important, but what we really wanted to do was make sure […] that we serve the goal of actually making change happen” – Siddharth Kanoria, partner at research company Quantum.

[Image: Yasin Yusuf from Unsplash]

Read more in Hardhats on! How Unilever used semiotics to un-stereotype its communications.