A New Guide to Modern Marketing: How Unilever Is Turning the "Mundane" Into Desire

Introduction

For decades, things like laundry detergent and household cleaning have been defined by what they do. Brands fought over how well they could get rid of stains, kill germs, and work quickly—useful benefits that were important but didn't get people excited. That model is being questioned today.

Unilever is trying to do something big with its new marketing strategy: make the ordinary appealing. And at the heart of this change is a bold new approach led by its home care division. This approach combines culture, creators, and emotion to change the way everyday products are sold.

A Category Reimagined: From Functional to Emotional

In the past, home care has been one of the most logical areas of marketing. People bought things like detergent and surface cleaners based on how well they worked and how much they cost, not because they loved the brand.

But that way of thinking is changing.

Unilever's leaders think that even the most mundane tasks, like doing laundry or cleaning the kitchen, are an important part of people's lives and routines. They say that these everyday moments have emotional and cultural value that hasn't been fully realised.

Tati Lindenberg, the chief marketing officer of a home care company, says the goal is clear: to make people want products that have always been thought of as just functional.

This means that instead of talking about what products do, we should talk about how they make people feel.

The Growth of "CleanTok" and Its Cultural Importance

Social media has given us one of the most interesting ideas behind this change.

There has been a lot more cleaning-related content on platforms like TikTok, often grouped under hashtags like #CleanTok. This category has surprisingly grown to be as popular as, or even more popular than, beauty content in terms of engagement.

What is causing this trend?

• Cleaning routines as ways to take care of yourself

• "Reset" videos that show how things changed from before to after

• Foam, scent, and shine that make you feel good

• Living spaces that are neat and look good
  

Cleaning is no longer just a chore; it's also content, identity, and even fun.

Unilever thinks this is a chance. It doesn't want to treat home care as just a functional category; it wants to use these cultural behaviours and make them bigger.

A Marketing Model That Puts People First

A social-first approach is at the heart of Unilever's change.

The company is putting money into creators and influencers to tell its brand stories instead of relying on traditional advertising. This fits with a bigger change in marketing: people are starting to trust people more than brands.

The CEO of Unilever has even called this plan to build an "army" of creators a big change from traditional, top-down communication.

The “SASSY” Framework

• Better science

• Looks

• Sensory

• Shared with other people

• Young at heart
  

The part that says "shared by others" is very important. It shows that brands grow not only by what they say, but also by what others say about them.

The Hard Part: Letting Go of Control

But this change does come with some problems.

Brands have less control over how their products are shown when they switch to a creator-led, social-first model. Creator content is more natural, unpredictable, and varied than traditional campaigns, where messaging is tightly controlled.

This can be uncomfortable for a company as big as Unilever.

But Lindenberg admits that this lack of control is necessary. Brands need to join in on conversations, not tell people what to say, in order to be culturally relevant.

This is a big change in how we think about things: instead of sending out messages, we should let people get involved.

Making Laundry "Young-Spirited"

One of the most interesting things about Unilever's strategy is that it wants to make even old brands feel new and modern.

Comfort and Persil, for example, have been around for a long time. This history can make people trust a brand, but it can also make it seem old-fashioned, especially to younger people.

To fight this, Unilever is going with the idea of being "young-spirited." This doesn't mean you should only go after young people; instead, you should use a tone, style, and presence that feels modern and culturally relevant.

In practice, this could mean:

• Working with creators on social media platforms

• Making content that is interesting to look at and easy to share

• Focusing on sensory experiences like smell and feel

• Linking products to lifestyle events instead of just their usefulness

The Smart Home Opportunity: Where Innovation Meets Marketing

Product innovation is also a big part of Unilever's marketing transformation.

The company is releasing new products made for modern homes, such as ones that work with auto-dose washing machines. These machines automatically give you the right amount of detergent, which makes doing laundry easier and faster.

This new idea opens up new ways to tell stories.

Brands can now talk about more than just performance:

• Living smart

• Easy and saves time

• Working with new home technology
  

This is how product innovation and marketing strategy help each other.

A Bigger Change Across Unilever

The changes in home care are just one part of a bigger change that is happening at Unilever.

The company is narrowing its focus and putting more money into areas that are growing quickly, like beauty and health, while changing other parts of the business.

Its marketing philosophy is also changing at the same time.

According to Unilever’s leadership, the future of marketing is about:

• Being relevant in a digital world that is broken up

• Taking part in culture instead of stopping it

• Building trust by using real voices

• Building emotional ties on a large scale
  

This is part of a larger trend in the industry where people don't have much time to pay attention and are more picky about what they do.

The Bigger Lesson: There Are No "Boring" Categories

One of the most important things to learn from Unilever's strategy is that there are no categories that are boring in and of themselves; only marketing that is boring.

Cleaning, doing laundry, and taking care of the home may seem boring at first, but they are very important parts of everyday life. They are part of routines, habits, and personal space.

Brands can find new ways to connect with people by using these emotional and cultural aspects.

This requires a mindset shift:

• From things to emotions

• From campaigns to talks

• From taking charge to working together

Conclusion: Changing the Way We Market Every Day

Unilever's push to make everyday things "desirable" is more than just a marketing test; it's a sign of how the industry is changing.

Brands need to change as digital platforms change the way people consume content. They can't just use traditional ads or functional messages anymore. Instead, they need to be a part of culture, stories, and everyday life.

This is a big change for home care.

But if it works, it could change not only how these products are sold, but also how people see them.

In today's world, even the most mundane moments can become significant and commercially viable.