Unilever speaks to terpAMA about business, goals

Representatives from Unilever spoke to terpAMA Tuesday evening about its unique working environment and its sustainability goals for the future.

            "Our goal is to double the size of business while reducing our carbon footprint," said Greg Will, a category management team leader at Unilever.

            Unilever's top three goals, Will said, are to help 1 billion people improve their health or wellbeing, to reduce the environmental footprint of its products by 50 percent and to source 100 percent of agricultural raw materials sustainably.

            Unilever is a multinational corporation that owns product brands primarily in the food and personal care products sectors, including Klondike bars, Hellmann's mayonnaise and Axe body spray.

            Unilever was formed in 1930 when two separate companies joined together rather than continue competing against each other, said Will. It sells products in over 180 countries, and it was voted as one of the world's most admired companies in Fortune.

            Will also discussed Unilever's new agile work environment, which he said is supposed to foster teamwork by removing barriers and not having assigned cubicles. The system is being implemented in some offices, but not all.

            Will also spoke about the importance of digital marketing in today's world, saying it is important to fully embrace technology and realize its importance.

            "Digital is so real-time that things change in a matter of seconds," he said. "Digital advertising is one of the best ways to connect with customers."

            An example of Unilever's use of digital marketing is the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty, which featured women of varied body shapes and sizes, said Will.

The event was hosted by terpAMA, the American Marketing Association group at Maryland, which meets regularly on Tuesday evenings.

            Some terpAMA members interned at Unilever over the summer, and they shared their experiences with the audience.

            "It was a really amazing experience," said terpAMA President Manas Kulkarni, to the 40-some business majors assembled. "I met some of the nicest people during my time there."

            The club will be hosting a similar event with a representative from Merkle Inc. Oct. 11 at 6:15 p.m. The event is open to all, not just terpAMA members.