Unilever restates commitment to keeping ads from targeting children under 12
In line with its commitment to refrain from advertising its food and beverage products to kids under the age of 12, Unilever has restated its decision not to target kids in its commercials.
In a statement, Unilever noted that the move was in response to estimates from the World Health Organisation which estimated that 124 million children between the ages of 5 and 19 suffered from obesity worldwide, while 213 million were overweight.
For the past year, the global FMCG-giant has been on a mission for the past year to ensure the content and placement of its adverts meet conditions set under a ‘Responsibility Framework’ established with now-departed chief marketing officer Keith Weed.
Recall that last year, chief executive Alan Jope said Unilever business would “dispose” of any brands that lack purposeful messaging.
Expectedly, the most recent move, which comes under the leadership of new brand boss Conny Braams, will see Unilever stop advertising its food and beverages to children under the age of 12 on traditional and social media.
Until now, Unilever has established a network of global, regional and local online publishers as well as platforms it’s willing to advertise on in to get “more control and greater visibility” over where its ads are placed. It has also invested in experiments with ethical ad platform Good Loop which donates to charity every time someone watches a full advert online.
Unilever said it would also stop working with any influencers and celebrities who primarily appeal to children and would also limit its use of cartoon characters to promote products. However, this does not extend to advertising on in-store displays, though Unilever said it will only promote products in supermarkets that have a certain “nutritional profile”.
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