Hein Schumacher, the relatively new chief executive of Unilever, scored a few points with shareholders last week by announcing a sensibly pragmatic tweak to the group’s messaging about the “purpose” of its brands. “Force-fitting” worthy values, he said, would in some cases be an “unwelcome distraction”.
It was hardly a revolutionary declaration, despite the acres of coverage it generated. But, if it means Unilever will tone down its self-congratulatory boasts, many of us would applaud. It is right that Unilever and its ilk should be transparent about their efforts to, say, reduce wasteful packaging at Hellmann’s, but the exercise becomes irritating when it is smothered in overblown claims about the meaning of mayonnaise. Do the important behind-the-scenes work, but cut the waffle.
