Nina Holen - Orkla Home & Personal Care

In categories where consumers rarely spend much time thinking about brands, building growth requires a different kind of discipline. Laundry detergent, floor cleaners, soap and shampoo are often low-involvement purchases, yet competition is intense, private labels are strong, and the retail landscape is becoming increasingly fragmented.

For Nina Holen, Media & Communication Director at Orkla Home & Personal Care (OHPC), brand growth starts with a simple principle: know your consumer, know your brand, and invest consistently in making that brand relevant. From building mental availability to navigating AI and an increasingly complex media landscape, Nina shares how OHPC approaches long-term brand growth in a rapidly changing market.

Building Brands through Focus and Long-term Thinking

As a house of brands, Orkla Home & Personal Care manages a broad portfolio across both home care and personal care categories. According to Nina, one of the biggest drivers of growth has been making clear choices about which brands to support and ensuring they receive sufficient resources. “I think for us it starts with prioritising our brands. We are a house of brands, so we have many brands. Making clear choices and ensuring we have sufficient resources to support them in the market has been an important driver.”

That focus is supported by a company-wide strategy built around becoming more consumer-centric. As shopping habits evolve and consumers increasingly spread their purchases across different retail channels, OHPC aims to be present wherever consumers choose to shop.

The company has traditionally been strong in grocery retail, but newer channels, including discount retailers, specialist chains and online platforms, are becoming increasingly important. This shift affects everything from innovation and distribution to media planning and communication.

At the same time, Nina believes growth depends on resisting the temptation to focus exclusively on short-term results. “We try to avoid becoming too focused on the short term, even though we sometimes fall into that trap.” Instead, OHPC continues to invest in brand building and broad consumer reach. “We genuinely care about our brands. We invest in them, discuss the long-term perspective, focus on broad reach, and build mental availability so consumers think of us when they stand in front of the shelf.”

“For us, it starts with prioritising our brands. We are a house of brands, so we have many brands. Making clear choices and ensuring we have sufficient resources to support them in the market has been an important driver.”

Making Low-involvement Categories matter

One of the challenges of working in home care and personal care is that many consumers simply do not spend much time thinking about the category. “People do not necessarily care about floor cleaner,” Nina says. “But we have managed to create communication that people still appreciate.”

For her, strong communication starts with strong brand foundations. Clear positioning, a deep understanding of the consumer and consistent brand management create the conditions for both effective communication and successful innovation. “If you have strong brands, clear brand positioning, and strong brand foundations, then good communication follows naturally.”

This philosophy is closely linked to the concept of mental availability. Nina openly credits Ehrenberg-Bass as a major source of inspiration. Building mental availability becomes even more important in categories where consumers make quick decisions and where private labels often compete aggressively on price. Many of OHPC’s brands operate in categories where differentiation can be difficult, making familiarity, trust and distinctiveness critical assets.

“Our brands need to look good. Many of our biggest competitors are private labels in categories people do not care deeply about. We must show that our brands stand for quality and can be trusted.”

“Our brands need to look good. Many of our biggest competitors are private labels in categories people do not care deeply about. We must show that our brands stand for quality and can be trusted.”

Navigating a more Fragmented Media Landscape

Alongside changes in retail, Nina sees major shifts in media and communication. Consumers are spreading their attention across more platforms than ever before, while retailers themselves are increasingly becoming media channels. “It will become more fragmented. More platforms are emerging. Retailers are becoming media channels themselves.”

For marketers, this means maintaining a consistent brand experience across a growing number of touchpoints. Regardless of where consumers encounter the brand, the feeling and identity need to remain recognisable. “That means brands must be very clear and consistent wherever they appear.”

The increasing number of channels also creates operational challenges. Campaigns now require far more adaptations across formats and platforms than in the past. Although content production itself has become more efficient, the growing number of assets required means campaign execution remains highly complex. “Content now needs to be adapted for so many different surfaces. We’ve become much better at handling that, but it’s still a challenge. You have to consider every platform from the very beginning.”

“Content now needs to be adapted for so many different surfaces. We’ve become much better at handling that, but it’s still a challenge. You have to consider every platform from the very beginning.”

AI, Creativity and the Human Touch

Like many marketers, Nina sees artificial intelligence as one of the biggest developments shaping the future of marketing. Yet she views it more as an opportunity than a threat. “AI will change how we work creatively, strategically, and in media planning.”

The biggest advantage, she believes, is speed. If used correctly, AI can automate tasks and free up time for higher-value activities. However, she also sees a clear risk. “There will be a huge wave of low-quality content, which means creativity will become even more important.”

Rather than replacing creativity, AI raises the value of it. As content becomes easier to produce, the brands that stand out will be those that continue to deliver distinctive ideas and high-quality execution. “I think creativity and quality will become more important than ever.”

While AI is already becoming useful for production, imagery and animation, Nina does not believe it will replace people in the creative process anytime soon. “I do not think humans will disappear from the creative process. People like seeing real people.” This is particularly relevant for categories such as skincare and personal care, where authenticity and trust remain important drivers of consumer choice.

 “There will be a huge wave of low-quality content, which means creativity will become even more important.”

Understanding Consumers as the Foundation of Growth

Throughout the conversation, one theme consistently returns: understanding the consumer.

Whether discussing media, innovation, data, communication or future growth, Nina repeatedly comes back to the importance of consumer understanding as the foundation for every decision. “We use research to understand consumers, segment audiences, pre-test and post-test campaigns, evaluate media investments, and understand customer journeys.”

For marketers starting their careers, her advice is equally straightforward. “Know your consumer. Protect your brand. Build strong brand foundations.”

Looking ahead, she believes the brands that continue to grow will be those that remain relevant while staying true to their identity. “The most important thing is to continue building our brands and keeping them relevant.” Because ultimately, relevance is what gives consumers a reason to choose one brand over another. “It is absolutely critical. Otherwise, why would consumers choose you?”

“The most important thing is to continue building our brands and keeping them relevant. It is absolutely critical. Otherwise, why would consumers choose you?”