Laurens-Jan Duvigneau - Unilever

Growth in personal care does not happen by chance. It requires a balance between building on what is already strong and daring to try what is new. For Laurens-Jan Duvigneau, General Manager Beauty & Wellbeing Benelux at Unilever, this means balancing a solid core focus with the agility to innovate and explore new media approaches. In this article, he shares how Unilever Personal Care is reshaping its growth strategy — from protecting the core to embracing a social-first mindset and rethinking the role of retail media.

The Core as the Foundation of Growth

The world of personal care is both highly competitive and constantly evolving. Consumers expect brands to deliver trusted quality while also surprising them with new experiences. Marketers, in turn, face the challenge of balancing short-term performance with long-term brand building. Few companies embody this balancing act as clearly as Unilever.

Within its Personal Care division, global brands such as Dove, AXE, and Rexona are more than just long-standing market leaders. They are the pillars on which the entire growth strategy rests. Each one has clear, distinct attributes rooted in consumer perception: moisturisation, fragrance, or sweat protection. “Innovation is important, but new launches only work when the brand fundament is strong. Therefore, you must never neglect your core,” says Laurens-Jan.

Core support does not mean flooding the market with constant advertising, but rather ensuring that the brands remain top of mind and trusted. As Laurens-Jan notes, “The core doesn’t need continuous, heavy support, but it does need consistent attention.” By maintaining this consistency, Unilever ensures that the financial and strategic space exists to launch new products. Without the credibility and stability of the core, even the most exciting innovations would struggle to succeed.

“Innovation is important, but it only works if the basics are in order. That means you must never neglect your core.”

The Shift from ATL to Social-First

Traditionally, Unilever’s communication strategy relied heavily on above-the-line campaigns. These large-scale, centrally developed campaigns offered efficiency but often left little room for agility. That is now changing. “Since this year, there has been an acceleration through the ‘social-first’ approach as part of a bigger global strategy shift,” Laurens-Jan explains.

Social-first campaigns start from the culture of communities and trending topics. They require flexibility, and the ability to accept that not everything will be perfect. “Social-first means speed, learning, experimenting, and making mistakes. Media agencies must adapt too, steering on new KPIs and adjusting schedules. Research insights also need to be delivered faster, more to the point, and action-oriented.”

For local teams, this shift also means more responsibility. Campaigns must not only fit global frameworks but also resonate locally. Subtle localisation can make the difference between relevance and indifference; for example, by integrating a local football hero into a global campaign, as was successfully done for Rexona.

“The advantage of social is that you can play a much more locally relevant role,” says Laurens-Jan. “The balance between well-thought-out global campaigns and the local freedom to respond to communities is the perfect mix.”

This approach allows Unilever to maintain the benefits of global platforms while tailoring execution. Sometimes, that means adjusting visuals or ambassadors; other times, it is about the nuance of messaging. The key is to avoid over-localisation while still speaking directly to cultural contexts.

“The advantage of social is that you can play a much more locally relevant role. The balance between well-thought-out global campaigns and the local freedom to respond to communities is the perfect mix.”

New Rhythms, New Challenges

The move to social-first also changes the tempo of work. Campaigns that once took months to plan are now developed and deployed within days. “For AXE, we now have a meeting on Monday about which content we’ll be shooting on Friday, so it can already go live that weekend,” Laurens-Jan explains. “These are such short cycles that everyone needs to keep up in order to make it work.”

This speed has consequences for research. Lengthy studies cannot keep pace. Instead, Unilever relies on a blend of quick consumer feedback, platform data, and rapid testing. Sometimes that means small polls within the team; other times it involves agencies with specialist expertise. What matters is agility, trust, and a willingness to let go of control. “I see AXE content that I don’t personally like or find entertaining. But I trust the team that it works,” Laurens-Jan admits.

Retail Media: Between Promise and Practice

Alongside social, retail media has become a growing topic in marketing discussions. Its strength lies in being close to sales, which makes it interesting. However, the ratio of sales revenue and media investment is not always straightforward, Laurens-Jan observes.

“Retail media remains a hot topic. Powerful because it's a direct link to sales.But striking the right balance between sales impact and media investment is where the real challenge lies.”

Classic in-store displays remain powerful activation tools. “Promotional displays in-store still work very well. If someone can show me new formats that are equally effective, I’ll be the first to embrace them.” Laurens-Jan also acknowledges that online retail advertising formats are expanding and appealing because they drive conversion. Yet, their contribution to sales for personal care brands remains limited.

And this is where Laurens-Jan sees the real balancing act of brand growth. Whether it’s about switching to in social-first campaigns, testing new retail media formats, or continuing to support the core through traditional ATL campaigns, the guiding principle remains the same: it needs to lead to sales. Without sales there is no budget to invest in growth. “Every euro can only be spent once. If we spend it well, the consumer, the retailer, and we ourselves all benefit. That’s when everybody wins.”