Unilever, a Global Leader in Consumer Products, Partners With Carrotmob to Develop Sustainability Campaigns

Partnership will engage consumers to explore and co-create campaigns for social and environmental good with one of the world’s largest global consumer product companies

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carrotmob, an advocacy group dedicated to organizing consumer spending to influence businesses’ impacts on social and environmental issues, announced today a partnership to explore and develop innovative participatory campaigns with Unilever. Unilever is a global leader in fast-moving consumer products with over 400 brands, sales of approximately 46.5 billion euros in fiscal year 2011, and a leader in sustainability amongst their class of companies.

“Unilever, the third largest consumer packaged goods company in the world, has taken notice of this growing movement”

Over the next year, the two organizations will work together to develop means to implement Carrotmob’s innovative advocacy model in which a group of consumers offers to spend money to support a business, and in return, the business agrees to make a social or environmental improvement the consumers care about.

The partnership represents a new step forward in cause-based marketing, allowing for the co-creation of sustainability campaigns. Carrotmob will work with Unilever to develop campaigns that deepen consumer engagement, generate brand loyalty based on values, and redefine global sustainability.

“Unilever, the third largest consumer packaged goods company in the world, has taken notice of this growing movement,” said Brent Schulkin, founder of Carrotmob. “The Carrotmob model which allows consumers to vote with their money has been successful with small businesses for years. Now with a global company like Unilever, we have the opportunity to make a large-scale impact.”

Lou Paik, the West Division Shopper Marketing Manager for Unilever commented, “At Unilever, many of us practice this mantra ‘small actions make a big difference,’ and that is exactly what Carrotmob consumers are about. Supporting products and businesses that do the right thing creates a climate for change. We are exploring opportunities like this with Carrotmob to bring retail marketing programs to our customers that no one has seen before.”

Unilever was named #1 on the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders by GlobeScan and Sustainability Limited. Under its Sustainable Living Plan, introduced in November 2010, Unilever’s goal is to source all agricultural products sustainably by 2020. Given Carrotmob’s experience mobilizing consumers on social and environmental causes, Unilever views this partnership as an opportunity to educate and gain new consumers by giving them a direct stake in their industry-leading efforts.

About Carrotmob

Carrotmob is a new way for people to influence businesses to make them more sustainable by harnessing consumer spending power. Carrotmob derives its name because it uses the "carrot" instead of the "stick." Carrotmob believes people can have more influence on businesses by giving them a positive incentive to change: money. Businesses get increased sales, passionate new customers, and great marketing and consumers achieve unprecedented social impact. Since Carrotmob's launch, there have more than 250 successful campaigns at small businesses in over 20 countries worldwide.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world's leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong operations in more than 100 countries and sales in 190. With products that are used over two billion times a day around the world, we work to create a better future every day and help people feel good, look good and get more out of life with brands and services that are good for them and good for others. In the United States the portfolio includes brand icons such as: Axe, Ben & Jerry's, Bertolli, Breyers, Caress, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Consort For Men, Country Crock, Degree, Dove personal care products, fds, Good Humor, Hellmann's, I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!, Just for Me!, Klondike, Knorr, Lever 2000, Lipton, Magnum, Motions, Nexxus, Noxzema, Pond's, Popsicle, Promise, Q-tips, Ragu, Simple, Skippy, Slim-Fast, Soft & Beautiful, St. Ives, Suave, tcb, TIGI, TRESemme, Vaseline, and Wish-Bone. All of the preceding brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Unilever Group of Companies. Dedicated to serving consumers and the communities where we live, work and play, Unilever employs more than 11,000 people in the United States – generating over $8 billion in sales in 2011. For more information, visit www.unileverusa.com.