They may look after big-time beauty brands including Sunsilk, Rexona, Dove, Impulse, Alberto Vo5, Lux, Pond's, Clear Scalp & Hair Therapy, Simple and St.Ives, but don't expect an easy hand-out from Unilever in 2016.
Beginning this year, the company is stripping back its marketing budget to zero, with each manager being required to justify marketing budgets from scratch. This strategy is part of Unilever’s aim to drive efficiencies in marketing.
"We will make a further step in our overheads and brand and marketing efficiencies with the global rollout of zero-based budgeting," Unilever CEO Paul Polman announced in a presentation to analysts and investors overnight.
"I expect market conditions to be, if anything, more challenging and more volatile than in 2015. Economic growth is unlikely to improve significantly and we have seen at the start of this year geopolitical tension which is on the rise. Stock markets are jumpy, not surprisingly, and currencies are volatile. And the impacts of climate change once more are only increasing."
New vice-president and CMO John Broome will lead Unilever Australia and New Zealand's marketing function from February 15.
