Emily Tan
Sep 25, 2013

Unilever strikes deal with Brandtone to drive mobile in India, China and Indonesia

The new agreement sees the two companies partnering to open up key growth markets

Unilever strikes deal with Brandtone to drive mobile in India, China and Indonesia
Unilever has inked a deal with mobile marketing company Brandtone to drive its mobile presence in key markets which include India, China and Indonesia.
 
As part of the agreement, Unilever will support Brandtone's expansion into four new markets: India, China, Indonesia, and the US.  Unilever will also build on the existing relationship with Brandtone in South Africa, Brazil, Kenya, Nigeria, Russia and Turkey.
 
“Over half our turnover comes from emerging markets," explained Keith Weed, Unilever CMO, "Mobile provides a direct means of engagement with almost every consumer in those countries, and it is therefore absolutely critical for our brands’ growth."
 
Unilever has already run a number of campaigns with Brandtone, including a promotion for OMO washing power in South Africa, which generated response rates of 30 per cent, far above the industry average.
 
As a founding investor in Brandtone since 2010, Unilever Ventures has played an active role in its development and global expansion.  
 
The new agreement sees the two companies partnering to open up key growth markets, said Donald Fitzmaurice, co-founder and CEO, Brandtone. 
 
Brandtone's business model is built around value exchange - providing incentives, such as free mobile airtime, to reward consumers for interacting with brands and sharing information via their mobile phones. Campaigns to date have seen more than 90 per cent of consumers opting-in for further engagement, building databases of profiled consumers that brands can build on-going relationships with. The campaigns devised by Brandtone are accessible to all consumers—using USSD (an interactive form of data messaging), SMS and IVR (voice message) technology—and are free-to-enter due to the company’s partnerships with the telco providers in each market.  
 
“People are willing to share information about themselves in order to get more relevant advertising and offers. So the opportunity is there – if we do it correctly," added Weed. "We need to approach people with respect – maintaining trust and ensuring two-way dialogue. The work we do with Brandtone enables us to do exactly that."
 
This article first appeared on www.campaignasia.com
 
Source:
Campaign India

Related Articles

Just Published

17 hours ago

Radio ad volumes rise by 2%; services lead during ...

Total number of advertisers grows by 10%; Gujarat leads states with 18% share, finds AdEx India's report on radio advertising during January-September 2024.

21 hours ago

Agencies dominate 60% of digital marketing openings ...

India witnesses rise in digital marketing jobs at the entry level in 2024; roles in programmatic advertising show rapid growth, finds a Kraftshala study.

1 day ago

Cross-channel marketing 2025: Breaking barriers, ...

Cross-channel marketing has transitioned from being just another buzzword to becoming indispensable in delivering customers cohesive and personalised experiences, says the vice president for data science at CleverTap.