Unilever reaches out with strong cause

Actress Viola Davis (right), The Vaseline Healing Project advocate, narrated a short film for Unilever’s campaign.

A jar of Vaseline Jelly can be found in medicine cabinets across the country, throughout generations, but its extraordinary dry-skin healing powers can be overlooked. Unilever set out to find a way to make consumers fall back in love with the iconic brand by fostering a strong, ongoing relationship built with more than product messages.

Introducing The Vaseline Healing Project — a program designed to communicate the brand’s purpose and radically shift perceptions by giving consumers a glimpse of how their world connects with the world of those that Vaseline is helping.

For people living in crisis and disaster, skin conditions are a common, yet overlooked concern. When left untreated, dry and cracked skin, cuts or burns can become a much more serious health issue. When Unilever learned from doctors and relief organizations working in these areas about their overwhelming need for everyday products like Vaseline to treat common skin conditions, it led the company to create The Vaseline Healing Project. In partnership with Direct Relief, The Vaseline Healing Project aims to provide dermatological care, Vaseline Jelly and medical supplies to help heal the skin of people affected by poverty or emergencies around the world.

To date, the campaign has seen an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers, particularly millennials. Millennials are the biggest influencers in today’s society with 80 million people and a spending power of $2.5 trillion by 2020, according to Barrons.

One reason the campaign has resonated so well with millennials is because as consumers, they tend to organically share brand endorsements and make their purchasing decisions based on the responsible efforts a company is making, according to Millennial Momentum. More than 80% rank making the world a better place a priority, and that’s just what The Vaseline Healing Project sets out to do.

Through donations from Unilever and consumer support, the VHP aims to heal the skin of 5 million people on the frontlines of crisis or disaster by 2020. In year one, more than 1 million units of Vaseline Jelly were donated, and in 2016, another 1.4 million units will be donated and distributed through Direct Relief’s network of frontline clinics. Missions also have been funded by The Vaseline Healing Project to Jordan, the Philippines, Kenya and India, and will continue throughout 2016 to include Nepal, Dallas, South Africa, New Orleans and Jordan. Additionally, online donations from consumers will help enable Direct Relief to send over $500 million in essential resources to people in need.

Equally important to having a cause that resonates with millennials is ensuring that it’s heard in the right way and throughout the right channels. As millennials continue to redefine media consumption and behavior, the lines between their digital and physical lives continue to blur.

“We created The Vaseline Healing Project to meet the Vaseline consumers where they are — online,” said Suzanne Palentchar, director of marketing for the Vaseline brand. “It’s the brand’s first truly global digital campaign, which features original digital content on social media, a short film narrated by award-winning actress Viola Davis and Vaseline Healing Project advocate, and an interactive Web portal where people can build virtual relief kits of their own and contribute to Direct Relief’s kit distribution programs.”

While millennials spend much of their time online, the traditional in-store experience should not be disregarded. Eighty-three percent of millennial personal care purchases are still occurring in store, according to the Cassandra Report. Palentchar went on to say, “with so many millennials shopping in-store for personal care products, we knew we had to find a way to bring the essence of The Vaseline Healing Project directly to the shelves of our retailers. We have also introduced a ‘Buy one, to help heal one’ offer where every lotion or jelly purchase will help support Direct Relief.” In 2016, for every unit sold, Unilever will donate 2 cents, up to a maximum of $1 million, excluding lip items.

“The Vaseline Healing Project launched in the United States in early January, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Palentchar said. “At Unilever, we’re constantly developing new business practices that grow both our company and communities, meeting people’s desire for more sustainable products and creating a brighter future. We’re extremely proud of the work we’re doing around The Vaseline Healing Project and look forward to expanding it in the years to come.”