Unilever, teaming up with Labbrand, dove into a journey of brand innovation with a focus on brand innovation to bolster its fabric cleaning and conditioning powerhouses, OMO and Comfort, within the Chinese laundry scene. This venture was all about foreseeing industry shifts, tackling hurdles, and meeting the demands of the up-and-coming Millennial crowd, all under the banner of brand innovation. Labbrand brought its expertise in gathering insights, forecasting trends, and collaborative creation to the table, crafting fresh product ideas and impactful strategies, all rooted in the essence of brand innovation.

Challenge 

Unilever found itself at a crossroads, confronting the escalating currents of competition in the intricate realm of fabric care. This arena demanded a profound understanding of the preferences that danced within the hearts of Chinese Millennials. Against this backdrop, Unilever was tasked with an intricate choreography: accelerating the rhythm of innovation, forging a distinctive path amidst contenders, and ingeniously weaving concepts that would resonate harmoniously with the discerning tastes of China’s Post-90s generation. 

Brand Innovation – Solution 

Unilever, with Labbrand’s support, implemented a comprehensive approach to address the challenges and achieve brand innovation in the fabric care market. 

Trends Forecasting with Experts: 
Labbrand facilitated the gathering of insights by leveraging expert knowledge sharing. Through activities such as pre-task preparations, workshop guide development, expert discussion moderation, and workshop facilitation, Unilever gained valuable insights into current fabric and fabric care trends. This process laid the foundation for future innovation strategies. 

Super Consumer Immersion: 
Labbrand collaborated with Unilever to conduct immersive experiences with Super Consumers. By engaging Chinese Millennials in Amazing Race tasks and forming pillars and platforms with the core team, Unilever gained a deep understanding of the target audience’s fabric care concerns, needs, and preferences. These insights guided the development of relevant and impactful product and activation ideas. 

Co-creation of Product & Activation Ideas: 
Labbrand’s expertise supported the co-creation process, enabling Unilever to develop compelling product concepts and activations. With workshop guide and stimuli preparation, workshop moderation, and consolidation of workshop outputs, a total of 60 concept boards were created. These boards, featuring innovative ideas for both products and activations, were ready for testing and further development. 

Results 

Through this brand innovation initiative, Unilever and Labbrand successfully positioned OMO and Comfort as leaders in the Chinese fabric care market. By addressing the evolving needs and preferences of Chinese Millennials, the project facilitated differentiation, accelerated the innovation process, and established a strong foundation for sustained growth and consumer affinity in the dynamic fabric care landscape.