Unilever targets tech start-up talent with ad:tech London partnership

London/Rotterdam, July 9^nd 2014. Innovative marketing and media tech start-ups will  pitch to panel of leading brand, agency and VC decision makers for the chance to be crowned The Next Big Thing at ad:tech London after Unilever agreed to partner the initiative and the trade show’s Future Media & Technology Summit.

In this unique move, Unilever becomes the first consumer brand to partner the conference and exhibition which this year celebrates its 10th birthday with a ‘Digital Decade: Past, Present, Future theme’.

The Next Big Thing, created in collaboration with Collider, will be working with some of the UK’s leading tech start-up hubs to showcase the country's rising tech stars. The initiative will provide the opportunity to pitch to a panel of leading industry players with the winner being crowned The Next Big Thing – a prestigious accolade won last year by mobile native advertising network  Avocarrot. Shortlisted start-ups will also secure free exhibition space in a specially curated show floor feature.

This partnership underlines Unilever’s commitment to innovation through collaborating with start-ups. The Unilever Foundry enables innovative technology companies to pilot their technology with Unilever brands, tap into talent and expertise through the mentoring programme and apply for investment through Unilever Ventures.

The partnership will see Unilever take headline sponsorship of ad:tech London’s Future Media & Technology Summit in which Marc Mathieu, Unilever’s SVP Marketing  will reveal Unilever’s strategic marketing and media investment plans. Mathieu joins a speaker line-up that includes Ryanair CMO Kenny Jacobs, Mondelez VP Global Media Bonin Bough, Pepsi India CEO & Chairman S Shivakumar and James Avierdieck, Founder of start-up success story Gü.

The partnership will also see ad:tech host up to 50 Unilever marketers who will participate in guided tours and special networking events designed to connect start-ups and technology providers with investment decision makers at Unilever.

Marc Mathieu, SVP Global Marketing explains: “Start-ups are pioneering the future of marketing. Our partnership with ad:tech enables us to showcase these technologies to the wider marketing community and challenge our existing partners to collaborate with these innovators.” 

“As event organisers our job is to connect people and this partnership is a great example of how we can do that in a more effective and efficient way.  Unilever’s enthusiasm and drive to make this happen shows their commitment to forging the way when it comes to embracing digital, technology and new forms of community engagement,” says James Drake-Brockman, Head of ad:tech in EMEA & India.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
Adam Fisher, Unilever Corporate Media Relations on +44 (0)207 822 5082 or adam.fisher@unilever.com

About ad:tech

ad:tech London is the UK edition the world’s largest series of digital marketing events. It is a marketplace for buying and selling, a community for networking, a forum for exchanging ideas and an opportunity for contributing to industry debate and initiatives.

ad:tech’s ten global events deliver top level strategic insight through keynote speakers, topic-driven panels and campaign case studies. ad:tech provides an environment for marketing and media professionals to explore the latest innovative products and services through a market-leading exhibition.

This combination of education, insight, discovery, networking and business development provides visitors with the tools needed to compete effectively in the fast-paced business of marketing and media.

For more information, please contact:
Lewis Richardson,  Marketing Executive on +44(0)203 615 0238

About The Unilever Foundry

The Unilever Foundry (www.unilever.com/foundry) provides a single entry-point for innovative start-ups seeking to partner with Unilever, enabling the company’s global brands to experiment with and pilot new technologies more efficiently, effectively and speedily. It provides start-ups and entrepreneurs the opportunity to develop and work on global projects, access mentoring from marketing professionals, and tap into funding through Unilever Ventures. Start-ups are invited to find a mentor through visiting http://foundry.unilever.com/mentors/. Simply select a mentor based on their skills and geography, then message that marketer to request their mentorship.

About Unilever

Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products with sales in over 190 countries. We work with 174,000 colleagues around the world and generated annual sales of €49.8 billion in 2013. Over half of our company’s footprint is in the faster growing developing and emerging markets (57% in 2013). Working to create a better future every day, we help people feel good, look good and get more out of life. Our portfolio includes some of the world’s best known brands, 14 of which - Knorr, Persil / Omo, Dove, Sunsilk, Hellmann’s, Surf, Lipton, Rexona / Sure, Wall’s ice cream, Lux, Flora / Becel, Rama / Blue Band, Magnum and Axe / Lynx - now generate a turnover of €1 billion or more.

Our ambition is to double the size of our business, whilst reducing our overall environmental footprint (including sourcing, consumer use and disposal) and increasing our positive social impact. We are committed to helping more than a billion people take action to improve their health and well-being, sourcing all our agricultural raw materials sustainably by 2020, and decoupling our growth from our environmental impact. Supporting our three big goals, we have defined nine commitments, underpinned by targets encompassing social, environmental and economic areas. See more on the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan at www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/.

Unilever has been recognised in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Indexes for 14 consecutive years. We are included in the FTSE4Good Index Series and attained a top environmental score of 5, leading to inclusion in the FTSE4Good Environmental Leaders Europe 40 Index. Unilever has been named sector leader of the CDP’s Forests programme for three consecutive years, and in 2013 led the list of Global Corporate Sustainability Leaders in the GlobeScan/SustainAbility annual survey - for the third year running. Unilever was named LinkedIn’s third most sought-after employer worldwide in 2013.