17 APRIL
L 2014
Opinion
.....
Mark
Ritson
Will David Beckham
joining Diageo be
an own goal?
Digital
Strategy
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Let’s get
personal
Achieve one-to-one
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success
Opinion
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Marc
Mathieu
Unilever’s SVP
of marketing on
his personal
mission
The man marketing
world peace
£3.95
Why Unilever, Skype and Innocent are
backing Peace One Day founder Jeremy Gilley
Partnerships
for peace
PHOTO: ROBERT GRESHOFF
10
MARKETING WEEK
17 APRIL 2014
Jeremy Gilley | Peace One Day
Why is Unilever CEO Paul Polman working with
Peace One Day? Founder Jeremy Gilley talks about
how brand partnerships are good for business
and can promote world peace
LUCY TESSERAS
Achieving world peace is not the typical aim
of a deodorant targeted largely at teenage boys but
‘Make love, not war’ is the slogan accompanying
Unilever’s latest Lynx product (known as Axe
outside the UK).
The company is running a campaign in 50
countries to promote its new Peace variant
of Lynx. The idea stems from Unilever chief
executive Paul Polman’s relationship with Jeremy
Gilley, fi lm-maker, former actor and founder of
Peace One Day, who in 2001 persuaded all United
Nations member states to sign up to Peace Day –
a day of ceasefi re and non-violence.
Speaking to Marketing Week, Polman says this
launch is more than just a funding exercise. Lynx
will work with Peace One Day to help young
people to positively influence their communities,
culminating with Peace Day on 21 September
(see ‘Measuring awareness’, page 12).
“It is imperative for businesses to be involved
with organisations like Peace One Day, whose
efforts make society function better, because
when society functions better, businesses
ultimately do better too,” says Polman.
Polman is working with Peace One Day
alongside Innocent Drinks co-founder Richard
Reed, Ocado co-founder Jason Gissing and
brands including F1 Lotus and Skype (see
‘Brands on peace’, page 13).
Cynics may question how much impact one
day of peace will have, but in 2007 Gilley achieved
what many thought was impossible by persuading
the Taliban in Afghanistan to stop fighting for
24 hours. As a result of the ceasefi re, aid workers
were able to enter areas normally plagued by
violence and 1.4 million children were immunised
against polio in the months that followed.
“It was a beautiful moment,” says Gilley. “I knew
if we could get people to stop fighting in one of the
most complex places in the world, we could save
lives and be optimistic about peace.”
Celebrity ambassadors
The Taliban ceasefire was only the start. Despite
garnering the support of world figures such as
Kofi Annan, Nelson Mandela and the Dalai Lama,
and persuading celebrities such as Jude Law and
Angelina Jolie to spread the word, Gilley says he
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MARKETING WEEK
17 APRIL 2014
will not be satisfied until Peace Day has been
embedded in the thinking of “every human being
on the planet”.
To help change people’s behaviour he has called
on both the skills of marketers and the power
of brands.
“It’s like Mother’s Day,” he says. “Anna Jarvis
had the idea in 1908 [unconnected with the
Christian festival of Mothering Sunday] but it
only became institutionalised many years later
when the corporate sector got behind it.
“Now on Mother’s Day, we all change our
behaviour. We visit our mum, send flowers, make
sure dialogue is sensitive and no one is allowed
to upset her. We’re noticing that the same is true
on Peace Day. People are beginning to change
their behaviour.”
Recognising the power and reach of big global
brands beyond the traditional rattling of buckets
for charitable donations, Gilley decided to seek
long-term partnerships.
“You can’t help noticing the corporate
branding on the side of Formula One cars,”
he says. “It’s those logos that fund them to race,
Inset: Elton John
at a past Peace
Day concert. Right:
Polman and Gilley
MEASURING AWARENESS
Jeremy Gilley approaches the promotion
of Peace Day like a classic marketer, focusing
on partnerships to get maximum value for
both parties.
“We’ve created the day, we’ve proved it can
save lives and we know that when people are
aware of it there’s a decrease in violence. We
are working with the corporate sector to tell
as many people as we can because we know
that telling people that the day exists saves
people’s lives,” he says.
More than 470 million people were aware
of Peace Day 2013, a 68 per cent increase on
2012, according to analysis by McKinsey &
Company. As a result, 2 per cent – eight million
people – are estimated to have behaved more
peacefully on 21 September 2013.
But the initiative is not all about a single
day. The data shows that 73 per cent of the
dialogue about Peace One Day happens
throughout the rest of the year.
“It’s like climbing a mountain,” says
Gilley. “The actual climb takes place on 21
September but all the preparation and training
happens in the months before as you gear up
for the day.”
Awareness is being driven through the work
done by Peace One Day in the education and
youth sectors of 197 countries. It reached 171
million people in 2013 through UN events,
online games, Skype talks with the Peace One
Day team and other activities with corporate
partners.
The number of people that are aware
of Peace Day is expected to reach 1.5 billion
by the end of 2014.
“I think we will see three billion people
aware of Peace Day by 2016,” says Gilley.
“So if corporations are interested in those
numbers, we urge them to come forward
because the corporate sector is key to the
success of all of this.”
so I wanted to create the same model for
Peace One Day.”
In around 2005, Gilley started building
relationships with advertising agencies such
as McCann Erickson. He says this created an
effective way to meet big corporations and led
to partnerships with global giants such as CocaCola, which featured the Peace One Day logo
on its products in a number of markets around
the world.
Corporate alliances
After Gilley met Unilever’s Polman – who says
Gilley’s passion is “infectious” – the more formal
Corporate Coalition membership structure was
launched in 2013.
“We helped develop a more robust business
plan because Jeremy certainly has the ideas
and the creativity but with more connectivity
to the responsible corporate sector, I felt we could
achieve so much more,” says Polman. “I was
fascinated by how he creates these movements
and how we could support him because it has to
be done in partnership. It cannot be done alone.”
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MARKETING WEEK
17 APRIL 2014
Alongside the advertising campaign for the Lynx
Peace deodorant, the brand is encouraging young
people to have a positive influence on their local
communities.
Lynx has teamed with award-winning producer
Naughty Boy and online fashion retailer Asos for
the UK activation, which began on 15 April, and
Unilever has been encouraging people around the
world to raise money, donate time to good causes
and act in a more positive way as part of the global
campaign, explains Polman.
“In Australia we’ve had a big blood donation
drive with the Australian Red Cross; in France
we are encouraging young people to become
peace ambassadors and make music videos;
and in Brazil we are bringing competing nations
together around the theme of peace,” he says.
“We do things slightly differently in each country
but within a single global framework.”
The corporate partnerships are focused
on more than just fund-raising.
“It’s about what these brands do with their
workforce,” says Gilley. “It’s about their
consumers and it’s about the opportunity
PHOTO: ROBERT GRESHOFF
PHOTO: ROBERT GRESHOFF
Profile: Jeremy Gilley | Peace One Day
FIVE WAYS BR ANDS
CAN GET CHARIT Y
PARTNERSHIPS RIGHT
1. Get consumers involved
Mondeléz International is giving customers
of its Kenco coffee brand the opportunity
to collect points and either support coffeefarming communities by donating books,
uniforms and stationery to a Mondelézfounded school in Honduras or help fund
a water tank installation project in Peru.
2. Be innovative
Choosing leading partners gives the alliance
gravitas. Through its partnership with wildlife
charity WWF, Coca-Cola is helping to develop
more sustainable water stewardship practices
for businesses.
3. Make sure all parties benefit
Innocent co-founder Richard Reed says
of the work done with Peace One Day: “It has
to be truly holistic. We help financially and by
driving awareness, but [in return] it gives our
consumers a deeper brand experience so it’s
a triple win.”
4. Use it to influence strategy
A partnership can be useful at a strategic
business level. As part of its Plan A
sustainability drive, M&S works with Oxfam
on a number of initiatives, which it says are
vital to the strategic direction of the business.
“When
society functions
better, businesses
ultimately do
better too”
5. Get the partnership noticed
Be proud of the work done together. Fairy
has been working with the Make-A-Wish
Foundation for the past 10 years. To celebrate
the anniversary, it launched a big-budget TV
ad campaign at Christmas featuring Game of
Thrones star Sean Bean to illustrate the work
of the charity.
PAUL POLMAN
UNILEVER
[brands] have to create the kind of world we
ultimately want to live in. They have so much
power and so much reach, which is really good
news for peace.”
Financial formula
When formulating the fi nancial structure
of the Corporate Coalition, Gilley borrowed once
more from Formula One, working with former
head of sponsorship and marketing for the
Williams racing team Jim Wright to build a more
solid return-on-investment model for members.
Wright introduced a tiered subscription plan
for corporates: $80,000 (£48,000) for bronze,
$150,000 for silver and $250,000 for gold.
Depending on the level of investment, brands
receive image rights, fi lmed interviews,
bespoke case studies and a number of personal
appearances by Gilley for internal and external
communications purposes. Gold members also
receive ownership of a Peace One Day global
initiative.
“For me, charity isn’t really the answer,” says
Gilley. “It’s the concept of doing well by doing
good. Businesses need to have an impact
on the world; that’s what gets your workforce
fi red up and that’s what keeps them loyal.
“Because the more money they make your
company, the bigger difference that company
can make in the world.”
Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks,
has long supported the Peace One Day effort
and says being involved with the organisation
has been “hugely good for driving employee
engagement”.
“For Innocent to be playing a small part in
what Peace One Day is achieving is incredibly
motivational for people who work in the
company,” he adds.
But there are other reasons to be involved, says
Reed. “The left brain is doing it to drive awareness,
brand experience and employee engagement,
while the right brain is doing it because you
believe in the mission and want to play a part
in helping the world to become a less violent
place.”
Gilley’s current focus is the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes
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MARKETING WEEK
17 APRIL 2014
BR ANDS ON PEACE
“The window of opportunity afforded by just
one day of global peace results in widespread
humanitarian work across a range of issues,
including health and the environment.”
Paul Polman, chief executive, Unilever
”Innocent gives at least 10 per cent of profits
to charity to help tackle hunger in the poorest
countries. The more you help with basic
needs, the more you cultivate the conditions
for peace to prosper. It’s only when people
don’t have access to the things they need that
they have to take more desperate measures.”
Richard Reed, co-founder, Innocent
”If we do things that are good and worthy, the
people who work for us are happier and our
customers feel differently about us because
we stand for something they can relate to.”
Jason Gissing, co-founder, Ocado
Profile: Jeremy Gilley | Peace One Day
Founder
Peace One Day
Marketing Week (MW): What kind of impact
have the corporate partnerships you’ve created
had on Peace One Day?
Jeremy Gilley (JG): It’s absolute survival.
If it weren’t for these corporations, we wouldn’t
be here today. We’re a non-profit organisation
so it doesn’t make a difference to my salary
if we make £100,000 or £200,000 this week, but
it will make a massive difference to the people we
touch around the world and the people who are
going to be inspired to participate in life-saving
activity. We’re about coming together as one –
separate from politics and religion – and moving
towards a moment of global unity.
MW: How collaboratively do you work with
the Corporate Coalition members?
JG: We get in a room and work it out. It’s all
about bringing corporations that care about
a more peaceful and sustainable world into our
network and working alongside them to inform
people that this day exists.
MW: How important is it for brands to
promote sustainability and peace in addition
to their brand message?
JG: It’s fundamental. Any corporation that isn’t
investing in a more peaceful and sustainable
world is behind the times. It’s about doing well
by doing good. You can do well and you can do
good but the two things should go hand in hand.
Any corporation that doesn’t have that type
of philosophy is going to lose out.
We’re living in the most peaceful time we’ve
ever been in and that’s driven by the corporate
sector. They know that peace is good for business
because it means you can trade. If the corporate
sector supports us to create peace, it’s good news
for their profits and it’s good news for the world.
region of Africa. Aided by a $10m donation
from Howard G Buffett, the former director
of the Coca-Cola Company, Peace One Day hopes
to make a positive impact as part of a three-year
campaign.
Using the power of celebrity once more, Gilley
has recruited hip-hop star Akon, who he describes
as “the Michael Jackson of Africa”, to perform
at the annual Peace Day concert, which in past
years has attracted artists such as Elton John,
Bryan Adams, Pixie Lott, Annie Lennox and Lenny
Kravitz. This year’s event will take place in Goma,
a city in the east of the DRC.
“I knew when I went to the DRC and the Great
Lakes region of Africa that Akon would be one way
I could tell the entire country [about Peace Day],”
says Gilley. “We’re doing a massive show that we
will be giving to the radio stations and everybody
else for free. Because of that awareness, there
will be excitement and the people in the DRC will
know that the international community cares.”
Gilley describes the concert as a “lighthouse”
for the wider efforts of Peace One Day and a
means of informing people about the progress the
“Any
company
not investing in
a more peaceful
world is behind
the times”
JEREMY GILLEY
PEACE ONE DAY
PHOTO: ROBERT GRESHOFF
.....
Jeremy Gilley
THREE MILESTONE DATES
FOR PEACE ONE DAY
1999
Peace One Day launches to a crowd
of just 114 people at the Globe Theatre
in London
2001
All member states of the United Nations agree
to an annual day of ceasefire and non-violence
2007
All fighting in Afghanistan stops for a day
on 21 September, enabling 1.4 million children
to be vaccinated against polio
Jude Law at
a Peace Day
concert at
Wembley
in 2012
organisation has made in promoting peace
in areas of conflict, as well as what it has achieved
locally by reducing violence in homes and schools.
“Each corporation has a niche area [that it wants
to help] so we work together to create something
that is complementary,” says Gilley.
Jason Gissing, departing co-founder of online
supermarket Ocado, has been a supporter of Peace
One Day from the beginning and has been heavily
involved in some of its UK initiatives.
“We sponsored an educational source that
went into primary schools and has since become
part of the national curriculum,” he says.
“It teaches children about bullying and domestic
violence and shows them how to resolve disputes
peacefully with dialogue – not by resorting
to violence.”
Winding down
Although it is rewarding for Gilley to know that his
efforts are contributing to a more peaceful world,
it is an emotional and sometimes harrowing job.
To wind down, he spends time with his threeyear-old daughter.
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MARKETING WEEK
17 APRIL 2014
“[The only time I] completely shut off is when
I spend time with my little girl. That’s when
everything changes. I don’t allow any phone calls
and it’s a phenomenal quality of time. For me,
that’s when I’m free of everything,” says Gilley,
who is also a keen wakeboarder and likes to have
“a good old dance” to relax.
Gilley’s Peace One Day journey began through
his work as a film-maker and he has documented
the evolution of the organisation since 1999
through fi lms including Peace One Day and
The Day After Peace.
He has recorded every meeting, event and
landmark achievement, updating the story and
informing people of his progress daily through
social media.
“If you put a camera in the right place at the
right time with the right question, it holds people
accountable for their actions,” he says. “That’s
the power of media.
“They used to say the pen is mightier than
the sword but the camera is much mightier.
It’s an awesome object that can help change
the world.”