The CEO’s Guide to Marketing The one with Unilever Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, Esi Eggleston Bracey on what CEOs need to know about driving desirability at scale, the difference between marketing and sales, and how you win hearts, minds—and machines.
Jul 30, 2025
Esi Eggleston Bracey, Chief Growth & Marketing Officer at Unilever and a seasoned leader, shares her insights on the intersection of marketing and leadership. She dives into the role of 'desirability' in creating emotional connections with consumers and differentiates marketing from sales. Esi discusses the essential evolution of marketing strategies in today's digital landscape, emphasizing localized branding's impact on global success. She also explores how to engage consumers in an era dominated by bots, highlighting the importance of maintaining emotional ties.
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Brand Consistency Matters
- Consistency in brand messaging remains critical despite fast-moving culture.
- Reimagining consistent brand themes can sustain reach and engagement over decades, like Dove's Real Beauty campaign.
Explaining Marketing to CEOs
- Explain to CEOs that marketing creates demand by making customers desire the brand before selling.
- Invest marketing in insights, clear brand positioning, and diverse channels like social and AI to drive awareness.
Marketing vs. Selling
- Marketing creates demand by earning desire, while sales converts demand into purchase.
- Earned engagement growing through social influences reduces paid media reliance, driving efficient growth.