Procter & Gamble Co. had a nice run with its “irresistible superiority” framework. After that success was clear, activist investor Nelson Peltz left the P&G board in 2021 and headed to the Unilever board the following year to push for improvements. With its new CEO Hein Schumacher leading its charge since mid-2023, Unilever has adopted “unmissable superiority” as its marketing framework.

Now the consumer packaged goods world will find out which superiority is superior. So far, things are looking pretty good for Unilever.

For decades, there’s been little reason to doubt Unilever’s creative chops. The company was the 2024 Cannes Lions Creative Marketer of the Year, having brought home 230 Lions over the prior 14 years. Flagship brand Dove has had one of the most durable and honored campaigns of a generation with its “Campaign for Real Beauty,” which celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.

However, as the company has bounced around through regular restructurings, its shares now trade in London at the same price they did five years ago. That led some analysts to say Unilever was suffering from “long COVID.” Its trajectory has changed since Peltz and Schumacher arrived.

Now the company is preparing to spin off its ice cream business by the end of 2025. And with a companywide focus on product and marketing superiority led by Schumacher and Chief Growth and Marketing Officer Esi Eggleston Bracey, business results are showing strength. In the third quarter, Unilever had organic sales growth of 4.5% on volume growth of 3.6%, the fourth straight quarter of improving volume growth. The company’s core “Power Brands,” including Dove, Liquid I.V. and Comfort, delivered 5.4% sales growth on 4.3% volume growth.