Cutting through to teenage consumers is the biggest challenge facing brands today, according to Rohit Jawa, the chairman and chief executive at Unilever Philippines.

Speaking at the Festival of Media Asia Pacific 2015 (FOMA) in Singapore, Jawa talked about how Unilever is adapting its ‘Crafting Brands for Life’ global marketing philosophy for local markets such as the Philippines.

He cited campaigns from brands such as Dove and Vaseline – the latter, called ‘Pogimatters’, emphasising the value of being well-groomed – as examples of how Unilever is targeting local ‘Pinoys’ with a new content approach.

Jawa also referenced a campaign for hair conditioner brand Cream Silk, which featured the “world’s first human hair orchestra”.

However, he admitted the biggest challenge for Unilever, the Philippines’ highest-spending advertiser, is gaining the attention of consumers glued to three devices at a time.

“When attention is split across so many options, it is impossible to get through to teenagers today – they are too busy Snapchatting and looking at their mobiles,” said Jawa.

“The attention economy is a big issue. How do we get attention on steroids, when most Filipinos are looking at three screens? How you cut through at scale is the biggest challenge for our brands today.”

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