Danone vs Reckitt

Besso Raises €4.29M for AI Trade Compliance

Bern-based startup Besso has raised €4.29 million (CHF 4 million) in a funding round backed by a single anonymous European family office. The company provides an AI-powered platform that monitors over 1,250 trade regulations and tariff schedules globally, helping multinationals identify overpayments on duties and recover costs through preferential tariff rates and free trade agreements. The funding will be used to scale capacity, increase headcount, and advance product development. Besso's client roster includes Danone, Unilever, AB-InBev, BASF, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Philip Morris International, and Syngenta. The AI trade compliance market is projected to reach €9.84 billion by 2035.

• Besso raised €4.29 million (CHF 4 million) from a single anonymous European family office.
• The AI platform monitors over 1,250 trade regulations and tariff schedules globally.
• Global clients include Danone, Unilever, AB-InBev, BASF, Coca-Cola, Heineken, Philip Morris International, and Syngenta.

Shopper Marketing Strategies Need Distinctiveness for Social Media

Marcus Foley of Tommy argues that shopper marketing strategies often lose their distinctiveness when translated into social media, leading to homogenized brand expression. He contends that social algorithms favor proven patterns, causing brands to converge on similar formats, which undermines brand equity. Foley proposes adding a 'distinctiveness' layer between proposition and activation and introduces Tommy's 'Anti-Algorithm Formula' to help brands build recognizable, ownable social behaviors. Examples like the 'Gonna Need Milk' campaign and the wellness brand Undo's pre-hangover ritual illustrate creating content that is recognizably the brand's own. The article emphasizes that content performance metrics don't guarantee brand memory, and shopper marketers must ensure their social expression is as distinctive as their strategy. Foley suggests three questions: Is it recognizably ours? What got remembered? Who got value?

• Marcus Foley of Tommy advocates adding 'distinctiveness' as a strategic layer in shopper marketing for social media.
• Social algorithms favor proven formats, leading to brand convergence and homogenized content.
• Tommy's 'Anti-Algorithm Formula' helps brands build distinctive, ownable social behaviors.

Danone Gets CMA Approval to Acquire Huel

French food group Danone has received clearance from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to proceed with its previously announced acquisition of British nutrition brand Huel. Media reports place the purchase price at around €1 billion. The CMA waived a deeper investigation, removing a key regulatory hurdle and allowing Danone to continue integration planning. Huel, founded in 2015, generated roughly £214 million in revenue in 2024 and is known for plant-based, D2C subscription sales, social-media-driven growth, and data-driven marketing. Danone says the deal strengthens its health-focused portfolio and adds digital direct-to-consumer capabilities, subscriptions expertise and marketing data to accelerate international expansion.

• Danone received clearance from the UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) for its planned acquisition of Huel.
• Media reports cite an approximate purchase price of €1 billion for Huel.
• Huel was founded in 2015 and reported about £214 million in revenue in 2024.

Durex Signs Sean Dyche for 'Get Wood Rising' Campaign

Durex, a brand by Reckitt, has launched a season-long comedy campaign called 'Get Wood Rising' with former Premier League manager Sean Dyche as 'performance director.' The campaign, created by McCann Content Studios at McCann London, centers on a fictional partnership with real non-league club Woodley United FC, which hasn't had a promotion in 10 years. The 100-second launch film uses innuendo and humor to promote Durex Performance condoms and gel, featuring comedian Chris McClure as a performance assistant. The social-first campaign debuted on October 9, 2026, and amassed over a million views on Instagram within hours. Documentary-style episodes and behind-the-scenes content will run across Meta, TikTok, and influencer channels throughout the season. The campaign aims to make conversations about sexual performance more open and relatable while driving brand awareness and market share.

• Durex launched 'Get Wood Rising', a season-long campaign with former Premier League manager Sean Dyche.
• The campaign is a partnership with non-league football club Woodley United FC.
• The launch film gained over one million views on Instagram within hours of its October 9 launch.

Putting Better Health in More Hands: Reckitt Pakistan Unveils Saaf Sehatmand Pakistan in Partnership with Aga Khan Foundation

Powered by Dettol and Harpic, the flagship platform begins in schools to provide safe drinking water, rehabilitated toilets, handwashing facilities and hygiene education.

Veet, Gocomo Launch 'The Smooth Switch' Creator Campaign

Veet has launched a summer creator campaign called "The Smooth Switch" in collaboration with Berlin-based social-first agency Gocomo. The campaign addresses hair removal with a humorous and deliberately imperfect tone and aims to generate buzz through the participation of eight creators. The article notes this is the first direct collaboration between the brand and the agency and references Gocomo's work with other Reckitt-owned brands such as Durex.

• Veet launched a summer creator campaign named "The Smooth Switch".
• The campaign was developed with Berlin social-first agency Gocomo.
• The campaign adopts a humorous, intentionally imperfect approach to hair removal.