Henkel

Operationalizing Equity Across a Global Portfolio

Embeding a measured and consistent approach to inclusion by refining brand architecture, defining actionable KPIs, and optimizing global marketing structures for long-term impact.

ID: A middle age feminine-presenting person with medium brown skin and long, dark wavy hair stands confidently with one hand on their hip, smiling warmly at the camera. They are wearing a black top with sheer lace sleeves and a belted waist. The text “DARE TO MAKE AN IMPACT?” is superimposed in large, bold white, italicized letters across the centre of the image. The background is a muted grey studio setting with lighting equipment faintly visible in the periphery.

ID: This collage centres on a smiling masculine-presenting person in their 30’s with light-to-medium skin and short dark hair, wearing an open green shirt over a white tee. Surrounding images highlight themes of sustainability and precision: hands holding a clear box of colourful shredded materials, a close-up of the person’s brown eye, hands using a caliper tool to measure a laundry pod, and hands placing a large green leaf into a water container.

The project

Henkel Consumer Brands (HCB) first reached out to us with a large ask; they wanted to embed inclusion strategically, thoughtful, and intentionally within their global brand strategy. The team sought support in developing a clear framework to assess brand inclusivity, guide implementation, and define actionable KPIs aligned with their internal commitments and external brand expressions.

Henkel wanted to ensure the work would be measurable, actionable, and sustainable. This meant defining clear KPIs, refining brand architecture, and conducting brand audits to assess and improve inclusivity across its four core brands in the hair care, laundry, and home care industries: Schwarzkopf, got2b, Perwoll, and Persil.

By integrating these brands into AndHumanity’s Inclusivity Framework Index, we were able to establish a structured approach to measuring progress. And by conducting interviews, workshops, consumer market insights (CMI) discussions, and surveys, the project provided data-driven insights and accountability metrics, ensuring that inclusion was not just a commitment but an actual trackable outcome.

Our unique approach

The project delivered recommendations to embed measured and a consistent approach to brand inclusion across the organization including:

Refined Brand Architecture: Developed tailored strategies for each brand, ensuring diverse representation using cultural nuance and insights.

Comprehensive Brand Audits: Evaluated current state, identified gaps, and recommended strategies for authentic inclusion. Focused on Henkel’s lead brands, assessing visual, verbal, and experiential touchpoints.

Informed Insights: Engaged regional and head office teams through workshops, interviews, and surveys to shape future brand inclusion strategies. This was done via a collaborative feedback process with brand leaders and regional teams to understand the impact, challenges and opportunities of brand inclusion across functions and geographies.

Operational Optimization: Developed operational recommendations around how to structure marketing and communications in a global context (with multiple brands across multiple regions). The core consideration was how to split marketing and communications between the head office (currently generating all content) and regions (need for consistency across regions/head office oversight, but the current head office approach was not resulting in culturally competent marketing and communications).

Defined KPIs: Established a customised KPI framework and roadmap aligned to Henkel’s existing measurement models. This included short and long-term metrics to assess inclusion in multiple areas including marketing, product accessibility, and consumer engagement.

Final Holistic Strategy: A final strategy presentation mapping inclusion into the brand architecture, supported by phased implementation guidance.

ID: A vibrant collage highlights an feminine-presenting person with deep brown skin and long, dark wavy hair wearing a black headband. They look closely to their 30’s. On the left, they are captured laughing while talking on a mobile phone in a light blue shirt. The centre features a close-up of their smiling face looking directly at the camera. Supporting images show hands scrolling through a social media post on a smartphone and the person relaxing in a chair with red headphones, working on a laptop.

“We learned a lot in these months - we deconstructed a lot of thoughts, broke some barriers, overcame some fears, and it could not have happened without the AndHumanity team holding our hands and creating safe spaces for us to ask those questions. Now, I have a clear understanding - something I didn't really recognize before. I have such optimism plus a new perspective on the topic and [the AndHumanity team] truly managed to equip us with knowledge and a structure that we can now use.”

— Luis Javier Valadez Fuentes, Senior Brand Manager International got2b (Color & Masterbrand))

“The AndHumanity team were invaluable to a marketing initiative of ours [at Knowledge Network]. We could not have experienced the positive results and outcomes of this campaign without their guidance. Even more than this, our MarComm team grew so much from all the insightful JEDI lessons AndHumanity provided along the way. Learnings that we will continue to hone for life.”

— Linton Chokie, Marketing Lead