Vice and Unilever team up for launch of female-focused channel

Vice has struck a multi-year deal with Unilever to support the launch of its new female-focused channel, Broadly.

Vice is expected to unveil more details about Broadly, the company’s video-led channel that spans politics, culture, sex and fashion, at a panel session at the Cannes Lions festival on Tuesday.

Unilever, which spends €7.2bn (£5.1bn) on marketing products from Lynx to Dove globally each year, has struck a wide-ranging deal with Vice that will have 11 online channels following Broadly’s launch later this summer.

Keith Weed, chief marketing and communications officer at Unilever, said it represents another “ground floor” deal the company has done with new media companies.

“If you look at our deals with Apple for the iAd launch, or with Google and Facebook, we learned the most when we got in at the beginning,” said Weed. “We believe that Broadly can drive purposeful, authentic and lasting conversations with our consumers, particularly the worldwide community of young women who can now engage with content that focuses on what matters most to them. Seventy eight per cent of Unilever’s sales are to women, they are the backbone of Unilever’s range of products.”

Unilever is expected to focus the deal at least initially on its Dove and TRESemmé brands.

Broadly, which will offer daily editorial led by video series and long-form documentaries, has been interpreted as a move away from Vice’s slightly overall “dude” tone.

“There is an amazing group of strong, creative and dedicated women at Vice that are building this special new space within which they will be telling stories that matter to young women.” said Eddy Moretti, Vice’s chief creative officer. “It’s truly amazing to see a huge global brand strive to get out ahead of the cultural curve and support a storytelling platform dedicated to young women everywhere.”

Broadly, which is expected to launch later this summer, is led by director of content Tracie Egan Morrissey, who joined Vice from Jezebel in March, and publisher Shanon Kelley.

Moretti said there are many content “white spaces” in the market where Vice could look to expand, including genres such as travel.