Anele Maphanga on her journey from law to leading PR for Unilever's top beauty brands

In the dynamic landscape of public relations, few voices resonate as powerfully as that of Anele Maphanga, Head of Public Relations for Beauty, Well-being and Personal Care at Unilever South Africa. Renowned for her exceptional storytelling abilities and knack for relationship-building, Anele’s not just a communicator – she’s a catalyst for change, managing iconic brands such as Vaseline, Dove, Shield, Lifebuoy and Axe, and spearheading ground breaking PR campaigns. Her journey began with an LLB from Wits University, before she pivoted from law to communications, pursuing her passion for storytelling. She shares her journey with GLAMOUR, and tells us what it takes to champion some leading household brands.

Can you share some of your childhood dreams and how they shaped your career path?

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When I was younger I dreamed of being a communicator. In fact I entered and won many speaking and writing competitions, and represented South Africa at the Model United Nations competition at Cornell University in New York in 2011. I was recognised as one of the best speakers in the competition, receiving an honourable mention. I was also shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to be in a national debate competition broadcast on SABC in 2013, placing fourth overall.

How has your background in law influenced your approach to communications and public relations?

Law is all about problem-solving and building critical and analytical skills. You also have to pre-empt what your opponent could potentially argue, and plan for it – and similarly in PR, we are benchmarking our brands against competitors and trying to be a few steps ahead with a better proposition or product. And for us, the ‘judge’ is the consumer. So my job as a PR specialist is to be an advocate for the brands that I represent to convince the consumer of their superiority in the court of public opinion. Of course, this is a simplistic way to look at it, as there are other considerations that influence consumers, such as product quality, packaging and experience; but PR, and storytelling that builds connections, is a huge piece of that puzzle.

What qualities make a successful PR professional, and how do you embody those qualities?

You must be a risk-taker. This often means you must act on an idea before it’s reached critical mass; if you wait until your idea’s built momentum before you act on it, you’re probably already too late. I try to follow my own inner compass in the way I speak, dress and live my life, and I bring these qualities to my work. So many of us are waiting for someone else to give us permission to do the ‘big’ thing and to be great – but people won’t back you if you don’t back yourself.

How has your Unilever experience influenced your perspective on emerging beauty trends worldwide?

What sets Unilever apart is our positive approach to beauty. It is brands such as Dove that have paved the way for ‘representative’ beauty and representation. Our brands have been at the forefront of celebrating real women and encouraging radical self-acceptance and love. We’re seeing a shift towards beauty shoppers wanting more personalised experiences from brands– every touch point is an opportunity to delight and excite through powerful storytelling. Attention is scarce in a saturated social world, so it’s individual and personalised messaging that will stand out. Brand differentiation will come down to how well you can deliver that personal touch to every consumer at every stage, and provide intelligent insight that your competitor doesn’t.

What initiatives are Unilever currently pursuing to address sustainability in the beauty sector?

We have launched several initiatives over the years working to protect and regenerate land, forests and oceans. Globally, we’re contributing towards removing more than 100000 tonnes of plastic from our packaging by 2025, and ensuring that any plastic we do use is recyclable, reusable and compostable.

Which global beauty trend do you believe will have lasting impact?

Beauty’s become about uniformity; there’s now a shift towards reclaiming our individuality. Ingredient transparency has become crucial to build trust. People are also sharing first-hand reviews on social media, and this is forcing brands to be more honest about what they claim. The ‘glass skin’ trend shows that consumers are focused on holistic skin health and keeping it natural but healthy.

What successful projects have showcased your storytelling skills?

I launched the ‘All Hair, All You’ campaign with MaXhosa for TRESemmé at New York and Paris Fashion Weeks, providing authentically African hairstyling on the runway. I was also part of the Dove ‘20 Years of Real Beauty’ campaign, celebrating making beauty more inclusive and representative. Dove’s Real State of Beauty report identified AI as a rising threat; close to90% of content is AI-generated, with adverse effects for beauty standards. Dove’s vowed never to use AI-generated images to represent women in our ads. But we understand that some brands will turn to AI for content generation, so we created a generative AI tool to inject authenticity and promote diversity by capturing the nuances of different identities and reflecting real, inclusive standards of beauty rather than harmful stereotypes. We were nominated for a ‘Best Use of Tech’ Loerie.

What role do you think social media plays in shaping beauty trends today, and how has Unilever responded?

Social media has given brands an opportunity to build meaningful connection with consumers in ways that were not possible before. There’s also an interesting relationship that exists between the brand and the consumer where content creators also have a voice alongside brands, and often have more credibility than brands when it comes to product reviews and recommendations. This has put a lot of power in the hands of creators, and has challenged our brands to transform the way we communicate and make our content. We’re learning how to be in tune with communities, and culture, and to know exactly what our audiences care about and what is resonating with them. We’ve adopted social listening tools and new creative processes to ensure that we’re connecting with our audiences and providing shared value online.

Which achievement in your PR career are you most proud of?

I’ve been fortunate enough to win many internal awards from the organisations I’ve worked for, and have been shortlisted for an Effie and a Loerie. My greatest highlight was being named one of New York Weekly’s Top 20 Women Leaders to Look Out For in 2024.

How do you stay current and competitive in the PR industry?

Firstly, I’m a beauty enthusiast first and foremost. I live for skin care and beauty trends – I’m a consumer first, before I’m a PR girl! When you love what you do, excellence is inevitable.

What advice would you give to young professionals like you were?

People expect you to give them a blueprint so they can follow it step by step, but... everyone’s journey is different. When I studied law and ended up in communications, I had to join the dots for myself and figure out how my experience could be useful to my employer; make the case for myself. It isn’t always going to make sense to someone else, and you have to be your biggest advocate.

What are your aspirations for the future? How will you make an impact?

I want to be known as someone who took risks and made the world sit up and pay attention to the beauty industry in South Africa. A good way is to leverage the strength of your team members – there’s strength in the collective. I’m so grateful I work in an organisation and team where I feel seen, heard and valued.