Why Unilever Spends 50% of Its Budget on Creators?
Traditional advertising isn’t dead — but trust is under pressure.
Consumers today don’t just question what brands say; they question why they’re saying it. That’s exactly why Unilever, one of the world’s biggest advertisers, now allocates 50% of its media spend to creator-led strategies across social media.
This isn’t a campaign trend. It’s a structural shift — and every marketer should take notice.
Creators Don’t Just Influence — They Translate
According to Unilever’s CMO, creators now play a role far beyond reach or visibility.
“We don’t tell people what to think. We enter the conversation.”
And those conversations increasingly happen on social media — not in TV spots or banner ads.
Creators understand their audience’s tone, humor, fears, and pace better than any focus group.
They don’t deliver scripted lines. They translate brand value into everyday relevance, using formats and languages that feel native to the social platforms people actually use.
Why Unilever’s Approach Matters
- Unilever worked with over 1,000 creators in 2023,
- Invested 50% of its global media budget into social media creator-first strategies,
- And shifted creative development from in-house to in-community.
The goal? To reach consumers who are skeptical of ads — but still open to content they choose to engage with on their own terms.
What Marketers Should Take Away
This isn’t a call to replace agencies.
It’s a call to evolve how agencies and creators collaborate — especially in the context of social media.
- Start with creators — not as amplifiers, but as co-creators.
Bring them in from the brief stage. Not just to post, but to shape the idea. - Focus on fluency, not just format.
Creators speak platform-native languages. A 30-second edit won’t work if it sounds like a 30-second spot. - Trust the medium and the messenger.
Sometimes a lo-fi reel on social media builds more trust than a high-production TVC. Not because it’s cheaper — but because it’s closer.
A New Creative Ecosystem
Agencies are no longer just making content. They’re building ecosystems — where creators become strategic partners, not just media placements.
And brands that embrace this model aren’t giving up control. They’re gaining authenticity at scale — especially on social media, where real connection drives real impact.
If trust is the new currency of marketing, then creators — guided by smart strategies and collaborative agencies — might just be the new creative department.
