Unilever scales influencer network from 10,000 to 300,000

The FMCG giant has shifted towards peer-driven recommendations and social-first engagement

by e4m Staff
Published: Apr 11, 2026 10:55 AM | 2 min read

Unilever has expanded its influencer-led marketing strategy, increasing its network of brand advocates from 10,000 to nearly 300,000 in two years, focusing on peer-driven recommendations and social-first engagement.
The company appointed the social-first agency SAMY to develop a global influencer strategy for its foods business, indicating a commitment to creator collaborations across various markets and product categories.
CEO Fernando Fernandez emphasized the importance of a broader ecosystem of recommendations, which includes influencers, professionals, and everyday consumers, as traditional corporate messaging becomes less credible.
Unilever's marketing investments have risen from over 13% to more than 16% of revenue in four years, reflecting a shift towards community-driven influence and participation, while the company continues to refine its measurement of this new marketing model.

Unilever is rapidly expanding its influencer-led marketing strategy, growing its global network of brand advocates from 10,000 to nearly 300,000 people in 2 years as the FMCG giant shifts towards peer-driven recommendations and social-first engagement.

The company has also recently appointed social-first agency SAMY to develop and activate a global influencer strategy for its foods business group, signalling a deeper investment in creator collaborations across markets and product categories.

The scale of this transformation was highlighted by Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez during a Barclays fireside chat, where he outlined how the company has significantly expanded its creator ecosystem in the past two years.

“We now have close to 300,000 people recommending our brands. Two years ago, we had around 10,000,” Fernandez said.

According to Fernandez, influencers are only one part of what he described as a broader ecosystem of “other people’s recommendations,” which includes professionals, creators and everyday consumers who advocate for products through their own networks.

“Broadcasting messages from big brands now can become suspicious,” he said, noting that credibility increasingly comes from individuals rather than corporate messaging.

The strategy reflects a wider shift in how consumer brands build trust in a fragmented media environment where audiences rely more on peer validation than traditional advertising.

Unilever has also been increasing its marketing investments to support this transformation, with brand and marketing spend rising from just over 13 percent of revenue four years ago to more than 16 percent today, according to company leadership.

However, Fernandez acknowledged that the company is still refining how it measures the effectiveness of this new model, particularly as platform algorithms and consumer behaviour continue to evolve.

Alongside creator collaborations, the company is also strengthening its presence in physical retail and global cultural events, which it views as key moments for connecting its brands with consumers.

Together, these initiatives signal a marketing approach where brands rely less on one-way advertising and more on participation, recommendations and community-driven influence.