Unilever is pivoting towards influencer marketing, and plans to allocate up to 50% of its advertising budget to social media influencers and celebrities.
👉 Background: Unilever was founded in the 1920’s and has grown into one of the world’s biggest consumer goods companies. It owns over 400 consumer brands, meaning you probably have at least one of their products in your home. We’d be talking big names like Dove, Ben & Jerry’s, Rexona, Sunsilk, Vaseline, Lynx (Axe) and many more.
👉 What happened: Unilever’s new CEO has come out all guns blazing. He reckons that traditional advertising has lost credibility, and consumers are now “suspicious” of corporate messaging. So now, Unilever is pivoting towards influencer marketing, and plans to allocate up to 50% of its advertising budget to social media influencers and celebrities.
👉 What else: Unilever wants to get in with the cool kids like the TikTokers, Instagrammers, and YouTubers — the people who can sell you a moisturiser as part of their “Get Ready With Me” routine.
What's the key learning?
💡Trust is the most valuable currency in business, and brands will do whatever it takes to earn it. Research shows that 92% of consumers trust influencers more than brands ads.
💡Companies are using influencers to do the talking on behalf of their brand. Unilever is betting that using hundreds of influencers instead of a few TV ads will bring more credibility, and ultimately a better return on their investment.
💡We know that one viral TikTok can skyrocket sales (helloooo Stanley Cups), but one misstep can tank a brand’s reputation (think Kim Kardashian promoting a crypto scheme). So Unilever is taking a bold but calculated approach to ensure its products are more trusted in an increasingly sceptical market.
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