Unilever builds 300,000-strong influencer network as it redefines modern advertising

Unilever is dismantling the traditional advertising model that once defined consumer goods marketing, replacing it with a distributed influence system in which hundreds of thousands of voices now help shape brand trust and recommendations.

Speaking at a Barclays event, Unilever chief executive Fernando Fernandez said the company has rapidly scaled its advocacy network. Two years ago, Unilever worked with around 10,000 brand advocates; today, that figure has grown to nearly 300,000 people recommending its products across global markets.

The shift reflects a broader change in how consumers discover and trust products. Fernandez described influencers as part of a wider ecosystem of “other people’s recommendations”, which includes professionals and everyday users. The underlying principle, he said, is that credibility is increasingly generated outside the brand itself.

This approach sits within Unilever’s SASSY model, a framework built around contemporary relevance, social validation and continuous innovation. It is designed to ensure brands remain culturally current and shaped by consumer behaviour rather than imposed messaging.

Unilever’s investment in marketing has also increased significantly. Brand and marketing spend has risen from just over 13% of revenue four years ago to more than 16% today, and even higher when excluding its Foods division. Fernandez previously described earlier spending levels as “consciously uncompetitive”, acknowledging underinvestment in modern engagement strategies.

However, he stressed that scale alone is not the end goal. The company is still working to better understand the return on investment in a fast-changing ecosystem where effectiveness is influenced by shifting algorithms and evolving consumer behaviour.

Alongside its influencer-led strategy, Unilever is also placing greater emphasis on physical retail and large-scale cultural events. Stronger in-store visibility is becoming increasingly important as media channels fragment, while global platforms such as the FIFA World Cup are being used to connect categories like personal care with wider cultural moments.

The result is a marketing model that moves away from traditional one-way advertising towards participation, where brands rely less on direct messaging and more on trusted voices to shape consumer perception.