Why does your heart sink a bit when you learn that Unilever Foods has appointed influencer agency Samy (or “social first agency” as it likes to describe itself) to develop a global influencer strategy?
There’s something slightly off about influencers: recently we’ve had them out in force in London’s leafy Notting Hill, getting dressed up in people’s front gardens to grab a video with the blossom. You imagine a global network of them would be like walking into that famous Star Wars bar, with all sorts of weird extra-terrestrials.
Unilever says its new social-first approach is “rooted in social platforms, powered by creators, accelerated by AI and designed to participate in culture in real time. It sits alongside competitive brand marketing investment, with a decisive pivot toward digital-native channels.” So not such good news for conventional agencies but there’s nothing new there. Samy claims access to 120 million influencers worldwide although they can’t all be that influential surely.
Samy chief growth officer Sonsoles Piñeiro Kruik says: “Being appointed to support the global pilot of Unilever’s social-first approach within its Foods division is a major milestone for both teams. Being chosen to enable this transformation within Foods is a major endorsement of SAMY’s influencer marketing expertise within the social universe.
“With teams working across continents, we’ll bring hyper-local intelligence into a shared global system, enabling Unilever to orchestrate influencer activity at scale while ensuring creator partnerships are shaped by the realities of each local market, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach.”
Unilever Foods global media manager Meg Bass says: “At Unilever, it’s about going where the consumers are and building Desire at Scale — growing our brands by embedding them authentically in culture. This means leaning strongly into creators who can help our stories travel further, feel more authentic and resonate more deeply.”
Elsewhere it’s been reported that Unilever has received an offer for its food division, which includes the likes of Marmite and Knorr, and may be prepared to sell to concentrate on its health and beauty business. Something for Samy to ponder.
