When a message comes directly from a brand, it is already suspicious — and it's not just me who says that. The words that symbolize a change in mindset in advertising logic were spoken by Fernando Fernandez in his first interview as CEO of Unilever. In the conversation with the journalist ofThe TimesThe executive announced a new strategy that has been the subject of debate among brands, agencies, and market professionals: under Fernandez's leadership, the consumer goods multinational will reduce investment in brand-created advertising and increase the budget allocated to influencers by 20 times.
The subject generated immediate repercussions in the global market because it not only represents a huge transformation in how a brand is made visible, but also is a response to the changing consumer behavior. If they are skeptical about traditional advertising, what's the point of continuing to invest rivers of money in campaigns that the audience has already learned to ignore?
I understand that, if people no longer trust brands as much to make their purchasing decisions, it is evident that there is a need to establish this connection in another way. No wonder, Unilever's CEO named the new strategy "social-first," prioritizing social channels and human voices as the main interface with the audience.
This does not mean, of course, that brands of Unilever's size are only now discovering the power of influencer marketing. It would be completely naive and mistaken to analyze the news from that perspective. The question, in fact, concerns the scale. Instead of concentrating funds on a few high-profile vehicles or a dozen famous spokespersons, there is a movement to be present in different spaces, engaging with diverse consumers.
In my assessment, such a change is related to the awareness that that mega celebrity with an exorbitant fee is not really a "universal voice." In other words, she does not build genuine connections with diverse niches, nor does she represent the average consumer. An influencer can already engage with specific audiences because they cultivate a close relationship with their followers, know their audience, and speak with legitimacy, context, and empathy. This is exactly the type of connection that Unilever is seeking by stating that it wants to have at least one influencer in each municipality — and up to 100 in some. It involves activating local voices, micro-leaders of communities, who speak the language of each regional audience. An impossible strategy to execute with global stars, but entirely feasible and scalable with creators. And this is an even greater truth when it comes to micro and nano creators.
Anyone who knows me knows that I always insist on this point: brand strategies need to value this profile. And this is simply because micro and nano creators demonstrably form much more engaged communities with a close trust relationship. Yes, the so-called confidence that the Unilever CEO wants to restore.
Proof of this is in the results of a recent BrandLovers survey: a R$1 million campaign distributed among micro creators achieved an average cost per view of R$0.11 (9.1 million views), while the same budget with macro creators resulted in R$0.31 per view (3.2 million views). In other words, the reach per real invested was 65% higher using micros.
Ignoring these data that show the maximization of a campaign's reach without increasing the budget can only be explained by an attachment to the old model — an attachment that also manifests in a certain resistance to using technology.
I know there are several success stories of brands that have incorporated artificial intelligence and data intelligence into their marketing strategy. However, I dare to say that the vast majority still suffer from operational amateurism disguised as tradition, which is a problem considering that well-executed influencer marketing is one that goes beyond the multiplication of influencers. He seeks, above all, to multiply intelligence. The old methods of manual selection and betting on isolated celebrities are already showing clear signs of exhaustion, with huge inefficiencies, so the future belongs to those who combine data, technology, and human creativity to turn creators into highly effective media.
Unilever is signaling to the market that the game has changed. However, the big question is: how many brands will know how to make this move strategically? The increase in investments in creators only makes sense if it is accompanied by operational efficiency, predictability, and real-time measurement. Without this, we are just inflating a market with poorly distributed money.
Scaling influencer marketing without technology is like trying to buy programmatic media over the phone: unsustainable. Only with platforms that automate selection, activation, and measurement — as we have been doing for years in digital advertising — can we transform influence into a scalable, efficient channel with measurable ROI.
We need to understand once and for all that the big differentiator is not in who spends more on their marketing strategy. Instead, the standout result comes from a brand's ability to use technology to ensure that every real invested in influence is translated into genuine impact. This requires a new mindset: one that prioritizes data, authenticity, and smart strategies.
