TLDR: Unilever is revolutionizing its marketing strategy by adopting a ‘social-first’ approach, heavily fueled by artificial intelligence and real-time data. The company has launched an in-house graphic design center called ‘Sketch Pro,’ which leverages generative AI tools like Adobe Firefly and Google Veo 3 to create high-quality, culturally relevant content up to three times faster than traditional methods. This shift aims to enhance consumer engagement on social media platforms and drive brand desirability, as demonstrated by successful campaigns like the Dove x Crumbl collaboration.
Unilever is at the forefront of a significant transformation in consumer goods marketing, pivoting to a ‘social-first’ strategy powered by advanced artificial intelligence and real-time data. This strategic shift is embodied in its new in-house graphic design center, ‘Sketch Pro,’ developed in partnership with IPG Studios, Interpublic Group’s creative production agency. The initiative marks a clear departure from traditional TV-centric advertising towards dynamic content tailored for social media platforms.
Sketch Pro integrates cutting-edge generative AI tools, including Adobe Firefly and Google Veo 3, to accelerate content creation. This allows Unilever to produce fresh marketing assets, from concepts to consumer-ready formats, within a remarkable two-hour timeframe. The goal is to deliver creative content up to three times faster than previous methods, a crucial advantage in keeping pace with rapidly evolving social media trends and engaging younger audiences who increasingly consume content online.
Mario Dughi, Unilever’s global marketing director, highlighted the synergy, stating, “The magic of Sketch Pro lies in how it fuses top-tier human creativity with best-in-class technology. Our partnership with IPG supercharges our ability to ideate, iterate and deliver high-quality design assets with speed and cultural relevance, reflecting how consumers now engage with the home care category.”
The impact of Sketch Pro is already evident across various markets. In Jakarta, during Ramadan, content generated by Sketch Pro garnered over 6 million organic views, boosting TikTok visibility for brands like Rinso and Sunlight by 22.5%. The London-based Comfort brand team achieved a seven-fold increase in design concept delivery, producing over 30 concepts, while Mumbai’s design tasks are now completed 2.5 times quicker.
A cornerstone of Unilever’s AI marketing efforts is the creation of ‘digital twins’ of its products, utilizing technologies like NVIDIA Omniverse. These digital replicas enable the generation of thousands of hyper-personalized visuals and content copies weekly, often without the need for physical cameras. This capability was instrumental in the highly successful ‘Dove x Crumbl’ campaign, launched in February-March 2025. The campaign, which repositioned Dove soap as a cultural object by collaborating with Crumbl Cookies to create a cookie-scented limited edition, leveraged AI-led influencer engagement and real-time optimization. It achieved an astounding 3.5 billion social impressions and attracted 52% new customers, demonstrating the power of AI-driven content at scale and hypermoment marketing.
Aaron Rajan, Unilever’s Consumer Technology VP, emphasized that the ‘social-first’ approach extends beyond marketing to influence R&D and supply chains. He explained, “In simple terms, it means thinking about how our brands show up in culture and conversations.”
This new mindset, driven by technology, AI, and data, enables Unilever to listen to demand, respond faster, and create content across more formats and channels than ever before. The company’s digital twin technology, for instance, creates product imagery two times faster and ensures 100% brand consistency.
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Sketch Pro is currently operational in London, São Paulo, Mumbai, and Jakarta, with ambitious plans for expansion to 21 markets by 2026. This global rollout underscores Unilever’s commitment to embedding AI and real-time data at the core of its marketing and broader business operations, aiming to inspire desirability and maintain agility in a rapidly changing consumer landscape.
