How Unilever's huge bet on influencers led to a creator economy gold rush

"In March, Fernández unveiled a new "influencer-first" strategy. He said the consumer-goods company would work with 20 times the number of influencers it had previously worked with. The owner of well-known brands such as Dove, Hellmann's, and Vaseline also said that it would spend half of its ad budget on social media, up from 30%. The result has been a galvanizing event for the influencer marketing space, according to marketing consultants and executives, talent agents, and influencer marketing insiders."

""Unilever committing to expanding the influencer roster by 20X inevitably leads to increased leverage on the supply side, resulting in significant price inflation and a wave of new entrants trying to capitalize on the influencer rush," said Ruben Schreurs, chief executive of the marketing and media consultancy Ebiquity. This month, Fernández said the company was working with "close to 300,000 influencers" around the world."

In March, Unilever CEO Fernando Fernández launched an influencer-first plan to work with 20 times more creators and shift half of the ad budget to social media, up from 30%. That expansion has increased supply-side leverage, driven price inflation, and attracted new entrants to the influencer market. Unilever reported working with close to 300,000 influencers globally. Other advertisers have reassessed strategies and increased influencer spending, while creators have proactively pitched and, in some markets, raised fees. A Linqia survey found 62% of marketers plan to increase influencer budgets in 2026, and US creator spending is projected at $37 billion in 2025.

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