Brands grow when people choose to talk about them, recommend them and make them part of everyday culture. The company’s latest marketing update sets out how it is building demand through stronger brand meaning, creator partnerships, community participation and faster digital execution.
Unilever’s value depends on keeping large, established consumer brands relevant in markets where attention is fragmented and consumers are exposed to constant content. Rather than relying only on traditional campaigns, the company is trying to make its brands easier to share, discuss and adapt.
Chief Marketing Officer Leandro Barreto used Cannes Lions 2026 to explain how Unilever is moving from a social-first approach to what it calls a reality-first approach. The distinction is important. The company is focusing on the conversations, recommendations and behaviours that already shape what people buy.
Dove remains one of the clearest examples. Its Campaign for Real Beauty has lasted because the brand meaning is consistent and easy for consumers to recognise. Unilever’s more recent Reddit campaign for Dove Intensive Repair 10-in-1 Serum Hair Mask pushed this approach further by inviting unfiltered reviews and committing to publish the first 50 with permission, whether positive or negative. The campaign helped sales more than double year on year, made the product the bestselling hair mask in the US during the campaign and generated more than a billion earned impressions.
Vaseline shows the same principle applied to product use and innovation. Unilever identified consumer-created beauty hacks, tested those that worked through its scientists and then co-created new products with the originators behind popular ideas. The company says Vaseline has delivered double-digit growth for three consecutive years.
Hellmann’s and Persil offer further examples of how Unilever is using cultural moments and partnerships to extend brand visibility. Hellmann’s turned an online moment involving NFL quarterback Will Levis and mayonnaise in coffee into a limited fragrance launch, which sold out in under a minute and generated more than 10 billion impressions online. Persil’s Dirt Is Good platform, working with Arsenal Women since 2023, has moved into issues including period stigma and the gender participation gap while remaining linked to confidence and resilience. Persil has seen a 13% year-on-year increase in usage among those aware of the partnership and 6% growth among rival fans.
For Finsbury Growth & Income Trust, which holds Unilever in its portfolio, the update underlines why brand strength remains central to the investment case. Unilever is seeking to protect and extend the relevance of its Power Brands by combining consumer insight, creator-led demand and scalable digital execution. In its first quarter of 2026, Unilever said strong momentum was led by its Power Brands, with underlying sales growth of 5% and volumes up 4%.
Finsbury Growth & Income Trust Plc (LON:FGT) invests in the shares of predominantly UK-listed companies, with the objective of achieving capital and income growth.
