In line with its plan to deepen its presence across digital culture, Unilever has partnered with SAMY Alliance to build a large-scale influencer ecosystem for its food brands.

Through this initiative, the consumer goods giant intends to connect more directly with audiences while simultaneously strengthening how its brands show up within everyday online conversations.

Under the agreement, SAMY will actively coordinate creator engagement across a broad range of international markets. Specifically, the agency will support campaigns in the United Kingdom, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia, the Philippines, Germany, France, Poland, Pakistan, Argentina, Canada and Turkey.

Consequently, the collaboration will allow Unilever to develop a unified yet locally responsive approach to influencer marketing across its global food portfolio.

To power the strategy, SAMY will deploy its proprietary technology system, the Maia Platform. This platform will therefore function as the central hub for campaign planning and creator discovery, enabling Unilever Foods to tap into a global network of more than 120 million influencers.

At the same time, the platform will provide performance analytics and audience data designed to sharpen campaign targeting and improve marketing efficiency.

Beyond technology, the agency will also deliver local market intelligence to ensure brand collaborations resonate culturally.

In practical terms, this means SAMY will help Unilever determine where its brands should appear online, which creators align best with brand values and how storytelling can remain locally authentic while still fitting within a coordinated global strategy.

Additionally, SAMY will establish operational guidelines and performance benchmarks to help creators represent Unilever’s food brands with greater consistency across different markets. Within this framework, special attention will focus on flagship products such as Hellmann’s and Knorr, both of which continue to expand their digital presence worldwide.

Speaking on the partnership, Sonsoles Piñeiro Kruik described the collaboration as a significant step forward for the agency. According to her, supporting Unilever’s global social-first ambitions presents both an exciting opportunity and a complex operational challenge.

She explained that aligning creator strategies across thirteen diverse markets requires careful coordination between global planning and local expertise.

Therefore, teams working across different regions will combine local cultural insights with shared global systems, ensuring that influencer collaborations remain authentic within each market while still supporting a broader international strategy.

Meanwhile, Meg Bass noted that the partnership reflects Unilever’s evolving approach to consumer engagement. Increasingly, she said, brands must move beyond traditional advertising and instead embed themselves naturally within the digital environments where consumers spend their time.

Consequently, Unilever plans to work more closely with content creators who can carry brand narratives into everyday conversations and connect with audiences in more genuine ways.

Bass further emphasized that collaborating with SAMY will allow the company to combine technological insight with a deep understanding of the social media landscape.

As a result, Unilever expects to make more strategic decisions about how and where it activates creator partnerships around the world.

At the same time, she added that the initiative will provide clearer structures for local teams when working with influencers. Even so, the framework will still allow individual markets to adapt campaigns to their own cultural realities, consumer preferences and behavioural trends.

Finally, as social platforms continue to reshape how brands communicate with consumers, Unilever’s collaboration with SAMY reflects a broader transformation within global marketing, one that places creators, culture and data-driven insight at the centre of modern brand building.