Unilever Bolsters Social Listening Strategy With AI
Unilever said it's taking a social-first approach to meeting shifting consumer needs with an end-to-end strategy supported by such technologies as AI and digital twins across marketing, R&D and supply chain.
Aaron Rajan, VP of consumer technology at Unilever, recently shared in a company blog the company’s tactics for building new models of reach, engagement and conversion that focus on authenticity and value.
A new “always on” mindset inspires desirability, he said, using innovative tools to identify social trends and cultural shifts. For example, Unilever has been using AI to quickly analyze social signals and decode conversations at scale in multiple languages, enabling it to forecast demand more quickly.
To match real-time demand sensing, the company has made investments to better respond to immediate spikes, such as viral moments caused by an influencer’s video. For example, its Hefei, China, factory, now has autonomous supply chain capabilities so it can more quickly ship products from its factory directly to consumers.
Additionally, by using digital twin technology, Unilever is accelerating its content creation process, quickly creating assets for multiple formats and channels by developing a single digital truth for product images, which can then be tweaked depending on language and packaging needs.
“Using advanced computing power and AI, we’re able to compress decades of lab work into days, and by mapping, modelling and experimenting virtually, we’re innovating faster than ever,” said Rajan. “Which all means that — partnered with ‘always on’ listening — we can now respond to consumer signals in record time."
Case Studies
#VaselineHacks
The company kept tabs on the viral hashtag, predominantly shared by Gen Z-ers, which featured videos of people sharing special ways to use Vaseline jelly, from shining leather shoes to increasing the longevity of perfume scents.
“With over 3.5 million posts organically sharing these Vaseline hacks, we saw an opportunity. Our R&D scientists verified the community hacks, and if the tip passed the test, it was awarded with official #VaselineVerified recognition.”
The effort earned the company a Titanium award at the Cannes International Festival of Creativity.
Crumbl Collab
Dove partnered with Crumbl Cookies to tap into a viral moment, launching a limited-edition Crumbl-inspired body care range at Walmart. It is becoming the No.1 launch in 2025 for Dove.
Unilever leaned into the Crumbl fan base to identify which flavors resonate most to inform its R&D process.
