Unilever has launched Sketch Pro, a creative production hub developed in partnership with IPG Studios, as part of a broader pivot from traditional TV advertising to fast-paced, social media-driven marketing. The platform is designed to help legacy home care brands like Persil, Comfort, Domestos, and Cif adapt to a digital-first landscape where consumers \u2014 especially younger audiences \u2014 are no longer tuned into broadcast TV but are constantly scrolling through short-form content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sketch Pro functions as an internal \u201ccentre of excellence\u201d with a flexible, platform-agnostic approach to AI. One of its standout tools is Google\u2019s Veo 3 video generator, known for producing hyper-realistic content. The goal is to generate high-quality creative assets rapidly and with cultural relevance \u2014 essential in a world where marketing success can hinge on reacting to real-time events, such as viral trends or political gaffes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Currently operational in London, S\u00e3o Paulo, Mumbai, and Jakarta, Sketch Pro is set to expand into 21 markets by 2026. Unilever says the Jakarta team recently boosted visibility for brands like Rinso and Sunlight on TikTok by 22.5% during Ramadan, showcasing the team\u2019s ability to engage consumers around culturally relevant moments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOur partnership with IPG supercharges our ability to ideate, iterate and deliver high-quality design assets with speed and cultural relevance,\u201d said Mario Dughi, global marketing director at Unilever. The approach reflects how home care brands must now act with the speed and agility once reserved for digital-native startups, not global CPG conglomerates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unilever is betting heavily on generative AI to increase efficiency and reduce costs. In March, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer Esi Eggleston Bracey revealed how the company is using AI to create \u201cdigital twins\u201d \u2014 virtual product replicas that can be adapted easily across channels and markets. These tools help streamline campaign creation while ensuring brand consistency worldwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unilever is also rebalancing its media investments, with plans to direct 50% of its marketing spend toward social media platforms. This shift goes hand in hand with an expanded influencer marketing strategy aimed at tapping into creator-driven communities that shape online consumer behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sketch Pro represents a blueprint for how legacy CPGs can evolve in a landscape dominated by real-time engagement and AI-assisted content creation. While still early in its global rollout, the initiative signals Unilever\u2019s commitment to transforming not only how it markets products, but how it defines speed, scale, and cultural relevance in a post-TV era.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"