Unilever taps influencer agency for food biz as potential spinoff looms

Core Insights - Unilever's food business, which includes brands like Frank's RedHot, French's, Hellmann's, and Knorr, has an estimated equity value of $33 billion and is currently under consideration for sale to McCormick & Co [3][8] - The company is shifting its marketing strategy to allocate half of its media spend to social media and is increasing its collaboration with influencers by 20 times [3][8] Marketing Strategy - Unilever aims to enhance brand growth by embedding its products authentically in culture, focusing on creator partnerships to make its marketing efforts more relatable and impactful [4] - The company has appointed the social-first agency Samy to develop a global influencer strategy for its food business, utilizing Samy's Maia platform to access over 120 million influencers and performance data [8] Operational Focus - Samy will implement a "glocal" approach, providing insights and intelligence to ensure Unilever's content remains culturally relevant across 13 key markets, including the U.S., U.K., and Brazil [6][7] - The strategy emphasizes not only the deployment of influencer marketing but also the measurement of its performance, addressing the challenges that arise as spending in this area increases [6]