With over 12,000 creators onboard, the FMCG major doubles down on social-first demand generation and quick commerce platforms.

Hindustan Unilever (HUL) has made a major push in its digital strategy by significantly increasing investment in influencer marketing, boosting its spend by approximately 40% in FY2025. This move is part of the company’s broader plan to prioritise social-first demand generation across its extensive brand portfolio.

In a video message, Rohit Jawa, Managing Director and CEO of HUL, stated:
“We have significantly ramped up our digital media investments to drive social-first demand generation and amplified our influencer spends by circa 40% to increase impact generated by engagement and digital awareness of our brands.”

As part of this strategy, HUL has expanded its influencer network exponentially-growing from just 700 influencers last year to over 12,000 creators today. These creators now represent more than 50 brands across 15 categories, reflecting a 1,600% increase in influencer partnerships within a year.

The company confirmed,
“We have a roster of 12,000+ influencers with whom we engage on influencer campaigns.”

HUL also leverages a proprietary analytics tool that enables category-specific media planning, helping the company optimise digital budgets and effectively reach diverse consumer segments across platforms.

While ramping up its digital push, HUL simultaneously reduced its overall ad and promotional spends by 5.5%, bringing the total down to Rs. 6,028 crore in FY25, compared to Rs. 6,380 crore the previous year.

A significant area of growth for the company is in quick commerce, which HUL refers to as the “Channel of the Future”. Recognising shifting consumer habits toward instant delivery, the company has doubled its product assortment on quick commerce platforms.

Rohit Jawa also noted that HUL is actively working to strengthen portfolio resilience, adjusting to muted consumption patterns observed throughout FY25