Creativity at the speed of Life

Unilever’s radical embrace of AI-driven marketing, through the adoption of The Brandtech Company's Pencil Pro, is redefining how a global company connects creativity with performance—and sets a gold standard for the industry.

The scale and speed at which Unilever now produces compelling, relevant content is staggering. Gone are the days of slow creative pipelines; in their place is a generative AI engine capable of churning out hundreds of customised assets each week for flagship brands such as Dove and Vaseline. Powered by advanced language and visual models, Pencil Pro creates everything from ad copy to digital product renders, ensuring culture-focused adaptations for every market.

But creativity alone isn’t enough in an industry where ROI and effectiveness matter more than ever. What’s most impressive about the Unilever-Pencil Pro partnership is its robust use of predictive AI. By analysing more than $1 billion of real media spend, the platform doesn’t just make content—it forecasts how pieces will perform, ranking variants by their likely engagement, completion, and click-through rates. This lets Unilever’s marketers launch only the best, most relevant ads—making every dollar and every impression count.

Building Marketing Efficiency

But creativity alone isn't enough in an industry where 80% of marketing budgets are wasted on ineffective campaigns. What's most impressive about the Unilever-Pencil Pro partnership is its strategic use of predictive AI to prevent this waste before it occurs. By analysing more than $1 billion of real media spend, the platform doesn't just create content—it acts as a crystal ball, forecasting exactly how each creative variant will perform across engagement, completion rates, and click-through metrics.

This predictive intelligence transforms every advertising dollar into a strategic weapon. Instead of the traditional spray-and-pray approach that drains budgets on underperforming content, Unilever's marketers now launch only the creatives AI has pre-validated for success. The system continuously reallocates spend toward high-conversion segments while automatically pulling budget from underperforming assets.

The efficiency gains are staggering. Pencil Pro's predictive models have helped reduce cost-per-acquisition by 48% while boosting return on ad spend by 79% across client campaigns. For Unilever specifically, this means every creative decision is backed by data from millions of previous campaigns, turning media planning from educated guesswork into precision engineering.

This isn't just about saving money—it's about spending smarter. Predictive AI identifies which channels, formats, and timing will deliver maximum impact before campaigns even launch, enabling proactive budget shifts that traditional analytics could never catch. The result is a virtuous cycle where better predictions lead to better performance, which generates better data for even sharper future forecasts.

Ensuring Brand Integrity

Unilever’s proprietary BrandDNAi system adds an indispensable layer of governance. AI-generated content is thoroughly reviewed against an extensive database for adherence to brand guidelines, tone, regulatory compliance, and local nuances. Dove’s commitment to never use AI in representing real women, for example, is not just a promise but a technical guideline underpinning every campaign. Brand consistency, authenticity, and cultural sensitivity are non-negotiables.

The Results

The results speak for themselves: Unilever has slashed creative production costs by 50%, doubled key digital engagement metrics, and sped up campaign cycles by as much as 30%. These creative breakthroughs are reflected in real business growth, with the Beauty & Wellbeing division outpacing its global peers, and brands like Dove and Vaseline achieving sustained double-digit growth.

This is more than technological hype—it’s a new paradigm for brand-building. Unilever’s “Culture to Cart” strategy, amplified by Pencil Pro’s insights, customises creative for local tastes and social conversations at scale. Product imagery is revolutionised via digital twins, while real-time AI optimisation ensures ads never stand still.

Of course, there are challenges. Scaling creative risks, losing the human touch, and predictive models require ongoing scrutiny as consumer trends evolve. But Unilever’s approach—combining innovation, governance, and accountability—is the blueprint others must now follow if they want to fuse creativity with measurable business outcomes.

In the age of AI-powered marketing, success is no longer about choosing between artistry and analytics; it's about combining them. Unilever’s Pencil Pro case proves the real win is blending both, fueling a virtuous cycle of inventive campaigns and business growth that’s too good to ignore.

“We are building a next-generation content supply chain that drives desirability and growth for Unilever Beauty & Wellbeing brands by being faster and more connected to insights and culture. We’re in an era where AI is becoming accessible, and tools like these are pivotal to driving the marketing transformation we’re creating for Unilever Beauty & Wellbeing.”

Selina Sykes,

Unilever global VP & head of marketing transformation,

Beauty & Wellbeing