At The Drum Live, Unilever’s Leandro Barreto, Our Own Brand’s Sarah Fulford-Williams and Hypetap’s Detch Singh explored a truth many marketers still resist: in today’s influencer economy, brands grow stronger when they give up control.
The Drum Live
For decades, brand management meant protecting every pixel and word. But as Unilever’s chief marketing officer of beauty and wellness, Leandro Barreto, noted during a discussion at The Drum Live, that mindset no longer matches the world brands inhabit.
“When we accept that our role in building brands is more stewardship rather than control. I had to learn this idea,” he said. His message is clear: stewardship means guiding the brand’s core values while letting others carry the story.
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Barreto advises starting from a place of clarity before letting go: “Know your brand fundamentals and then you can surrender control to people to use that brand.” The fundamentals anchor the brand; the interpretation is left to creators who know their audiences best.
An example is his company’s recent work with Vaseline on the ‘Verified’ campaign, which tapped more than 450 global creators to showcase and scientifically test unexpected beauty hacks, from using jelly to extend perfume wear to protecting lips before spicy snacks. By letting influencers interpret the brand freely, Vaseline highlighted surprising new use cases and reinforced its relevance far beyond traditional skincare.
The result was millions of organic views, shares and participants, which wouldn’t have been possible if Vaseline hadn’t given up a bit of ‘control’ around its use case, because audiences can smell scripted content a mile away. Barreto explained that “influencers are hired to drive authenticity, credibility and authority.” Consumers trust people, not polished press releases.
Sarah Fulford-Williams, co-founder of Our Own Brand, feels the same. “People love content that feels real, independent and raw,” she said. To capture that feeling, brands must loosen their grip, which means “letting people interpret your brand – not being prescriptive, not briefing – and getting them [the influencers] to do what they do best.”
This isn’t just a tactic; it’s a philosophy. Authenticity is achieved only when creators are free to be themselves. Brands that insist on strict messaging undermine the very power that influencers bring.
Giving outsiders freedom to shape your brand sounds risky – and the panel didn’t deny it. “Yes, there are risks. I think we can mitigate these risks, but the biggest risk is not seeing the change,” Barreto said. In other words, clinging to control is the larger gamble.
Fulford-Williams agreed: “Working with creators is a risk. You will work with people who aren’t working for your brand. You work with people who will surprise you.” Surprises can feel uncomfortable, but they also spark innovation and attention.
Barreto warned against the illusion of control in an uncontrollable environment: “The biggest risk is actually thinking the other way around – control in a world in which you cannot control.” His point underscores a modern marketing reality: social platforms and influencer audiences operate on their own rhythms.
When brands do let go, remarkable things can happen. Fulford-Williams said the payoff for “giving people permission to interpret the brand is that your brand shows up in unexpected quality, which is so hard to do.” Those unexpected qualities, moments of creativity, or cultural resonance a marketing team could never script, often create the most memorable campaigns.
She added: “The fundamental truth is that there are so many overwhelming positives to letting people show you what your brand means to them in a way that you will not expect.” That kind of organic storytelling can redefine a brand’s place in culture and open doors to entirely new audiences.
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Barreto summed up the larger shift: “We’re in a new stage of influencer marketing right now.” This new stage isn’t about chasing likes or short-term impressions. It’s about partnership and trust, where brands act as stewards and creators act as interpreters.
For marketers, the takeaway is both challenging and liberating. Start with clear fundamentals so your core identity remains intact. Then choose creators whose values align with yours, compensate them fairly and let them do the work of connection, but be clear on risk mitigation early on.
“You can do so much to qualify creators properly,” added Hypetap’s chief executive officer, Detch Singh. “You can check brand safety around topics that you want to make sure aren’t covered or have an inclination not to cover. And then also having a briefing and approvals. Brand safety can work pre, during and post.”
The panel’s collective insight reframes the brand–influencer relationship. Rather than dictating every detail, brands can create a framework, values, mission and product truth and invite creators to translate it in their own voice. That translation might be surprising. It might even be a little messy. But it will also be real.
Influencer marketing has matured beyond mere endorsements. Today’s audiences seek people who share experiences, not slogans. The “new era” described on stage asks marketers to embrace creators’ humanity and culture’s unpredictability.
As Barreto reminded the audience, the greatest danger lies not in risk itself but in ignoring change. Brands willing to relinquish control may find that their story travels further and resonates more deeply than any centrally planned campaign could achieve.
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