Year in Review: Unilever’s influencer pivot ripples through the industry

Taken together, they tell the story of an industry leaving its “wild west” era behind.

Unilever’s influencer-first gamble

The year’s most consequential signal came from Unilever. Under new CEO Fernando Fernandez, the FMCG giant announced plans to push 50% of its media spend into social channels and work with 20 times more creators – a dramatic escalation from an already sizeable base.

As explored in this feature from March, this wasn’t simply a budget tweak. It was an ideological shift. Fernandez framed the move as a response to modern consumers’ skepticism toward corporate messaging, arguing that creators are better placed to make authentic connections at scale – particularly in growth markets like India and Latin America.

Crucially, Unilever’s pivot also reflected how far the ecosystem has matured. The company that once led the charge against influencer fraud now believes platforms, tools and agencies are sufficiently sophisticated to manage scale, safety and performance. That reversal mattered.

The ripple effect: rising rates and rising status

In the months following Unilever’s announcement, the impact was felt across the industry.

As detailed in our investigation just four months later, agencies reported surging RFPs, expanded multi-market briefs and a sharp increase in spend – particularly from FMCG brands that had previously underweighted creators. Creator rates followed suit, with micro-influencers in particular seeing fees rise by around 30% year-on-year.

But this wasn’t just a supply-and-demand story. What changed in 2025 was perception. Unilever’s endorsement gave influencer marketing legitimacy in boardrooms that had previously viewed it as risky or frivolous. And creators themselves began asserting their value more confidently – not just as content producers, but as strategic partners.

“Suddenly, the CMO or board is listening and understands the need to invest in influencer marketing,” said Hayley Stevens-Shaw, managing partner at Hello Franses, an agency that has worked with brands including Disney and Aston Martin. “Prospects, particularly those in influencer specialist roles in-house, have reported that this has been a real shift in the last three months and they now feel they are being taken seriously.”

That shift also altered how brands approached working with creators. One-off posts began to look inefficient and creatively thin. Longer-term partnerships, consultancy roles and creator involvement across OOH, retail and experiential became more common. As scrutiny increased, so did expectations – on both sides.

From amplification to a creative engine

This evolution helps explain why agencies purpose-built for creator marketing thrived in 2025. In The Drum’s Big Interview with Ed East, the Billion Dollar Boy founder describes an industry that has finally shed its credibility problem.

Recent research from the agency found that almost three-quarters (71%) of US marketers and more than half (52%) of UK marketers are now investing in excess of $1m (£765,000) annually in creator marketing.

Billion Dollar Boy’s growth mirrors the sector’s broader trajectory: rapid expansion, rising investment interest and increasing demands for effectiveness. The agency’s IPA Effectiveness Accreditation – the first of its kind for an influencer shop – is emblematic of where the market landed this year. Measurement is no longer optional and “trust us” is no longer enough.

What’s also changed is the role creators play. East points to the “Hollywoodification” of the creator economy – where influencers are not just amplifying messages but developing IP, formats and franchises that live beyond social feeds. In this model, creators are creative engines, not media placements.