~ A 30,000-creator push, 2X premium investment, and AI-led content studios as HUL leans social-first ~
Mumbai, September 2026: Hindustan Unilever is doubling down on digital and creator-led marketing, putting more than 60% of media spend for its premium brands on digital while building a 30,000-creator ecosystem in India, according to coverage of the company’s latest marketing push.
The creator network sits inside a broader social-first demand engine, paired with AI-enabled content studios. Influencer activity is being expanded across brands through a multi-brand, advocacy-led model that HUL says now covers 100% of its portfolio.
Premium gets the digital weight
HUL is investing disproportionately behind premium brands — putting 2X more investment behind them — with specialised channels layered on top of the digital-heavy
For India’s largest FMCG advertiser, the signal is clear: premium growth is being bought where attention already lives — feeds, creators and AI-shaped content loops — not just on the traditional TV grid.
mix. The same social-first lens shapes market-making: demand generation sits alongside product development, trial, education, sampling and partnerships.
AI in the engine room
On the ops side, HUL plans to use AI-enabled content studios to transform content creation, improve media effectiveness and optimise returns in real time, supported by a proprietary tool for media deployment.
Kissan’s Gen Z flavour bet
The media shift tracks brand proposition changes. Kissan is being repositioned from a condiment brand to a flavour-focused platform — food and flavour pairing, Indian culinary textures, expert ecosystems of nutritionists and chefs, packaging and a Gen Z-first approach. HUL’s wider playbook names desirable brands, a future-fit go-to-market and AI as key growth enablers.
