‘A Super Bowl every two days’: Inside Unilever’s 50,000-creator World Cup play

June 29, 2026 Presented by At the height of the summer soccer tournament, Digiday has seen firsthand how Unilever’s creator plan has played out: It has activated 50,000 creators and influencers worldwide, tapped thousands for its House of Fresh-branded pop-ups in New York City, Miami and Mexico City across 10 days and brought top influencers pitch-side to World Cup matches. Though the company declined to give more details regarding budget and ROI targets, Sarah Potter, influencer and media director for Dove Personal Care, told Digiday Unilever is focused on owning moments before, during, and after the games. Advertisement TOP STORY The Creator Economy ‘A Super Bowl every two days’: Inside Unilever’s 50,000-creator World Cup play 50,000 creators activated globally, massive in-person pop-ups in host cities, and more are all part of Unilever’s World Cup creator push. OTHER THINGS TO KNOW Join us in Miami, September 14-16 at the Digiday Publishing Summit to hear how media companies are building and adapting their business models to address and overcome current industry challenges. The most valuable influencer in a given category probably has no followers, no media kit and no idea they’re influencing anyone. They’re the leader of a friend group. When they pay, their friends do too. Partner insights from PayPal Ads. According to a recent Digiday and Piano survey, the majority of publishers (84%) are currently using or actively piloting AI tools for ad sales or ad operations, including proposal generation and campaign management. Partner insights from Piano. A MESSAGE FROM BLOCKBOARD How to run campaigns like the big brands and launch in minutes Most ad platforms promise simplicity, but few deliver accountability. BlockVantage does both. Blockboard’s AI-powered platform lets you launch high-quality campaigns in minutes — across screens, including TV — with no media buying expertise required. Real-time reporting, verified impressions and a flat 15% fee mean no surprises when the invoice arrives. Built for lean teams and ready to scale. Learn more CANNES LIONS 2026 Beyond Ads Cannes Briefing: The Cannes confessional Cannes is soft win. Attendees showed up and so did everyone else and the showing up is the whole transaction. Member exclusive Media Buying Briefing: The holdco tech heads expound on the ups and downs of building AI As AI becomes a bigger and broader part of the holding company model, their tech heads seek opportunity while grappling with challenges. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM BLOCKBOARD For programmatic, AI is a transparency-forcing function When humans were managing campaigns manually — setting bids, reviewing placements, making optimization decisions —  nobody expected perfect visibility into every dollar. AI doesn’t work that way. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM EXPERIAN How healthcare marketers can navigate a mixed-identity world What comes next for healthcare marketers is not a choice between deterministic and privacy-forward advertising. The differentiator will be building data and measurement infrastructure that connects fragmented signals and maintains compliance, operational flexibility and trust. Advertisement FIFA WORLD CUP The Sports Marketing Playbook Google’s World Cup brand counterattack highlights shifting search behavior The tech giant is running ads intended to reintroduce its search engine to users, as it begins to feel competitive heat in the AI era. PARTNER INSIGHTS FROM CANNES LIONS Why creativity should extend beyond ad spend to infrastructure Creativity isn’t solely about investing in campaigns or boosting perception. It also includes fostering a culture of creativity and innovation across the company by approaching business problems with original solutions — from the top down, daily. ICYMI Business of TV Omnicom Media kicks off a series of partnerships at Cannes Lions with a first-time Netflix deal Omnicom Media is integrating Acxiom audience data into Netflix’s ad capabilities to enable more relevant ads, and sometimes even work them into the content The Creator Economy Inside the infrastructure behind Unilever’s creator force Creators are no longer a media channel or transaction. It’s an entirely new marketing mode — at least that’s what the infrastructure behind Unilever’s creator strategy indicates. Call it a transformation. Back in 2025, Unilever put the industry on notice after announcing its plans to spend half of its media budget on social channels and increase […] Written by Jim Cooper and Sara Jerde Were you forwarded this email? Sign up to get it daily. Advertise | Digiday+ | Events | Awards Update your email | Unsubscribe | Privacy policy