#unilever

#unilever

Unilever has struck a five-year partnership with Google Cloud as the CPG giant prepares for a shift toward agentic commerce and artificial intelligence-powered marketing, according to a press release. The owner of brands like Dove and Hellmann's Mayonnaise will migrate its integrated data and cloud platforms to Google to build out an enterprise-wide AI infrastructure. Unilever will use tools such as Google's Vertex AI to develop capabilities in areas including brand discovery, measurement and marketing.

Unilever Plc posted better-than-expected sales at the end of last year, boosted by premium beauty and home care products in key emerging markets including India and China. The maker of Dove soap said Thursday underlying fourth-quarter sales rose 4.2 percent, above the 4 percent analysts anticipated. It also announced a €1.5 billion ($1.8 billion) share buyback starting in the second quarter. The results are the first after Unilever spun off its ice-cream business - which included Ben & Jerry's - and come as Chief Executive Officer Fernando Fernandez nears his first full year at the helm.

For marketers adrift in a sea of media fragmentation, sports have remained a dependable - if pricey - anchor, representing one of the few remaining pillars of monoculture. Look no further than the Super Bowl, which continues to draw record ratings and diverse audiences on linear TV despite the acceleration of cord-cutting. That said, sports are as dynamic and fast-changing as other content types, and deep-pocketed companies like Unilever are adjusting their marketing strategies to recognize growing digital- and social-first consumption habits.

As the Trump administration has ramped up its assault on American democracy, many corporations have chosen to look the other way or to curry favor with the president. They have fired employees who were too outspoken in their criticism of Donald Trump ABC's suspension of Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talkshow, after Kimmel's remarks about Maga's reaction to the killing of Charlie Kirk, is the latest example.

According to the World Economic Forum, more than 90% of employers use automated systems to filter or rank job applications, and 88% of companies already employ some form of AI for initial candidate screening.

AI is reshaping every industry, but the companies that will be the most successful are the ones that know how to adapt, learn, and build on what they already know.

Unilever's acquisition of Dr. Squatch reflects its strategy to strengthen its portfolio with premium brands and expand into the fast-growing mens' grooming market.