Unilever reinvents product shoots with AI digital twins

Unilever is reinventing its product shoots with AI to meet the growing demand for content.

The reinvention is part of the company's GAP 2030 strategy where technology is leveraged to optimise relevant and personalised content, as well as to free up time for marketers to focus on big creative ideas that build brands and earn a purchase. 

This includes integrating AI-driven technologies, such as the NVIDIA Omniverse development platform to create digital twins of its products, produce product imagery at twice the speed and cut costs by 50%, according to a statement seen by MARKETING-INTERACTIVE. 

Don't miss: Survey: Over 80% of workers believe AI will enhance human creativity

Each digital twin contains all its variants, labels, packaging and language formats within a single file. Additionally, adopting open universal scene description (USD) enables compatibility across Unilever’s systems and suppliers.

By reinventing its methods to create product imagery, Unilever is integrating product images into its content workflows, from TV to digital commerce, removing duplication across the process from an average of five to one.

At the NVIDIA GTC 2025 summit, Esi Eggleston Bracey, chief growth and marketing officer at Unilever, said that the company is pioneering consistent, creative and high-quality product images to elevate the brand experience and build desire at scale. 

"We've transformed what was once a complex, slow process into a marketing system that frees up our teams to focus on what they do best, think bigger, be creative, push boundaries and create magic for our brands," said Bracey. 

"This isn't about pushing out more content, anyone can do that. It's about starting with a deep understanding of people’s needs and desires, executing our campaigns with creativity and backed by a high-quality content creation machine to deliver desire at scale. Our product twins can be deployed everywhere and anywhere, accurately and consistently so content is generated faster and on brand. We call it creativity at the speed of life,” she added. 

According to Unilever, significant outcomes have been achieved through this approach, such as an 87% reduction in content creation costs and a 5% increase in purchase intent for TRESemmé Thailand. Unilever's beauty and wellbeing sector initially piloted this technology, which is now utilised by brands such as TRESemmé, Dove, Vaseline and Clear.

The company notes cost savings of up to 55% and faster turnaround times, coupled with improved click-through rates and consumer engagement.

In spite of AI's evident popularity amongst those in the industry, it seems the digital phenomenon can rub consumers in the wrong way. A global study conducted by Qualtrics involving nearly 24,000 consumers from 23 countries found that comfort levels with AI have generally declined.

On the flip side, the rise of AI in the marketing industry across the Asia Pacific (APAC) region is undoubtedly transforming how businesses engage with consumers. According to a study by Deloitte, over 60% of marketing leaders in APAC have integrated AI into their marketing strategies, with a significant focus on customer segmentation, personalised marketing, and predictive analytic. And on average, 20% of the marketing budget in APAC organisations is now allocated to AI technologies, reflecting a strong commitment to leveraging AI for competitive advantage.

Join us this coming 23 - 24 April for #Content360, a two-day extravaganza centered around three core thematic pillars: Challenging The Norm; Technology For Transformation; and Unlocking Imagination. Immerse yourself in learning to curate content with creativity, critical thinking, and confidence with us at Content360!

Related articles:
Unilever marketing leadership sees shuffle amidst structural simplification
Unilever Philippines head of media Dennis Perez takes expanded SEA remit
Unilever will cease marketing of F&B to children below 16 years old