Picture this: you’re a household staple, let’s say laundry detergent or dish soap, and your marketing team is still banking on TV ads like it’s 1995. Enter Sketch Pro, Unilever’s new in‑house design squad powered by AI, built in cahoots with IPG Studios. Their mission? Make social-media-ready promos faster than you can say “viral TikTok.”
What’s Cooking Inside Sketch Pro?
- They’ve mashed up Adobe Firefly and Google’s Veo 3 (yes, that shiny AI video wizard) to go from “Eureka!” to consumer test material in just a couple of hours, three times faster than old-school slog, according to Marketing Dive.
- Think of it as your creative team on espresso, and steroids. Need a quick carousel for your TikTok gang? Done. A banner for your Insta-feed? Coming right up.
Why They’re Ghosting TV
Unilever’s home‑care champs, brands like Persil, Comfort, Domestos, used to thrive on long, polished TV spots targeting buyers .
But guess what? Millennials and Gen Z don’t exactly binge broadcast or cable. These folks are scrolling, not channel‑surfing.
TV ads? They’re like sending a carrier pigeon when everyone’s on WhatsApp.
A Global Blitz—On a Budget
Sketch Pro is already live in London, São Paulo, Mumbai, and Jakarta, with plans to hit 21 markets by next year.
Jakarta’s Ramadan campaign got brands like Rinso and Sunlight a 22.5% bump in TikTok visibility. Not too shabby for a soap marketing stunt.
The AI Angle
AI isn’t just a buzzword here, it’s the engine.
Unilever’s already used “digital twins” to speed up content creation for Dove and others. Now, Sketch Pro is the whole AI design department, churning out culturally relevant content and helping brands pounce on every cultural gaffe and meme trend.
Why It Matters: TL;DR Breakdown
| Issue | Old Way (TV‑first) | New Way (Sketch Pro) |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | Weeks or months | Hours (3× faster) |
| Platforms | Broadcast-centric | Social‑centric |
| Market Reach | Limited cultural relevance | Ready‑made cultural moments |
| Scale | Costly, slow | Agile, cost-effective |
My Take:
If you’ve ever pitched a TV ad that got swamped by TikTok trends before it aired, ouch. Sketch Pro is literal marketing: from concept to Snapchat-ready clip in two hours flat. Think of it like Netflix for marketing, binge‑worthy, binge‑fast.
And that 22.5% TikTok bump during Ramadan? That’s not coincidence, it’s strategic alchemy. Combine local nuance + AI speed = data-driven art. Big legacy brands can still dance, if they learn the moves.
The Bottom Line
Unilever’s Sketch Pro says: “Dear TV, thanks for the memories, but we’re dating social now.” With IPG Studios backing, DIY AI genius, and global rollout, Unilever’s late to the AI party—but just in time to dominate.
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