Marketing no longer runs on broadcast thinking. Modern brands win by behaving like participants in culture, not distributors of messages.
In this episode of The Speed of Culture podcast, Matt Britton sits with Selina Sykes, VP of beauty & wellbeing and global head of digital marketing and social at Unilever, for a deep look at the company’s marketing transformation.
Selina breaks down how Brand DNAi, AI in content creation, digital twins, creators, and cultural insight come together to build “desire at scale.” She also explains how AI agents and agentic shopping will rewrite the future consumer journey, and why authenticity and community matter more than ever in global beauty.
She also shares why the “Vaseline Verified” campaign became a turning point, how the company builds for a many-to-many marketing model, and what brands must understand as AI agents consumer journey tools start shaping real purchase decisions.
Selina has spent nearly 20 years at Unilever, moving through roles in brand building, ecommerce, incubation, and global transformation. Her path includes serving as marketing director, running The Uncovery as CEO, stepping into multiple VP roles, and now shaping how Unilever competes in global beauty marketing through culture, creators, and technology.
Her work speaks loudly across the industry. At Cannes, she shared her vision for an AI-driven Unilever marketing transformation the same week her team took home 11 Lions, two Grands Prix, and a Titanium award for “Vaseline Verified.”
Key Takeaways:
[01:27] Global Trends, Local Nuance, and the Forces Beneath Them — Selina explains that trends may surface differently in each region, but the real story sits underneath them. What looks like separate cultural waves often comes from the same human shift, which is why Unilever looks beyond aesthetics to understand the deeper forces shaping people. This perspective is essential for global beauty marketing, helping brands stay relevant without chasing noise or copying what’s viral in one market.
[03:12] AI Is Only Useful When It Solves Real Problems — Selina treats AI as a foundation, not a headline. Her team starts with human friction, what slows people down, what complicates decisions, what marketers cannot scale alone. Only then do they decide how AI should help. This is the core of the Unilever marketing transformation, prioritizing real outcomes rooted in behavior, growth, and clarity. It keeps the work grounded while still unlocking the power of change.
[05:38] Building a True AI Content Engine — To reach people through their passions and communities, Unilever needed more content than traditional systems could ever support. Selina describes how the company built an AI content supply chain capable of producing volume, variety, and speed without sacrificing creative intent. This shift allows Unilever to operate within a many-to-many marketing model, where brands connect fluidly across cultures, creators, and platforms.
