How Unilever, Red Bull & PepsiCo Are Redefining CPG Marketing

At CommerceNext, we’re always tracking the breakthrough strategies redefining retail marketing. From AI-driven personalization and community-first branding to purpose-led sustainability, today’s most impactful trends change how CPG brands connect with consumers. We’ll unpack what’s driving these shifts—and highlight the trailblazing brands setting the standard.

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Unilever’s AI-Powered Personalization at Scale

Using real-time consumer time data, CPG brands are leveraging AI and machine learning to personalize marketing messages, product recommendations and even product development, based on real-time consumer data.

At the forefront of this innovation is Unilever, a global CPG leader with a portfolio that includes Dove, Ben & Jerry’s, AXE, Hellmann’s and more. Unilever uses AI to gather and analyze vast amounts of consumer data from various touchpoints, including social media, ecommerce platforms and in-store interactions. This enables the company to identify emerging trends, understand nuanced consumer behaviors and respond with personalization.

For example, Dove uses AI to segment its audience and analyze which types of messaging resonate most with specific demographics. This allows them to create campaigns that speak directly to consumer interests. This is especially important for Dove, a brand that often uses emotional messaging around self-esteem, inclusivity and sustainability. 

Dove’s website showcases its marketing campaigns. Through AI-driven data, Dove can segment audiences and target specific campaigns to specific segments.

By turning consumer insights into actionable, hyper-targeted campaigns, the company ensures its messaging stays timely, resonant and scalable. As consumer expectations evolve, Unilever’s AI-driven approach positions its brands to lead with precision, personalization and purpose.

Red Bull’s Community-Driven Brand Building

Investing in community engagement, ambassador programs and UGC to foster brand loyalty and co-create products isn’t a new idea. From ambassador programs to fan-driven content, brands are tapping into their audiences not just to promote products, but to participate in events that bring customers together.

Red Bull has built one of the most iconic brand communities by embedding itself in extreme sports, music and youth culture. Through events like the Cliff Diving World Series and Red Bull Rampage, the brand creates high-energy moments that fans love to share, all fueling a steady stream of UGC.

A quick search on Instagram for “Red Bull Cliff Diving” surfaces thousands of videos—racking up millions of views—featuring a mix of UGC and brand content.

Red Bull also taps into younger audiences on college campuses. The Red Bull Student Marketeer Program places brand ambassadors on campuses where they host events, seed products and create buzz through authentic peer-to-peer connections. The program started in 1987 and now includes over 4,000 student representatives. These student reps are empowered to shape local marketing strategies, giving Red Bull a strong presence on each campus.

Red Bull also sponsors athletes and creators who act as brand storytellers, starring in documentaries and viral videos that reflect the brand’s adventurous spirit. This community-first approach transforms fans into loyal advocates and keeps Red Bull top-of-mind,not just as a drink, but as a lifestyle.

PepsiCo’s Sustainability as a Marketing Superpower

More CPG brands are weaving environmental impact into marketing initiatives to connect with today’s value-driven consumers. Transparency, accountability and purpose are becoming just as important as product quality,and smart marketers are putting those values front and center.

PepsiCo has taken a holistic approach to sustainability with its company-wide initiative, PepsiCo Positive (pep+). This platform is a storytelling framework that touches every part of the business and brand experience. Through pep+, PepsiCo is working toward goals like regenerative agriculture across 7 million acres, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40% by 2030 and cutting virgin plastic use in half.

What sets PepsiCo apart is how these efforts are integrated into consumer-facing marketing. For example, SodaStream, a PepsiCo brand, is promoted not just as a convenient way to make sparkling water at home, but as a sustainable alternative to single-use plastic bottles. This message is central to its ads and digital campaigns, often highlighting how each user can save thousands of bottles per year.

SodaStream’s website shares educational content on sustainability and carbon footprint reduction.

By embedding sustainability into its brand and showing consumers how their everyday choices can make a difference, PepsiCo transforms environmental responsibility into a marketing advantage. All in all, building trust, relevance and long-term brand loyalty.

Successful CPG marketing isn’t just about selling products, it’s also about creating deeper, more meaningful connections with consumers. The most forward-thinking brands are using cutting-edge tools like AI to understand what customers want, activating passionate communities to co-create brand experiences and weaving sustainability into their brand.

For more insights from CPG companies and other retailers, join us at the 2025 CommerceNext Growth Show in NYC, where the industry’s brightest minds gather.