CPG marketing is in the middle of a seismic shift—fueled by AI, accelerated by retail media, and redefined by consumer expectations. 

In this episode of The Speed of Culture, Matt Britton speaks with Ryu Yokoi, chief media and marketing capability officer at Unilever North America, to unpack Unilever’s evolution from a traditional brand builder to a nimble, data-powered, socially fluent marketing machine. 

They explore how Unilever is leveraging consumer signals, creators, and commerce to win in a social-first world.

Whether it’s optimizing for online shelf presence or collaborating with creators, Ryu Yokoi reveals what it takes to stay competitive in a category where cycle time has collapsed and signals matter more than size.

Over Ryu’s 19-year tenure at Unilever, he’s held roles across brand management, digital transformation, and ecommerce. From leading the integration of Schmidt’s Naturals to spearheading Unilever’s shift toward omnichannel and data-powered marketing, Ryu’s work focuses on enabling scalable, outcome-driven innovation in one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies.

Key takeaways:

[03:00] Driving Digital Commerce Through Media Convergence — Ryu explains how Unilever reshaped its media and marketing structure to reflect the new reality of converging data, commerce, and media. As Amazon and Walmart.com rise, Unilever is scaling omnichannel capabilities and applying media signals to guide creative, shelf strategy, and packaging decisions. Brands should align digital shelf and media learnings to boost omnichannel ROI.

[06:35] Future-Proofing Marketing Talent with Speed and Curiosity — As AI and data tools rapidly democratize marketing, Ryu emphasizes the need for curiosity, collaboration, and adaptability. Marketers must move from annual campaign mindsets to iterative, always-on thinking. The standout talent, he says, are those who “give a damn” and embrace marketing’s messiness as a craft—not just a job.

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