Ever wondered how a bar of soap could go viral? Unilever pulled it off using AI, social media, and micro-influencers to turn a cookie-scented Dove product line into a cultural moment. And while you may not have Unilever’s budget or tech stack, their strategy offers powerful lessons any creator can apply today.
Stick around to see five proven viral growth strategies rooted in that campaign, customized for growing content creators who want to stand out, build an audience, and go viral authentically.
🧼 The Viral Case: Dove × Crumbl & AI Creativity
In early 2025, Unilever partnered with Crumbl Cookies to launch a limited-edition Dove body care line scented like popular desserts, Confetti Cake, Strawberry Crumb Cake, and more. But the magic wasn’t just the scent; it was how they used AI and social media to spread the word.
Here’s what they did:
- Used Nvidia’s Omniverse AI tools to generate thousands of product visuals.
- Built a campaign around mid-tier creators whose content aligned with Dove’s brand voice.
- Remixed and repurposed content in real time, based on trending phrases like “smells like nostalgia.”
- Achieved over 3.5 billion impressions and a 52% new customer acquisition rate.
That strategy, blending AI scale with human creativity, is exactly what creators can learn from.
🚀 5 Viral Growth Tips for Content Creators
1. 🎯 Spark Buzz Before You Launch
Don’t wait until launch day to get attention. Build mystery and anticipation early with:
- Teaser clips or stories hinting at what’s coming
- Behind-the-scenes footage
- Cryptic countdown posts or polls
2 🤖 Use AI to Multiply (Not Replace) Human Creativity
Uniliver used AI to design packaging concepts, social visuals, and creative assets in bulk, then refined them with human input for polish and brand alignment. What you can do is:
- Use ChatGPT to write scripts, hooks, or captions
- Try Midjourney or DALL·E to mock up thumbnails, visuals, or design ideas
- Let Notion AI help organize your content calendar
3 🎥 Collaborate with the Right-Sized Creators
Don’t chase A-list influencers, work with mid-tier creators (10K–250K followers) who have strong community trust and a natural fit with your brand or content. You can do this by;
- Identify creators in your niche and propose cross-posting or collabs
- Focus on shared values and audience overlap, not just follower count
- Start building authentic creator circles instead of one-off partnerships
NB: One engaged creator partner is worth ten disengaged influencers.
4 🔄 Remix in Real Time
As soon as Uniliver noticed people using phrases like “smells like nostalgia” trending, they rewrote captions, added new sounds, and re-edited visuals to ride the wave. You can also :
- If a post starts performing well, double down, turn it into a series, remix it into a video, or reframe it for another platform
- Update your captions or visuals to reflect current trends, memes, or viral audio
- Watch your analytics, when something works, move fast to build on it
5 📡 Don’t Just Post—Create a Cultural Moment
By connecting self-care with dessert, AI, and internet culture, Uniliver made a product that felt bigger than a bar of soap; it felt like a movement. What you can do is :
- Anchor your content in a bigger why (nostalgia, belonging, rebellion, etc.)
- Tie your message to what people already care about
- Position your project as a moment, not just a post
Virality happens when your content becomes part of the conversation.
đź’¬ CONCLUSION
The Dove × Crumbl soap launch wasn’t just about smelling good. It was about knowing the audience, using AI wisely, and tapping into emotion and culture.
You don’t need Unilever’s resources to go viral, you just need a clear message, a strategy rooted in real engagement, and the courage to remix, test, and evolve
