Unilever is simultaneously running U-Studio (an in-house creative operation in 20+ countries) and scaling its creator network to 300,000 influencers across 190 countries. Most coverage frames this as a cost story — RDLB argues it's a structural brand architecture decision: separating brand stewardship from brand distribution. This essay explains the U-Studio model, CEO Fernandez's 50% social media shift, the tension between distributed execution and brand coherence, and what