Submitted by The Goat AgencyAgency IPI Score 57/100

NIVEA: Making a legacy brand relevant with Gen Z

Influencer Marketing

A six-year NIVEA influencer programme across the UK and Europe that The Goat Agency reports had delivered 3K pieces of creator content and 65M engagements after five years.

65MEngagements

About the campaign

NIVEA faced misconceptions about its product quality, a perception that it was a brand for older consumers and low awareness among younger cohorts, across 12 product categories and multiple European markets. A legacy personal care brand risked reading as a product for an older generation while Gen Z formed their skincare habits around other brands. The Goat Agency's sentiment analysis pointed to quality misconceptions as a core barrier, so rebuilding relevance meant moving beyond NIVEA's creator comfort zone and into the cultural conversations younger audiences already followed.

The agency restructured NIVEA's approach as an always-on programme built on four pillars: data-matched creators, new creator communities, Gen Z cultural moments and an expanded channel mix. It used its IBEX platform to match creators to segments with ongoing ambassador testing, ran the Living in My Skin podcast with Olivia Attwood and Pride activations with Charlie Marlowe, staged influencer events and brand trips, and launched creator-first content on TikTok and Pinterest alongside influencer-led paid media.

Data-led matching replaced one-off casting with continuous selection, and cultural placements put NIVEA inside conversations Gen Z already followed rather than re-serving existing audiences. Over a self-reported six-year relationship, The Goat Agency reports 3K pieces of content and 65M engagements, UK influencer agency of record status and a remit extended to Eucerin and Elastoplast. All figures come from the agency's own page and are not independently verified. A reported record 5.2 billion euros in 2024 sales is a brand-level result for NIVEA's parent company and cannot be attributed to the programme.

Case in 60 seconds

Audience sentiment analysis found misconceptions about NIVEA's product quality, a perception of it as a brand for older consumers, and low awareness among younger cohorts, across 12 product categories and multiple European markets.

Rebuilding relevance with Gen Z required moving beyond NIVEA's established creator comfort zone and showing up inside the cultural conversations younger audiences already followed.

Restructure NIVEA's influencer approach as an always-on programme built on four pillars: data-matched creators, new creator communities, Gen Z cultural moments, and an expanded channel mix.

The agency used its IBEX data platform to match creators to audience segments with ongoing ambassador testing, ran the Living in My Skin podcast with Olivia Attwood and Pride activations with Charlie Marlowe, staged influencer events and brand trips, launched creator-first content on TikTok and Pinterest, and added influencer-led paid media.

The agency reports 3K pieces of content and 65M engagements over six years, UK influencer agency of record status, and a remit extended to Eucerin and Elastoplast. All figures are self-reported.

Strategy Breakdown

The primary strategy-learning section — interpretation, not a press-release summary.

Gen Z consumers across the UK and Europe, a cohort with low awareness of NIVEA and a tendency to see it as a brand for older people, according to the agency's sentiment analysis.
A legacy personal care brand with broad recognition risked reading as a product for an older generation while younger consumers formed their skincare habits around other brands and creators.
The strategy had to work across 12 distinct product categories, from dry skin care to sun protection, and scale across multiple European markets in a competitive category.
NIVEA moved from familiar creator territory into new communities and Gen Z cultural conversations, participating in moments such as a podcast and Pride activations rather than only running ads.
The agency's audience analysis pointed to quality misconceptions as a core barrier, so creator selection was treated as an ongoing, data-led testing discipline rather than a one-off casting exercise.

Creative & Execution System

Assets & channels

  • Creator-first content on TikTok and Pinterest
  • Living in My Skin podcast
  • Pride activation content
  • Influencer-led paid media
  • Creator content across Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Podcasts, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube

Partners

  • Olivia Attwood (Living in My Skin podcast)
  • Charlie Marlowe (Pride activations)
  • IBEX data platform (creator matching, agency proprietary)

Participation mechanic

  • Ambassador selections with ongoing testing
  • Influencer events and brand trips
  • Podcast and Pride cultural activations

Creator role

  • Brand ambassadors matched to audience segments via IBEX
  • Podcast host
  • Creators in new communities and niches beyond the brand's established comfort zone

Results & Evidence

MetricValueResult typeConfidence
Engagements65MengagementAgency reported

Why The Goat Agency's strategy worked

  1. 1

    Data-led creator matching through the agency's IBEX platform, with ongoing testing of ambassador selections, replaced one-off casting with a continuous selection discipline.

  2. 2

    Moving into creator communities beyond the brand's comfort zone addressed the age-perception problem directly instead of re-serving existing audiences.

  3. 3

    Cultural placements, the Living in My Skin podcast and Pride activations, put NIVEA inside conversations Gen Z already followed.

  4. 4

    Expanding the channel mix to TikTok and Pinterest and adding influencer-led paid media extended reach and pushed toward conversion as well as awareness.

  5. 5

    A six-year always-on relationship let output compound to a reported 3K pieces of content, and the client extended the remit to Eucerin and Elastoplast.

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