Marketing leadership lessons SMEs can copy in 2026

A big brand changing its chief marketer isn’t just corporate gossip. It’s usually a signal flare: priorities are shifting, budgets are moving, and the way marketing gets done is being redesigned.

That’s why Unilever appointing Leandro Barreto as CMO (starting 1 January) while Esi Eggleston Bracey exits after an eight‑year run is useful for UK small businesses—especially if you’re trying to make your digital marketing work harder in a tight 2026 economy. Unilever says the change is about bringing “enterprise-wide marketing” closer to its business groups so execution is faster and impact is clearer. Small businesses don’t have “business groups”… but you do have the same problem in miniature: strategy sitting in one place while day-to-day selling happens somewhere else.

Here’s the stance I’ll take: most small businesses don’t have a marketing problem—they have a marketing leadership problem. Not a “hire a CMO” problem. A clarity, ownership, and operating rhythm problem. And big-company moves like this are a practical reminder of what to fix.

What Unilever’s CMO change really signals (and why it matters)

Answer first: Unilever is tightening the distance between marketing strategy and commercial execution, because speed and accountability win when growth is harder.

Unilever’s announcement frames the appointment as the “next phase” of a marketing transformation—pulling global marketing capabilities closer to business groups. Translation: fewer hand-offs, less waiting for approval, and more direct connection between brand building and sales outcomes.

For UK SMEs, this matters because the same friction shows up in familiar ways:

• The website says one thing, your social posts say another, and your sales conversations go in a third direction.
• You’re “doing marketing” (posting, boosting, emailing) but you can’t tell what’s actually driving leads.
• Decisions are made ad hoc, based on whoever shouts loudest that week.

If a global giant is reorganising to get marketing closer to the action, you should assume the default setup for a small business is also too slow and too disconnected.

The leadership lesson: separate strategy from execution—but keep them close

Eggleston Bracey’s remit was “chief growth and marketing officer,” a combined growth and marketing role. Barreto returns to a more classic “CMO” label while also holding a business-group CMO remit (beauty and wellbeing). The structure tells you what Unilever wants: a single marketing agenda, executed where the business happens.

In small business terms: one marketing plan, owned by one person, delivered by a simple weekly cadence. Not “everyone helps with marketing when they can.”

The SME version of “enterprise-wide marketing”: one plan across every channel

Answer first: “Enterprise-wide” for a small business means your website, SEO, social, email, and ads all push the same positioning and the same offer—measured against the same lead targets.

Big companies love grand phrases. But the core idea is straightforward: marketing shouldn’t be a collection of disconnected tactics.

Here’s what I’ve found works for SMEs: build your digital marketing around a single “through-line” that’s easy to repeat.

Step 1: Write a one-sentence positioning that passes the “sales call” test

If your positioning can’t be said naturally on a phone call, it won’t land on your homepage either.

Use this template:

We help [specific customer] get [specific outcome] without [common pain].

Example (B2B services):

We help UK trades firms win more local jobs without wasting money on random ads.

Example (local consumer):

We help busy parents in Bristol book reliable party catering without chasing suppliers.

Then bake it into:

• your homepage hero section
• your Google Business Profile description
• your top 3 service pages
• your pinned social post
• your email welcome sequence

Step 2: Choose one primary lead path (and stop splitting attention)

Unilever wants faster execution and impact. SMEs get that by choosing one “main conversion.”

Pick one:

• Call (best for urgent services: plumbers, vets, emergency repairs)
• Quote request form (best for projects and bespoke work)
• Booking (best for appointments and classes)

Everything else is secondary. If your digital marketing strategy doesn’t clearly favour one of these, tracking becomes guesswork.

Step 3: Build a simple KPI chain that links activity to leads

Most small businesses track vanity metrics (followers, impressions). Big companies reorganise because they want measurable impact.

Use a three-layer chain:

1. Leading indicators: impressions, reach, ranking movement, email opens
2. Mid metrics: clicks to key pages, form starts, call clicks, enquiry page views
3. Outcomes: qualified leads, booked calls, revenue

If you can’t report the outcomes weekly, your marketing isn’t “enterprise-wide.” It’s entertainment.

“Brands are suspicious”: why creator-style marketing now matters for SMEs

Answer first: People trust people more than logos, so SMEs should build a repeatable system for customer proof and creator-style content—even without paying influencers.

Unilever’s CEO has argued that consumers are sceptical of big brands and that the solution is shifting spend toward creators—“communication in which others speak about brands.” Whether you agree with the phrasing or not, the underlying trend is real: trust is redistributed.

Good news: small businesses have an advantage here. You’re closer to customers, you can show real work, and you don’t need a celebrity to be credible.

A practical “creator” plan you can run in 30 days

You don’t need influencer contracts. You need a pipeline of proof.

Run this:

1. Collect 10 customer stories (voice note, short email, or 3-question form)
   • What problem were you trying to solve?
   • Why did you choose us?
   • What changed after?
2. Turn them into 20 assets
   • 10 short posts (one per story)
   • 5 before/after carousels (photos if possible)
   • 5 “lessons learned” posts from your perspective
3. Publish with a consistent structure
   • Problem → decision → result → what you’d do again

This is creator-style marketing because it’s human voice + specific outcomes, not corporate slogans.

The trust stack for UK small business digital marketing

If you want more leads in 2026, build trust in layers:

• Proof: reviews, testimonials, case studies, photos of real work
• Process: what happens after they enquire (timelines, guarantees, next steps)
• Presence: consistent posting, quick replies, accurate listings

A surprising number of SMEs skip “process.” Yet it’s often the easiest way to lift conversion rate without spending more on ads.

“Marketing transformation” on a small budget: the operating system that works

Answer first: A small business marketing transformation is a shift from sporadic posting to a repeatable system: weekly planning, monthly campaigns, and ruthless measurement.

Unilever credits Eggleston Bracey with pushing a bigger emphasis on data, cultural relevance, and modern creativity across well-known brands. SMEs can mirror that without enterprise tools.

The 3-part system: data, relevance, creativity

1) Data (keep it simple)

• Ensure GA4 is installed (or a lightweight analytics tool if you prefer)
• Track:
  • form submissions
  • call clicks (from mobile)
  • email sign-ups
  • booked appointments
• Use utm tags for any paid social or email campaign links

If you can’t tell which channel produced a lead, you’ll keep cutting the wrong thing when money gets tight.

2) Cultural relevance (be locally useful, not trendy)

For British SMEs, relevance usually isn’t about jumping on memes. It’s about matching real seasonal demand:

• January: “back to routine” services, cost-conscious offers, planning projects
• Spring: home improvement, weddings/events, outdoor services
• Summer: travel-adjacent needs, hospitality peaks, childcare activities
• Autumn: back-to-school, business planning, home maintenance

The most profitable content is often the least glamorous: pricing explainers, timelines, what-to-expect guides.

3) Creativity (clarity beats clever)

Most companies get this wrong. They aim for “clever” when they need to be understood in three seconds.

A high-performing small business ad or post usually contains:

• a specific customer
• a specific problem
• a specific promise
• a clear next step

Example:

Loft boarding in Leeds, fitted in a day. Fixed price after survey. Book your slot this week.

That’s not flashy. It works.

Your 90-day plan: copy the big-brand discipline, not the big-brand spend

Answer first: Run a 90-day “marketing + sales alignment sprint” with one owner, one offer, and one weekly dashboard.

If Unilever is bringing marketing closer to business groups for speed, your SME version is aligning marketing with whoever handles enquiries.

Days 1–14: fix foundations

• Update homepage message to match what you actually sell
• Create or refresh your top 3 SEO pages (service + location where relevant)
• Add:
  • a clear call-to-action above the fold
  • 3 proof points (reviews, numbers, recognisable clients if permitted)
  • a short “how it works” section

Days 15–45: ship one lead campaign

Pick one offer and run it everywhere:

• 6 organic social posts
• 1 email to your list (plus a follow-up)
• 1 blog post answering the core buying question
• a small paid test (even £5–£15/day) to validate messaging

The goal isn’t reach. It’s message-market fit.

Days 46–90: systemise and scale what worked

• Double down on the best-performing channel
• Turn your top 3 FAQs into SEO content
• Build a monthly reporting habit:
  • leads by source
  • conversion rate by landing page
  • cost per lead (for paid)

If you’re not measuring conversion rate, you’re flying blind. And you’ll end up blaming “the algorithm” for problems that are actually on-page clarity.

Quick Q&A SMEs ask when they hear about CMO shifts

Do I need a marketing hire to do this properly?

No. You need an owner. That can be you, a manager, or a part-time freelancer. The mistake is splitting ownership across three people with no decision rights.

Should I focus on SEO or social media in 2026?

Start with the channel that matches purchase intent.

• If customers search with urgency ("near me", "best", "cost"), prioritise local SEO and your Google Business Profile.
• If customers buy based on taste, personality, or visuals, prioritise social + proof content.

Then use paid ads to amplify what already converts.

How do I know if my marketing strategy is “too slow”?

If it takes you more than two weeks to publish a new landing page, launch an offer, or update your message, your system is too slow. Speed isn’t about rushing—it’s about removing bottlenecks.

The point to take from Unilever’s move

Unilever is betting that bringing marketing closer to the business will create faster execution and clearer impact. That’s not a luxury move—it’s a response to pressure.

Your small business doesn’t need a re-org chart. It needs the same discipline: one plan, one owner, one set of numbers, and proof-led content people trust. That’s British small business digital marketing done properly.

If you changed one thing this month—who would own your marketing agenda end-to-end, and what would you stop doing so you can execute faster?