Colgate 12 Month Case Study
The Brief
The Brief
Colgate Palmolive partnered with We Are SNS, a leading social media agency, to fundamentally evolve Colgate’s social media content model. The brief was clear: to transform content creation into a faster, more scalable and more cost-effective without sacrificing quality, creativity or brand integrity.
The core objective was to turbocharge social media content production by delivering three times the monthly volume. This required a complete refresh in strategy around the end to end content from in-house assets through to creator partnerships.
With our support and recommendation, we shifted the content strategy to be highly UGC focused, ensuring an authentic feel across Instagram and TikTok. This shift to a UGC focus was a responsibility We Are SNS managed across Palmolive and Sanex too.
The evolution was driven by the need for greater scale and impact. The existing approach limited creator scalability, relied on overly engineered briefs that constrained creativity, and required high production budgets, slowing turnaround times. Colgate needed a new way of working that allowed creators to move quickly, tell authentic stories and deliver content that felt native to each platform.
What We Did
UGC
The Approach
We Are SNS rebuilt Colgate’s UGC creator strategy from the ground up, introducing an agile, creator-first operating model designed for volume, speed and cultural relevance. The new approach prioritised simplicity in briefing, empowering UGC creators to bring their own voice and perspective to each piece of content while remaining aligned with brand guidelines.
By shifting from high-production, centrally managed assets to a shoot-and-share creator model, creators were able to unlock a significant increase in content output, faster speed to market and deliver final assets without incurring additional production costs. Over the year, this approach enabled us to deliver 869 assets, exceeding our target of 70 assets per month.
Content was developed with a platform native mindset, designed specifically for how audiences consume Instagram and TikTok. Strong hooks within the first few seconds, emotional and relatable storytelling, and authentic product integration became central creative principles. Rather than forcing trends, the focus was on responding quickly to culturally relevant moments that naturally aligned with the brand.
Colgate soon recognised our creative ability to make impactful content, which then soon led us to creating an additional 60 assets for the launch of Colgate Purple Serum, which was for paid boosting, performance marketing projects, as well as reactive editing support for key moments, such as the Bluey x Colgate toothpaste launch at Boots in Westfield.
The Results
At the start of the UGC campaign, Colgate and We Are SNS set an ambitious collective goal: to reach 12,700,000 people across Instagram and TikTok.
In exactly 12 months, the partnership reached:
- an audience of 31,600,000 people (18,900,000 above target)
- representing a 40% overperformance. This exceptional result highlights not only the strength of the content produced, but also the power of creator-led storytelling and community engagement when executed at scale.
On Instagram alone, the brand achieved:
- Over 4,000,000 in reach, more than doubling its original annual target,
- Over 6,000,000 engagements
- An average engagement rate of 144%.
On TikTok, performance was even more substantial, with:
- Over 27,800,000 post views
- Over 147,000 interactions
- An average watch time surpassing benchmarks.
Operationally, the new model proved highly effective, with:
- On average, 92% of contracted content was approved for posting
- An overall content output exceeded planned delivery by 6%. This demonstrated strong alignment between creators, agency and brand, as well as the robustness of the new approval and briefing processes.
Performance insights throughout the year consistently showed that emotion-led,creator-driven storytelling outperformed content that leaned heavily into product claims. Authentic voiceovers, personal narratives, routine-based formats and trend-led executions drove the strongest engagement, particularly in the second half of the year. Audiences responded most positively when Colgate appeared as a natural part of everyday life rather than a traditional advertiser.
Looking Ahead
As the partnership moves into Q1 2026, Colgate is well-positioned to build on a strong foundation of scalable processes, trusted creator relationships and a content engine designed for speed and relevance. Throughout the first year, We Are SNS encouraged Colgate to step outside its comfort zone, engage more deeply with organic content and use social listening to better understand the evolving social landscape.
For insights into some great creator partnerships, check our blog on the ‘Top 4 UK UGC creators to collaborate with in 2026’
If you’re ready to unlock creator partnerships that deliver million-plus reach and meaningful engagement, let’s build your next growth chapter together.
And for added reassurance of the impact we deliver, take a look at how we tailored this high-performing UGC strategy for brands like Sanex and Palmolive, turning authentic creator content into measurable growth.
