How Hepmil Philippines is rewriting the creator marketing playbook

Five years ago, Hepmil Philippines launched with a bold bet—that humour, when powered by creators who understand culture, could drive real brand results. Today, that bet has paid off: the once-humble content outfit has evolved into a creator network powerhouse, helping brands such as Jollibee, Unilab, and Unilever connect with audiences in a language they trust.

From viral videos to award-winning influence programmes, Hepmil Philippines has redefined how brands play in the creator economy. And as it marks its fifth anniversary in 2025, the company is doing more than just celebrating, it’s rewriting the playbook for performance-led, culturally resonant creator marketing in Southeast Asia.

Creators during Cinco De Hepmil

A creator-first evolution

When Hepmil Philippines entered the market in 2020, it had a simple proposition: make content that connects. What began as a single humour platform has since scaled into a creator network of nearly 600 talents, each handpicked and performance-tiered to match brand needs with precision.

The company’s growth reflects the broader rise of the Filipino creator economy. What sets Hepmil Philippines apart is its collaborative approach, particularly through the “Fixed creator program,” which was co-developed with Jollibee. This creator-first strategy has become a central pillar in campaign executions, enabling a steady stream of consistent, always-on content that evolves dynamically with real-time audience insights. By working closely with Jollibee, Hepmil ensures the program stays closely aligned with brand objectives while harnessing authentic creator voices to engage audiences effectively.

More than just campaign support, Hepmil PH nurtures its creators through comprehensive training and incubation programmes. These initiatives equip talents with the skills and versatility to adapt across brand categories, excel in on-site activations, and take part in cross-country campaigns. By focusing on storytelling mastery and brand ambassadorship, Hepmil prepares creators to meet diverse campaign demands and evolve alongside shifting market trends.

Beyond content, Hepmil Philippines has emerged as a strategic partner that helps brands decode culture and turn insights into impact. This approach is best embodied in the team’s work for Unilever, where cultural fluency met business strategy.

A standout was our Culture + Cohort report developed for Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing and Foods divisions. Created to decode Gen Z and youth culture, the report was swiftly approved and commended for its strong alignment with the brand’s long-term vision.

Hepmil brought Unilever brands to life including Domex, Sunsilk, Ponds, Vaseline, Breeze, and Unilever Foods—through campaigns that seamlessly blended culture, creativity, and commerce.

By aligning paid, owned, and earned media, Hepmil Philippines helped brands embed their purpose naturally into creator content without extra media spend. It also led the charge in social commerce, with innovations such as the “Mega-livestream marathon”, a creator-led, real-time selling session timed to platform mega sales.

Scaling partnerships for impact

For general manager Erwin Razon, 2024 was more than just a growth year, it was the tipping point. Razon is widely credited as the architect of Hepmil Philippines’ recent strategy, blending data and cultural insights to unlock performance at scale.

"We’ve always believed creators are more than just media channels—they’re culture drivers. That’s why this year, we’ve invested heavily in giving them the tools, support, and structure to not just participate in campaigns, but to shape them,” said Razon in conversation with MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

“It’s about long-term partnerships, not just transactional placements,” he explained.

The flagship example? “Generation joy” for a Jollibee, a standout success that captured the attention of both consumers and the industry.

Hepmil Philippines partnered with Jollibee to launch the “Generation joy fixed creator program”, an always-on influencer strategy activating 20 high-impact creators across food, lifestyle, and entertainment with the aim to connect with Gen Z and millennials on TikTok and Instagram using relatable, creator-led storytelling.

Over five months, creators including Davao Conyo (27M views) and Lottie Bie (82M views) delivered skits, lifestyle content, and vlogs that seamlessly wove brand messaging into culturally relevant narratives. By offering creative freedom and agile content iteration, the campaign exceeded expectations achieving 42.5 million views, over 484,000 engagements, setting new benchmarks for efficiency and ROI in QSR marketing.

Hepmil and Jollibee at the 60th Anvil Awards

The programme didn’t just deliver numbers, it won silver at the 60th Anvil Awards for best use of influencer marketing, cementing Hepmil’s approach as both effective and award-winning.

Leadership that leads the industry

As the company scales, so too has its leadership bench. In 2025, Hepmil Philippines appointed Joanna Chan Mojica as chairperson, marking a new phase of strategic expansion. A seasoned digital transformation leader, Mojica is focused on long-term business vision and regional growth potential.

Meanwhile, Jel Directo, deputy general manager, now serves as president of the creator and influencer council of the Philippines (CICP). The dual appointments signal more than internal strength and reinforced Hepmil Philippines’ growing influence in shaping industry standards, policy, and creator advocacy.

Together, the leadership trio of Razon, Mojica, and Directo reflects a company that’s not just playing the game, but defining the rules.

Performance as a product

Behind Hepmil Philippines’ results is a methodical engine: guaranteed-performance tiering, cross-platform creator training, and precise brand matching. Its campaigns operate across owned, paid, and earned media and blend meme-driven virality with measurable outcomes.

For brands such as Unilab, the collaboration has been about content and credibility. By working with Hepmil in populating its brand account and producing engaging health and wellness content through trusted creators, Unilab positioned itself as a leading voice in digital healthcare conversations. The approach not only built brand trust but also enabled deeper community connection around health-conscious lifestyles.

In parallel, Unilever continues to rely on Hepmil’s deep cultural fluency and content agility to engage new audiences across product lines from Beauty and Wellness to Foods, and from Domex to Breeze. These partnerships validate the company’s dual capability: creativity backed by insight, and performance driven by structure.

"The Philippine digital market is evolving fast—audiences are more discerning, platforms are shifting, and brands are demanding sharper ROI. But with that comes incredible opportunity,” said Razon.

“Those who can blend creativity, agility, and local insight will lead the next wave of digital marketing in Southeast Asia,” he added.

The next five

With five years of insights under its belt and a future-facing roadmap in motion, Hepmil Philippines is entering its next act. The team is building towards commerce-driven creator models, stronger brand integration, and regional scalability, all while staying grounded in the cultural nuance that sparked its rise.

In a market where influence is everywhere, Hepmil Philippines continues to prove that real impact starts with strategy, structure, and storytelling that feels personal.

Because in the creator economy, it’s not just about what gets shared, it’s about what sticks.

This article was written in collaboration with HEPMIL.