You have likely heard the buzz about influencer marketing, and there is a good reason why. According to research from Linqia, 94% of marketers across a wide range of industries have found it to be an effective campaign strategy.
Are you looking for some inspiration to spearhead your own influencer marketing campaigns? In that case, it can be helpful to look at some examples of brands who have done it right. So, check out these stellar influencer marketing campaigns!
1. Sprint
Sprint is a company that knows how to create advertising that gets noticed. Remember when they caused Verizon’s iconic “can you hear me now?” guy to switch to Sprint?
On top of clever marketing concepts, Sprint does not shy away from working with varied influencers to get their messages across.
A recent influencer campaign of theirs used the hashtag #LiveUnlimited and showcased personalities who seamlessly aligned with their campaign messaging. They showed Sprint’s product enabling them to succeed in all areas of life.
Take a look at this ad, in which they utilize major influencers Lele Pons, Gerard Adams, Prince Royce, Bradley Martyn, and Rachel Cook.
This campaign takes things to the next level by choosing influencers in different niches. It also allows them to play off of each other.
2. Old Navy
Old Navy is no stranger to influencer marketing. Their 2018 Black Friday campaign was a notable smashing success.
For Black Friday, the company partnered with Yankee retiree Alex Rodriguez. This was in order to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of America (BGCA).
It was an incredibly intelligent move, as Rodriguez is an alumnus of the BGCA. His promotion helped Old Navy to raise more than $1 million for the organization during Black Friday.
The Season of Giving
This was a smart choice for a few reasons. Many brands choose to work with charities, especially around holiday time, as it makes them appear more ethical. This appeals to consumers.
By choosing a well-known organization and also deciding on choosing an influencer with ties to that organization, Old Navy designed a campaign that they were destined to hit out of the park.
3. Kaikatsu Club
The Kaikatsu Club is a members-only cafe chain that is popular across Japan. It is meant to give members access to a space that is the ultimate in relaxation. They recently teamed up with influencer Enakorin for a one-of-a-kind influencer marketing campaign.
Kaikatsu Club launched a virtual reality feature across its Japan locations. It allows customers to play a range of VR video games while they have a drink or meal. In order to spread the word, they chose popular influencer, cosplayer, and Japanese TV personality Enakorin.
This was a smart move for several reasons. For one, Enakorin is known for her love of video games. Because of this, it makes sense that she would introduce the cafe’s new VR entertainment platform.
4. SodaStream
Sodastream manufactures an at-home carbonation tool. At the start, they largely marketed it to families. However, after sales data showed them that the product was actually resonating more with millennials without kids, they switched things up in a big way.
Their “Join A Revolution” influencer campaign featuring Game of Thrones actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson went viral, as have several of their other ads. Some of these have been considered controversial in the past too.
While SodaStream could have stuck to their previous way of doing things and chosen to work with family bloggers, they didn’t. Instead, they opted to let their data lead them. As a result, they started to make ads which would appeal to the demographic that was actually purchasing their products.
The true secret of successful marketing campaigns is making data work for you. Also, choose influencers who are recognized or respected by the audience you want to reach. Ultimately, this is how you will succeed.
5. Buick
Buick had a branding problem. They wanted to appeal to a younger demographic. And their approach to this was brilliant.
Buick enlisted a handful of design, fashion, and food bloggers for the task. They asked them to make Pinterest boards which showed how the Buick Encore could help them express their own personal styles. On top of this, each of the influencers also created posts about the experience and promoted their Buick content across their social media platforms.
The results were astonishing. Buick’s “Pinboard to Dashboard” campaign landed them more than 17 million unique site visitors. While many who are structuring digital marketing and influencers forget about Pinterest entirely, it is a great platform if your campaign or brand is aesthetic-led. And, according to research from Millward Brown Digital, 93% of respondents said that they use Pinterest to research purchases.
SEE ALSO: How to use Pinterest to Market Your Business
6. Sperry
So, when it comes to working with influencers, you have many avenues. All influencers have different size followings and different audiences. At the end of 2016, the shoe brand Sperry chose to do something interesting by choosing to run a micro-influencer-only campaign.
Sperry identified over a hundred fans who were already sharing impressive photos of their products on Instagram and invited them to start making content for their official account.
This can be beneficial for a few reasons. For one, the smaller your influencers, the less you will spend outright. For another, humanizing your products and making them seem accessible is a smart move. In addition, spotlighting your customers like that will show that you value them.
7. Diageo
Diageo is the parent company of the Scottish whiskey brands Lagavulin and Oban. They were actually awarded a Shorty Award for Best Influencer Marketing Campaign for a 44-minute commercial starring Parks and Recreation‘s Nick Offerman.
The commercial, which shows Offerman sitting by a crackling fireplace brooding and sipping whiskey, went viral.
It largely relies on Offermans’ already well-established persona. So, if you choose to work with an influencer with a strong and beloved persona, let it shine. After all, people connect with influencers for a reason.
8. Stride Gum
There is a reason that Emmanuel Seuge, senior vice president for content at Coca-Cola, has crowned DJ Khaled “The King of Snapchat.”
Each of the producer’s snaps on the platform rakes in millions of views. They have also put him on high demand to work with brands on the platform. Stride Gum launched a Snapchat Takeover with DJ Khaled to promote its “Mad Intense Gum” campaign.
When a brand lets an influencer do a takeover on their account, they essentially hand over the reins to them for a length of time. If you are working with a big personality, it will let them shine. This keeps things varied, fun, and attention-grabbing.
9. Naked Juice
Influencer marketing can be big and flashy or more subtle. However, what’s really key is understanding the audience you want to reach. First, understand which influencers hold sway in whichever space you are looking to breach. Then, reach out to them.
Naked juice accomplished this by reaching out to influencer Kate La Vie on Instagram. In this photo, she included Naked Juice in a post, calling it post-gym-fuel.
10. Glossier
Glossier takes an interesting approach to influencer marketing. They have positioned themselves as an instant cult brand. This is largely the result of cultivating an environment in which anyone who wears their makeup and loves it can be an influencer. Glossier CEO Emily Weiss told Quartz:
“What’s very motivating to us is this idea of every single woman being an influencer.”
They have over 500 ambassadors who, despite not being hired by the brand, have been a key part of its massive growth. They can, however, earn small commissions based on how much they sell.
Glossier’s social media accounts also largely rely on reposts from their fans. So, a lot of their web content is user-generated and costs them nothing to create. As a result, Glossier’s fans are basically happy to work for them for free.
Final Thoughts
There are countless ways to approach influencer marketing. Whether you want to work with celebrities or everyday people: you can. Whether you want to have big Snapchat takeovers or more subtle advertisements, there is space for that as well. Ultimately, there are many avenues you can take. Also, brands break new ground and find new ways to use these tools all the time.
So, it is all about working with the right influencers, in the right way, to raise brand awareness. Ultimately, how you choose to do so will depend on your budget, brand, and desired audience.
Feeling inspired? Then take a look at our Cheat Sheet For Working With Social Media Influencers.
Which of these tactics do you find the most interesting? Comment below…
