The growth of influencer marketing shows no signs of slowing down. According to Statista, the size of the global influencer market has grown from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $13.8 billion in 2021. That’s why exploring good examples of influencer marketing campaigns can give your brand the inspiration it needs to tackle its next campaign.

Brands can make a big impact on their bottom line by choosing the right influencer partners. 

Let’s look at some of the best examples of influencer marketing to inspire you for the future.

Key takeaways

  • Influencer marketing relies on social media stars and their ability to promote products and services to their followers.
  • All types of businesses can benefit from creating partnerships with social media influencers.
  • Some partnerships are temporary, while others can last for years with long-lasting results.
  • Some influencer partnerships yield fast, with impressive results.

What is influencer marketing?

With the rise of social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, creators found ways to attract many followers and sometimes earn enough money to make social media their full-time job. 

These people are frequently called influencers.

In recent years, businesses have capitalized on influencers' sway with their followers to help promote their brand through sponsored content. These partnerships are the soul of influencer marketing.

Social media influencers can create content that promotes the sponsor’s brand or product. This could be as simple as a picture of the influencer using the product or a dedicated video promoting the brand.

Let’s look into some inspiring examples of how influencers helped brands shine on social media.

Eight examples of influencer marketing campaigns

Influencer marketing has become a popular and effective marketing tactic for companies of all sizes. Whether you are a small start-up or a multinational company with worldwide recognition, getting your brand and products in front of a new audience can lead to more sales.

Here are eight examples of iconic influencer campaigns from the past few years:

1. Got Milk?

For anyone who grew up in the early 2000s, the “Got Milk?” campaign was ubiquitous. TV ads, billboards, and posters were everywhere, featuring the latest celebrities wearing the infamous milk mustache. 

Although the campaign had fallen out of fashion, it has recently been coming back with a fresh round of celebrities and influencers.

In 2021, Got Milk? partnered with NFL star Derrick Henry, filming a fun Instagram spot that depicts him busting through grocery store shelves to chug down some milk.

The brand also partnered with online creators on Twitter for National Milk Day, where they showed off their favorite milk-based snacks with a creative shirt design.

2. Nike partnering with promising athletes

Michelle Wie West made a big name for herself when she became the youngest golf player to qualify for the LPGA Tour when she was just 15. 

It didn’t take long for her to earn a partnership with Nike. She has maintained that partnership since 2005 and still routinely shares Nike content, like this giveaway from December 2020.

3. Dunkin’ Donuts and Charli D’Amelio

When TikTok started making waves, teenager Charli D’Amelio jumped on board and quickly became popular for her dance videos. In 2020, she landed a partnership with Dunkin’ Donuts. She frequently posts videos of her drinking “The Charli” signature drink and eating donuts.

This partnership triggered a 57% increase in people downloading the Dunkin’ app and helped the popular donut franchise sell hundreds of thousands of drinks.

4. Planet Earth’s favorite vodka from Absolut

Absolut partnered with several planet-conscience influencers across multiple social platforms. This campaign lasted more than eight months and was eventually named the Gold Winner for the Best Food and Drink Campaign during the 2020 Influencer Marketing Awards.

The campaign used the hashtag #AbsolutPlanet to showcase ways we can all be friendlier to planet Earth. 

By the end of the campaign, 95 influencers had shared 612 posts that generated more than 8.6 million engagements across social media.

5. American Eagle and Addison Rae

The American Eagle brand has been a teenage favorite for decades. This made the partnership with TikTok star Addison Rae a natural fit. She promoted the brand on her channel and featured in an American Eagle billboard ad in Times Square.

Addison creates her own dances in her videos to promote the American Eagle brand. She also included her mom in some videos highlighting the “mom jeans” line.

6. Asana and Natalie Barbu

Lifestyle vlogger Natalie Barbu has made a name for herself by making videos about her daily life. In 2020, she created a video that included a partnership with Asana, Google Calendar, and Skillshare.

She makes the sponsorships feel organic in the video by showing how she uses each product in her daily planning process.

7. Google and Zach King

You would think a worldwide brand like Google wouldn’t need to partner with influencers, but even big brands need to highlight the versatility of their products. In this instance, Google worked with illusionist Zach King.

In the YouTube video, King promoted Google Meet by doing a trick that pulls the camera into a Google Meet conference call. He then adds a creative plug for Google Password Manager near the 4-minute mark.

8. Fashom and Rachel Reviews

Unboxing videos make for some of the most popular content on YouTube. Many fashion influencers record themselves unboxing their latest shopping hauls and trying on the clothes they receive from brands.

On her YouTube channel “Rachel Reviews,” Rachel frequently unboxes fashion packages, like this one from clothing curating brand Fashom. She shares her thoughts on the brand and includes a referral link for her viewers to take advantage of a special discount code.

That’s a wrap!

Are you looking to put your brand in the spotlight like these excellent campaign examples above? Brandwatch can help you make this happen.

Our comprehensive influencer marketing platform makes it easy to find the right influencers, manage your campaigns, and deliver measurable results.