15 Awesome Influencer Marketing Examples To Inspire You

In the new age of social media and influencer presence, brands and businesses can’t overlook the benefits of partnering with online personalities. And while you might think influencer marketing will die down in the future, the market size only grows bigger.

But where do you start with influencer marketing? What does a good influencer marketing campaign look like? We believe it’s best to learn through observation.

Here are our picks for the best influencer marketing examples and how they changed the game for these brands. Observe the key ways in which these campaigns hit their mark and keep these notes in mind when you partner with influencers.

15 Best Examples Of Successful Influencer Marketing Campaigns

1. The History Channel, TikTok, & NeoReach

The History Channel is a television network that made a name for itself with easy, accessible, and entertaining educational content. Unfortunately, the addition of streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, saw viewership dwindling in recent years.

Most of its audience was older individuals with very few new additions.

To increase viewership with younger audiences, the History Channel created a TikTok account where they posted their own content. To further their reach, they collaborated with NeoReach to create the “Stay Curious” marketing campaign.

The influencer marketing strategy teamed up with many macro and micro-influencers to create visually enticing creative content that showcases how fun learning and the History Channel still are.

@cookingwithlynja #sponsored Staying Curious with @HISTORY #todayilearned ♬ original sound – Lynja

 

2. 2021 Got Milk? Reboot

While influencer marketing is relatively new, traditional advertising campaigns featuring celebrities and other influential people aren’t. The Got Milk? ad campaigns of the 2000s featured many starry-eyed celebs with the signature milk mustache and many other celebrity endorsements.

The campaign died down as online marketing became more prevalent and was mostly forgotten outside Instagram Y2K fashion influencers and aesthetic accounts.

That is, until 2021. In 2021, Got Milk? partnered with NFL star Derrick Henry and other influencers to rejuvenate Got Milk?’s presence among new generations. So far, it’s worked brilliantly.

 

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3. Ralph Lauren & Diana Silvers

Ralph Lauren also joined the TikTok influencer sphere with influencer and actress, Diana Silvers. Their campaign is a great example of the reach of TikTok’s hashtags and how to use them effectively in an influencer campaign.

The tennis-themed campaign was held next to the US Open, with Diana Silvers being a close tennis associate.

The #WinningRL TikTok campaign encouraged users to share times they overcame a real-life challenge on TikTok and to tag the #WinningRL campaign. Ralph Lauren also shared videos featuring the actress on many of their social media platforms, including their YouTube channel.

The top three best videos would win Ralph Lauren apparel and have bragging rights. It was a win-win for the campaign and the users participating.

@ralphlauren Life is about winning. 🏆 Show us how you’re #WinningRL ♬ Clap – Official Sound Studio

4. Planet Earth’s Favorite Vodka – Absolut Campaign

Absolut Vodka held an 8-month-long influencer marketing campaign that had such an impact it won the 2020 Influencer Marketing Awards’ Gold Winner for the best food and drink campaign.

The Absolut influencer marketing campaigns narrowed their target audience to environmentally conscious consumers by partnering with 95 key influencers in the sustainable living niche. The campaign hashtag, #AbsolutPlanet, talked about showing Earth more kindness.

The campaign was a tremendous success. By the end of the 8-month-long campaign, the hashtag and related posts had been engaged with more than 8.5 million times.

5. Prada & AI Influencer Lil Miquela

Miquela took social media by storm in the late 2010s. The artificial online character was created by Trevor McFedries and Sara DeCou and quickly cemented her space as a new and interesting addition to influencer marketing.

While she might not be a real person, her influence is, and fashion giant Prada understood this. In 2018, they partnered with Lil Miquela to promote their fall collection.

To increase the wow factor, the virtual influencer released images and GIFs wearing virtual recreations of the fall collection. The influencer also shared behind-the-scenes footage of the fashion event to showcase the collection.

It’s one of the stranger influencer marketing examples but one that clearly paid off!

 

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6. Dunkin Donuts & TikTok Star Charli D’Amelio

TikTok megastar Charli D’Amelio rose to fame in 2019. The content creator amassed a massive online following and frequently shared her love for Dunkin Donuts online.

Not to let a good opportunity pass, Dunkin Donuts partnered with the star for one of their most successful influencer campaigns to date.

There were two main parts to the influencer campaign. First, Charli’s favorite drink was rebranded as “the Charli” and sold at all their stores. Next, they created the Charli x Dunkin contest. Fans shared creative images and videos of them recreating her favorite Dunkin Donuts drink to win a video call with Charli.

Their marketing efforts paid off. The campaign saw a 57% increase in the Dunkin Donuts app download, and sales increased significantly. The Charli drink is also still available at stores and has become a fan favorite.

 

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7. Morphe & Jaclyn Hill Brand Campaign

Jaclyn Hill is one of Youtube’s biggest macro-influencers and has a big following on most other social media channels. Her video content centers on beauty and makeup, and she’s partnered with many brands, all to major success.

But none of them had the level of success as the Morphe and Jacklyn Hill makeup brand campaign.

Instead of just promoting a product for Morphe, Jacklyn Hill and Morphe collaborated to create a makeup palette. The palette was well received, and many other social media influencers, who support Jacklyn Hill, shared their love of the product.

The product was such a success that it sold out in 45 minutes and is still available for sale on the Morphe website. It was a dream collaboration and is one of the best examples of influencer marketing.

8. 67 Shades By Dior Campaign

Another of the best influencer marketing examples has to be the launch of Dior’s Forever Foundation range. The range was important as it featured 67 shades of foundation.

To raise awareness of the product, Dior partnered with Buttermilk and 67 micro-influencers that match each shade of the foundation. They created branded content that Dior could share on their official Instagram account, Twitter account, and YouTube channel.

The campaign helped increase brand awareness and re-introduce the makeup brand to a more inclusive product future. The influencer marketing campaigns were so well received that Dior won the Gold Winner Beauty Campaign award during the Influencer marketing awards.

9. Mercedes & Loki The Wolfdog

Similar to how Lil Miquela didn’t need to be real to be one of the best influencer marketing examples, you also don’t need to be human to be effective in influencer marketing. Case in point: Loki the Wolfdog.

Loki the Wolfdog is an Instagram influencer. The account follows Loki and his owner as they trek across North America and its rugged landscape.

Mercedes saw an opportunity to showcase the 2017 Mercedes GLS and invited the pair to collaborate in the #MBPhotoPass marketing campaign. With internal and external mounted cameras, fans could watch as Loki and his owner, Kelly Lund, made their way through the snowy Colorado mountains.

The campaign is one of the best examples of influencer marketing that cleverly thought outside the box. On Instagram alone, Mercedes and Loki the Wolfdog generated over 170 million impressions.

 

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10. Dunkin Donuts National Donut Day

Dunkin Donuts makes another appearance on this list of top influencer marketing examples with their National Donut Day Snapchat takeover campaign. To invite more people for National Donut Day, Dunkin Donuts offered consumers a free donut with every drink they bought.

The goal was to create fun and engaging and to invite influencers to increase awareness of the promotion.

They chose eight influencers and invited them to take over the Dunkin Donuts Snapchat account, where they encouraged their fans to follow Dunkin Donuts, purchase their drink, and collect their free donut. Some of the first users also unlocked a geo-filter on the app.

The influencers brought in over 3 million users and drove tons of traffic to the Dunkin Donuts Snapchat account. It was a huge effort, but one that paid off.

11. Lagavulin & Nick Offerman

Not all influencers have to be strictly social media influencers. Sometimes, you can also enlist the help of celebrity influencers, the same way Lagavulin did.

To help with increasing brand awareness, Lagavulin partnered with Parks and Recreation star Nick Offerman. In the process, they created an iconic brand message with the perfect blend of company character and internet culture.

To celebrate the “Offerman Edition” of the Lagavulin Single Malt Whiskey, they released a YouTube video on their official account. The video features 45 minutes of Nick Offerman sitting by a fireplace, casually drinking Lagavulin Whiskey.

It quickly became one of the most well-known viral videos with almost 4 million views on YouTube. Considering this is one post of sponsored content similar to a TV ad, the view count is extremely impressive.

12. Naked Juice & Kate Spiers

Naked Juice is frequently featured in more relaxed influencer campaigns, especially with their Instagram influencers. And while we might consider an all-out marketing campaign the only way to go, Naked Juice takes advantage of micro-influencers and nano-influencers.

While Kate Spiers would be considered more a mid-tier influencer, the content follows a similar formula. Instead of having adverts aimed at increasing sales, these low-key collaborations’ primary objective is to reach a wider audience and improve brand retention.

For example, Kate Spiers posts a relaxed photo with Naked Juice strategically placed in the image. Collaborating with smaller influencers is also a great way to enjoy higher engagement for less money.

 

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13. Loot Crate & The Gaming Community

When it comes to influencers and purchasing power, gaming influencers might be at the top of the list. Loot Crate is a curated gaming and collectibles subscription box with a big following of loyal purchasers.

To grow Loot Crate further, the marketing team knew they needed to collaborate with the right influencers. And they did. With the help of online giants like Pewdiepie and Jack Douglass of Jacksfilms, Loot Crate grew its audience with relevant potential customers.

Users were given gifts, influencer discount codes, exclusive content, and products they actually wanted. So not only did they gain buyers, they retained them.

Loot Crate is a prime example of the power of niche influencer marketing and seeking loyal consumers with a vested interest in your product.

14. Blue Apron, Binging With Babish, & Love Taza

Another example of great niche marketing is Blue Apron. The food subscription and delivery service provide pre-portioned ingredients and fun recipes for people to try at home.

To reach engaged audiences, Blue Apron collaborated with food bloggers like Love Taza and vloggers like Binging with Babish. These popular influencers use their own brand and style to make the Blue Apron food while promoting the product to other engaged online food enthusiasts.

These sponsored posts feel natural and give these trusted influencers the chance to showcase the product in all its honest glory.

15. Chipotle Influencer Marketing Campaigns

Chipotle is a massive restaurant chain, and they’re no strangers to influencer marketing campaigns. They’ve collaborated with singer Shawn Mendes, online personality David Dobrik and many smaller TikTok stars who’ve shown an interest in the brand.

They also promoted Pride month in 2021 through drag queens Trixie Mattel, Gottmik, & Kim Chi. The Pride month campaign aimed to raise money for LQBTQ+ charities that would help individuals in need.

Recently, the brand also collaborated with e.l.f cosmetics, Trixie Mattel, and Kim Chi to reach a wider audience.

While they aren’t extremely selective with the influencers they choose, the marketing campaigns are all varied and relaxed and aim to introduce Chipotle to all online and offline communities.

Conclusion

There is no denying that influencer marketing works. Brands that smartly incorporate influencers into their online campaigns see a sharp increase in followers and engagement. This doesn’t mean brands need to only work with massive online personalities.

Even smaller nano influencers can help bridge the gap between products and people. All it takes is creative thinking and smart niche choices to bring the power of social media to your side.

To get started, see our comprehensive guide on Influencer Marketing.

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