Top 10 Real-World Examples of Successful Social Media Influencer Marketing

Social media influencer marketing has emerged as a popular and effective strategy for brands to connect with their target audience. Businesses partnering with influencers can reach a larger audience, build trust and credibility, and drive engagement and sales. Here is a list of the top ten real-world examples of successful social media influencer marketing campaigns you can learn from:

1. Häagen-Dazs: BOGO

Popular ice cream brand Häagen-Dazs launched a social media influencer marketing campaign one summer in New York City. The campaign aimed to drive traffic to select Duane Reade and Walgreens stores by utilizing buy one get one (BOGO) promotions and sampling events. 

Local influencers were also leveraged to expand the brand’s reach to new audiences and create social media buzz around the promotion. The campaign generated 14.3 million impressions and 27,400 social engagements, which exceeded the brand’s goals for the campaign.

2. ABSOLUT: Planet Earth’s Favorite Vodka

Having won the Gold Winner for the Best Food and Drink Campaign at the 2020 Influencer Marketing Awards, Absolut’s Planet Earth’s Favorite Vodka campaign is a standout. Partnering with influencer agency Collectively, they gathered a diverse group of influencers who shared the brand’s values and mission to protect the planet and its people. 

The influencers promoted sustainable living and environmental protection by sharing their love for the planet and ABSOLUT Vodka on social media and hosting events in their communities.

3. History Channel: Stay Curious

When History Channel launched its TikTok channel, it released a social media influencer campaign called Stay Curious. It featured seven diverse content creators, from foodie grandmas to Paralympians. The goal was to reach new followers from the younger generation and create engaging, informative, and entertaining content.

The Stay Curious campaign demonstrated how brands could effectively use social media platforms like TikTok to position themselves as relevant and engaging sources of information.

4. Dunkin’ Donuts: National Donut Day

To celebrate National Donut Day, Dunkin’ Donuts released its Snapchat campaign featuring visually enticing creative content. They made a special offer for the day and selected lifestyle creators in different cities to spread the content about the offer on Snapchat. 

The company chose eight popular influencers to create and distribute teaser content before taking over the Dunkin’ Donuts Snapchat channel on National Donut Day. The influencers’ content drove their followers to Dunkin’ Donuts stores and encouraged them to take advantage of the special offer.

5. Google: Zach King

The partnership between Google and Zach King demonstrated the potential of influencer marketing for even the biggest brands. By working with an influencer like King, who has a substantial and engaged following, Google reached an even wider audience and promoted their products creatively and engagingly.

The video featuring King’s magic trick demonstrated the potential of the products in a fun and relatable way. The video’s success, with millions of views and likes, showcased the power of influencer marketing to create engaging and memorable content that resonates with viewers.

6. MTV: Pants Off

In April 2006, MTV’s Pants Off campaign was launched. It was a Snapchat sex ed show hosted by Laci Green, a renowned sex ed YouTuber. The show provided young people with accurate information and advice on sex and related topics, featuring influencers as guests and stunning graphics. 

The social media influencer campaign was a success, with 13.9 million unique views and 439,000 shares, ultimately helping many young people better understand sexuality. The campaign featured relevant subject matter for the teenage audience, influencer guests, and stunning graphics.

7. Peugeot: Unboring the Future

To reach a younger audience, Peugeot turned to social media influencer marketing for its “Unboring the Future” campaign during the 2019 Brussels Motor Show. Peugeot’s main objective was to be the best premium mass constructor and be perceived as such. 

As younger people are not considering buying cars yet, they are the easiest group to start with to change the brand’s perception. The Brussels Motor Show was the perfect platform for Peugeot to showcase its new e-Legend concept car, a fully electric coupe representing the brand’s innovative and never-boring DNA.

8. Dior: 67 Shades of Skin

Dior Forever, the new foundation product from Dior featuring 67 different shades, partnered with 67 influencers worldwide to promote their new line. The brand aimed to showcase the wide range of products available, making it an exceptional example of influencer marketing. In addition to partnering with influencers, Dior also utilized user-generated content by encouraging customers to share their experiences and pictures using the hashtag #diorforever.

The campaign results were impressive, with 2.66 million reached, 1.85 million impressions, 591,000 engagements, and 290 pieces of content created.

9. Subaru: #MeetAnOwner

Automobile manufacturer Subaru partnered with YouTube influencer Devin Graham to promote meetanowner.com. Graham’s #MeetAnOwner video showcased him and his friends driving their Subaru through rugged terrain, while the campaign featured profiles of Subaru owners and their stories on the site. 

With over 1 million views, 21,000 likes, and almost a thousand comments, the campaign successfully demonstrated how influencer marketing could tell authentic stories and foster brand loyalty.

10. Levi’s: Buy Better, Wear Longer

Collaborating with diverse Gen Z activists and influencers, Levi’s “Buy Better, Wear Longer” campaign is worth noting. It featured top influencers, such as Jaden Smith, Marcus Rashford, Emma Chamberlain, and Xiye Bastida, to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility. 

As studies indicate that younger generations are environmentally conscious and prefer sustainable products, the campaign’s emphasis on this issue is likely to resonate with its target audience and potentially increase sales to pre-pandemic levels.

Final Thoughts

Based on these companies’ success, it’s clear that social media influencer marketing is a powerful strategy that every business should try out. It’s an effective way for brands to connect with their audience and reach more people. With social media being such a big part of people’s lives, influencer marketing is an excellent way for brands to stay relevant and connect with their target audience amidst all the noise online.