10 Effective Influencer Marketing Examples for 2021

If you’re in marketing, or have been looking for ways to improve your digital marketing strategy, there’s no doubt that you’ve come across the term “influencer marketing” a lot. 

And that’s not a coincidence.

Just take a look at Google trends data over the last 5 years for worldwide searches related to influencer marketing.

You can see a consistent, steady rise in search volume. In 2021, influencer marketing is more popular than ever. 

But how exactly are brands leveraging this new type of marketing and making it effective at increasing brand awareness, driving brand interaction and conversion? Take a look here at ten of our all-time favorite influencer marketing examples for 2021.

Go ahead and check them out below and see if any of them spark an idea that can help you grow your brand and marketing activities.

#1 Tommy Hilfiger #wishyouwerehere

The challenge?

Tommy Hilfiger wanted to promote it’s new eyewear collection amongst a midst of competition, so it needed to stand out. 

How did we achieve this? 

Building an online community of carefully selected influencers to drive the #wishyouwerehere campaign. A collection introduced and pushed by influencers with authority. The hashtag caught on with their followers and ensured that Tommy Hilfiger became synonymous with the campaign message. 

The result? 

27,400,000 impressions. A campaign ROI that soared over 400%. Find out more about the results. 

Key Takeaway: 

Identify a list of influencers that relate to your brand, have them participate in an epic activity that their followers can get involved in too and have your brand essentially own that hashtag and trend. 

#2 Chupa Chups #chupachupschallenge

The challenge?

Chupa Chups wanted to re-engage with an audience that had lost touch with it’s core brand audience, Generation Z. So it needed a compelling way to tap into their target audience. 

How did we achieve this? 

By identifying what Generation Z is interested in. The Chupa Chups influencers engaged their audience with the ultimate fun content. From now-versus-then photos, back to school outfits and pranks, the influencers’ Gen Z audience loved engaging with the brand. Chupa Chups was able to cultivate the trend of the #chupachupschallenge with #foreverfun by targeting specific Generation Z influencers.

The result? 

More than 30 million impressions with an engagement rate of almost 10%. 

Key Takeaway: 

Ensure that your influencers match and speak to your target audience. If your main customers are Generation Z - seek out Generation Z influencers and have them create content around Generation Z interests, with your brand at the centre. 

#3 Ports 1961 #followme

The challenge?

Ports 1961 collaborated with Everlast to create a capsule collection for anyone interested in streetwear in and around New York City.

How did we achieve this? 

By targeting micro influencers from New York City (who already associate heavily with the brand) and asking them to promote this unique capsule collection. The influencers were given total freedom in how they wanted to produce their content, ensuring that it was authentic and would resonate with their audience. The influencers helped Ports 1961 x Everlast speak directly to their target audience. 

The result? 

They managed to generate over 300,ooo local impressions in NYC and an engagement rate of almost 10%. This is more than double the industry standard. 

Key Takeaway: 

By using influencers who associate heavily with the brand and the products already (i.e they are fans), not only are they more passionate and willing to go the extra mile for the brand, they also know how to create and produce content that speaks exactly to your consumer (because they are a consumer themselves). The key is getting influencers who are already fans. 

#4 Under Armour #unlikeany #iwill 

The challenge?

Under Armour wanted to engage more of its female customer demographic and saw influencer marketing as the ideal way to make this happen. 

How did we achieve this? 

Reaching out to female fitness influencers that were associated with the market, they were given a creative license to create content while working out in Under Armour’s newest collection. Giving the influencer creative control, with only the direction of #unlikeany and #iwill as a topic briefing allowed the influencers to create content that was highly inspiring and engaging. 

The result? 

This influencer marketing campaign generated over 6 million impressions with almost 400,000 registered engagements. 

Key Takeaway: 

Give influencers that already associate with your brand and niche a broad direction that incorporates your brand and product. Let them create inspiring, unique, relatable content around a key brand message. 

#5 Bloemenbureau #bloemenbureauadblocker

The challenge?

Bloemenbureau wanted to inspire their consumers through the beauty that plants and flowers have to offer, but were having a difficult time conveying this through digital marketing. 

How did we achieve this? 

We created “The Green Screen”, unique ad blockers designed by 6 influential creatives that transform your online ads into flowers. An innovative way to show consumers how flowers add value to their every day, through a medium they were already using. And through influencers that inspire them.

The result? 

This unique take on influencer marketing reached over 2 million unique people with an engagement rate of more than 10% (that’s more than 3 times the industry average). 

Key Takeaway: 

Influencers are incredibly creative. Combining their creativity with digital technology allowed Bloemenbureau to reinterpret social media marketing and reach millennials in a new way.

#6 Samsung #samsungpinkwall

The challenge?

Samsung wanted to find a way to share their brand values with a new millennial audience, and inspire the message that anything is possible.

How did we achieve this? 

An ambassador program was introduced that gave influencers the opportunity to create and produce passion projects with the help of Samsung. Not directly pushing Samsung products, it opened up a connection and conversation between brand and customer, helping to build the trust. 

The result? 

Almost 3,000,000 impressions with over 650 posts being shared, producing a ROI of 189%. 

Key Takeaway: 

Your product doesn’t have to be at the centre of the campaign, just having your brand introduced and associated with the program allows for consumers to build more trust and associations with you. 

#7 Nivea #preparewithniveamen

The challenge?

NIVEA Men were trying to get in front of their main target audience: millennial men. Traditional media proved difficult in reaching this audience, so they turned to influencer marketing. 

How did we achieve this? 

Combining offline marketing with influencer marketing, NIVEA MEN and their sponsorship of one of the leading football clubs in Spain, Real Madrid - it allowed men to be a part of something bigger. Allowing influencers the chance to experience life as a Real Madrid player meant they could take all their followers along with them on the journey.

The result? 

More than 45,000,000 impressions with an impressive 8% engagement rate. The campaign was the #2 trending topic on Twitter for a whole weekend.

Key Takeaway: 

Combining traditional advertising with influencer marketing allows you to create a 1 + 1 = 3 effect. Think of unique ways of how they can all be married up together to allow one aspect to grow with the other. 

#8 Unicef #saferinternetday

The challenge?

UNICE wanted to promote their Safer Internet Day and promote awareness of the issue through the means of influencer marketing. 

How did we achieve this? 

By reaching out to 79 influencers, we simply asked them to share their story of online abuse and how they recommend staying safe online. This sparked conversations to quash online violence. 

The result? 

Over 1.5 millions impressions were generated with more than 100,000 engagements, all without any media investment. 

Key Takeaway: 

Have influencers tell stories. Stories drive conversations and conversations lead to potential action. Simply ask an engaging question that relates to your brand, the influencers and their audience. 

#9 Noisy May #noisymayinfluenced

The challenge?

Noisy May is a sub-label of Vero Moda, targeted toward Generation Z and millennial women. They wanted to stand out to their prime target market across Europe, and give the brand a refreshing spin.

How did we achieve this? 

Six influencers were chosen to represent the brand, because they embodies their message and overall look. They were asked to design their own capsule collection for #noisymayinfluenced. The influencers shared the whole process, from concept of design through to the final end product and lookbook production with their followers.

The result? 

Over 4 million impressions and 183 earned influencer posts.

Key Takeaway: 

Allow your influencers to document. Set them a task relevant to your brand and allow them to share the entire project with followers as they undertake the task in hand. This allows for your target audience to follow them on this journey and to interact with the finished outcome. 

#10 Timex #taketime

The challenge?

TIMEX is a classic heritage watch brand that wanted to ensure that analogue remained top for watches, despite living in an increasingly digital world. 

How did we achieve this? 

Millennials still have a desire for analog watches that allow them to express their unique personal fashion and style. TIMEX flipped the convention by having over 1000 content creators tell their unique story with personalised picks. 

The result? 

More than 46.7 million impressions with over 3 million engagements resulting in a 300%+ return on interest. 

Key Takeaway: 

The classic influencer marketing formula still works: ensuring that your product ends up in the hands of your target market is a sure-fire way of making sure that your brand stays relevant. 

Which example and lesson are you going to take away and utilize in your next influencer marketing strategy? Do you need some help with this? Talk to us at IMA and let’s see how we can utilize influencer marketing to get your brand the exposure it needs.

Hopefully you have gained insights from the range of influencer marketing examples and case studies above, but of course, if you have any questions, please let us know and we will be more than happy to help.