The Top 5 Best Influencer Marketing Campaigns and Why They Work

In the digital age, marketing has evolved to include not just billboards and TV ads but also become a part of our daily lives. With complete access to the globe in the palms of our hands, marketing agencies have gotten creative in pursuing not just selling their consumers a product, but a lifestyle. Over the past decade,  companies launching influencer marketing campaigns has been a prominent strategy in getting products into the hands of consumers. Influencers have the power and the platform to influence demographics in a personal and intimate way that has seldom been accessible to A-list celebrities in the past. These are some of the past few years’ most successful, creative, and innovative influencer marketing campaigns.

Chamberlain Coffee x 818 Tequila

Emma Chamberlain has been the Internet’s sweetheart since 2017, and her wildly popular coffee company, Chamberlain Coffee, has taken off since its launch in 2020. Part of what makes this brand so successful is the connection between Emma Chamberlain and her love of coffee. One of Emma’s hallmarks as an up-and-coming influencer back in the day was her coffee order. All around the world, teenage girls were ordering iced vanilla almond milk lattes to replicate their favorite it-girl. Emma capitalized on this trend, and Chamberlain Coffee was born. 

Kendall Jenner’s company, 818 Tequila, has been on the market since 2021 and has seen quite a bit of success. Kendall has honed in specifically on college campuses in the past few years and has made appearances in dive bars from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, to Athens, Georgia. This focus on college students has highlighted the brand as a cool girl’s slightly elevated liquor choice from the bottom-shelf plastic bottle tequila often sold in dive bars across America. 

Part of what makes these brands individually so successful are the faces associated with them. Chamberlain and Jenner are internet it-girls who are looked to for trend forecasting and deciphering what’s currently “in.”In the months prior to this collaboration, a separate trend that had nothing to do with these brands of making an espresso martini with tequila rather than vodka (otherwise known as an El Jefe) had been gaining traction. Lovers of the classic espresso martini cocktail realized that the mix of tequila and coffee made for a delicious combination. This new cocktail discovery was a game changing upgrade for those who love espresso martinis but prefer tequila over vodka. For Chamberlain and Jenner, it was the perfect opportunity to come together and promote their products in a trendy yet niche way. This is one of those influencer marketing campaigns that makes you think, “Why didn’t I think of that?” 

Sweet Green x Renee Rapp

Renee Rapp, a singer, and actress rising to fame, has been a vocal superfan of the salad chain Sweet Green since 2018 when she moved to New York City to pursue her career in the entertainment industry. Fans of the singer even suggested that Rapp collaborate with the brand before it launched because of her public declaration of love for Sweet Green salads on X (formerly Twitter). 

What’s enticing about this collaboration is the creativity and extra effort put into its marketing. There have been many collaborations between celebrities and restaurants, but this particular collaboration stood out for consumers. The promo photos taken for the shoot played a significant role in the campaigns success as it was high-quality, creative, unique, and iconic, to the point where Renee Rapp x Sweet Green Halloween costumes could be found across social media. Another reason this campaign gained popularity was because of the story behind it. Rapp’s loyal fans were aware of her love of the salad company, and highlighting this fun and lighthearted personality quirk of Renee’s rather than the obvious- her incredible singing voice and acting career- made the campaign feel personal to both her fans and consumers of Sweet Green.

Tube Girl x MAC Cosmetics

“Tube Girl” took over the Internet in 2023 with confident, windblown videos of her lip-syncing popular songs on the London tube. Her shamelessness and general aura intrigued the people of TikTok, who wanted to replicate her confidence and main character energy. Sabrina Bahsoon, the mastermind behind “Tube Girl” embodies the young, carefree early twenty-something who wants to go out, have fun, and live life to the fullest while not taking themselves too seriously. Bahsoon even featured the one and only Naiomi Campbell in one of her many “Tube Girl” videos. 

Some of the hallmarks of Bahsoon’s “Tube Girl” TikToks are her confident poses, various camera angles, and, often, her lip gloss application during the video. In September of 2023, at the peak of her popularity, Bahsoon collaborated with MAC cosmetics, honing in on their lip gloss line. The influencer filmed various videos for the brand and even walked in their “Face Show” during London Fashion Week. 

This collaboration is a perfect example of a company capitalizing on a trend subtly yet effectively. Nothing about Bahsoon’s videos had to change significantly  when she started collaborating with MAC. She wasn’t outwardly talking to her audience about the MAC products she promoted  but instead replacing her usual lip gloss choice with a MAC alternative. This campaign is a great reminder that the best ads often don’t feel like ads. 

15 Minutes of Flavor

The genesis of the Internet took the term “15 minutes of fame” and made it more literal than ever before. Hundreds of thousands of forgotten singers, comedians, and memes across the Internet have graced our screens just to be neglected days later. Though not every popular trend has longevity, it is undeniable that these moments have deeply shaped internet culture years after their short-lived popularity. Heinz capitalized on the juxtaposition between short-lived fame and long-lasting flavor with their campaign “15 minutes of flavor” back in the summer of 2023. 

Rebecca Black, the singer of the internet’s most hated song “Friday”, William Hung, an American Idol reject, and Kyle Craven, also known as “Bad Luck Brian,” were the faces featured in this campaign. These momentarily viral stars posed alongside new Heinz sauce flavors such as black garlic ranch, yuzu wasabi, and brewery mustard. This campaign stands out because though these viral stars no longer experience the level of fame and attention that they once had, they are unforgettable in the memory of the internet. By bringing together these previously viral stars, Heinz brought back an online memory that brings a community of young internet users together. The ad is unexpected, as most companies like to go for the hottest, most trending topic of the moment. Heinz, rather than looking forward, was able to play on consumers’ feelings of nostalgia and run an effective influencer marketing campaign featuring some of the internet’s not-so-forgotten stars. 

Dunkin Donuts x Charli D’amelio

Charli D’amelio is one of TikTok’s first sweethearts and, over the past four  years, has amassed over 155 million followers on the platform. As one of the top creators on the app, Charli has done brand deals with companies such as Amazon, Abercrombie, Burberry, and Prada. The influencer, who gained popularity for her dancing videos during lockdown in 2020, has maintained popularity along with her parents, Heidi and Mark, and her older sister, Dixie. Though D’amelio has been involved with a variety of brands, one collaboration stands out. In September of 2020, as she was exponentially growing one of the largest followings on TikTok, D’amelio officially partnered with Dunkin Donuts to create her iced coffee order- “The Charli”. Though D’amelio gained popularity because of her dancing videos, fans became increasingly interested in her daily life, especially  her obsession with Dunkin Donuts coffee. Because of her fans’ interest in visiting the donut shop (especially those who didn’t have Dunkin Donuts available in their state), Dunkin Donuts capitalized on their increased brand awareness and partnered with the influencer. 

Once again, this is a great example of marketing that doesn’t feel like marketing. D’amelio’s obsession with Dunkin Donuts didn’t come from their partnership, but it started long before collaborating with a brand. The quick capitalization on this part of D’amelio’s personality in an organic way was one of the main reasons this was such a successful campaign. Dunkin Donuts benefitted from this partnership as they saw a large increase in sales, app downloads, and social media traffic due to the influencer marketing campaign. 

Learn How to Stand Out

It isn’t easy  to stand out in the social media marketing space in an age when digital marketing is deeply oversaturated. Even for some of the most popular brands in the world, it takes a creative, innovative, and outside-of-the-box campaign to gain traction with consumers online. Though it can be difficult to do alone, digital marketing and more specifically influencer marketing are necessary in order to run a successful business. What we can take away from all five of these influencer marketing campaigns are three major details that contributed heavily to their success. 

• Each campaign came with a story
• None of these campaigns felt like an ad
• In each of these campaigns, the brands shaped themselves to fit into the  influencer’s brand rather than forcing the influencer into an ad that felt inorganic

Need Help Developing Influencer Marketing Campaigns? 

Being tapped into pop culture and the niches that surround trend cycles is necessary in achieving a successful influencer marketing campaign. Here at Online Optimism, finding unique angles and taking the unbeaten path are what we do best. Standing out rather than blending when it comes to digital marketing is always our goal. For more information on our work and services, contact us!