From product launches to hosting an event, there is no shortage of creative ways and strategies to leverage celebrities and influencers for your brand. At Konnect, several of our clients have used this method to help make their brand unique and stand out from their competitors. As an alternative to paid media, these partnerships have proven to garner press and widespread attention organically. These partnerships and collaborations are an excellent way to build brand awareness, command attention and gain followers on social media. Featuring celebrities in advertising or with partnerships can enhance a brand, and has always been a high-impact marketing tool. Strategic collaborations with reputable figures who align with your brand’s values can help to drive growth and success.
Partnering with a Brand during a Pandemic
Celebrity endorsements, partnerships, and collaborations are among the most powerful, effective, and efficient ways to boost a brand, its sales and reach out to its targeted audience. These partnerships are proven to be lucrative for both the brand and the celebrity. While the use of a high-profile alliance is not a new concept, in today’s digital world, companies that have successfully leveraged celebrity endorsements have resulted in increased business. Celebrities are also utilizing their platforms to find ways to go beyond basic endorsements and product launches. They are coming up with more creative and extraordinary activations to support a brand and increase digital visibility, also known as the celebrity effect.
An excellent use of the celebrity effect was during the pandemic last year, well-known rapper Travis Scott collaborated with the world’s largest restaurant chain, McDonald’s, to create his very own signature meal that sold out within the first couple of days. This highly publicized partnership boosted McDonald’s revenue and sales at a time of uncertainty and increased brand awareness with Scott’s fan base. How did Travis Scott do it? While earning more than $20 million from this partnership, Travis and McDonald’s created a fun and engaging commercial that was broadcast nationwide for this limited-time collaboration. During this period, Scott also used this opportunity to release his own merchandise. This unique collaboration posed as an excellent way for both the mega-franchise and rap star to benefit from each other. When Scott made an in-person appearance at a McDonald’s location, thousands of fans showed up to see him despite the global pandemic! This strategic marketing move generated a rare amount of hype for the typically staid company. This shows how valuable collaboration can be for both a brand and a celebrity.
Being the Face of a Brand
Another way to boost brand awareness is to select a celebrity to be the face of your brand, which will help extend your reach to a much larger audience. Bringing in an A-list celebrity or athlete as part of the team can help increase your brand’s credibility.
One of the latest health and wellness partnerships was A-list celebrity Jennifer Aniston being named Chief Creative Officer of popular supplement brand, Vital Proteins. This collaboration is ideal because Aniston is not only a well-known actor, but for many years she has been the face of many beauty, health, and wellness brands. In several interviews, Aniston has been a strong advocate for fitness and improving overall health. This collaboration will help to build upon the brand’s trust and credibility as she shares her testimony about the product. For the creative aspect of this partnership, Aniston and Vital Proteins created a video of this announcement that she shared on her social media platforms which have a significant following. Her new role with the company will help reinforce their mission of encouraging others to find wellness on a much larger scale.
Another recent collaboration that sparked great attention is KRAVE’s partnership with action sports icon, olympian, and beloved athlete Shaun White, as an investor and global ambassador of this leading jerky brand. As a longtime fan of KRAVE, White is the perfect fit for the brand that revolutionized meat snacks, much like how he did action sports. White plans to contribute his entrepreneurial experience through this new partnership and bring a unique twist to the brand with some exciting things ahead, including a Shaun White flavor and updated packaging.
These two collaborations are a perfect example of how partnering with a well-known public figure on a corporate level can strengthen brand awareness, credibility, and broaden their audience.
Influencer Collaborations
One of the most effective methods micro and macro-influencers work with brands is through the social media platform Instagram. With brand ambassador programs, influencers can team up with a brand through their affiliate programming and regularly post about the products through sponsored posts. Many influencers also collaborate with brands through an Instagram takeover on their live feed to give a product review or product testimony. Other creative ways influencers have built their relationships with brands are through product giveaways, contests, and even recipe collaborations. One strategy that we use here at Konnect is influencer seeding as a quick way to garner organic posts and Instagram stories.
Through social media, celebrities have also jumped on small partnerships with brands by showcasing their love for the product on their Instagram and TikTok profiles. A good example is singer Jason Derulo, who partnered with Water Ice company and their ultra-premium product Happy Ice, to help celebrate reaching a million followers on TikTok. For a special TikTok post, Jason borrowed one of their Happy Ice trucks to create a signature fruity refreshment to give to his nieces, which generated much buzz for the company. Another simple brand collaboration was with actress Joey King and Van Leeuwen ice cream. In a post, Joey shared her love of ice cream while promoting the brand’s product. This one post garnered more than one million likes and resulted in a boost of followers and brand awareness for the company.
This kind of in-feed content helps increase brand awareness while boosting followers and exposure on celebrity, influencer, and brand social media profiles. These creative celebrity and influencer partnerships not only continue to drive brand awareness but lean on creating a long-lasting relationship with the brand, products, and services they love. This shows that thinking outside of the box and teaming up with the right partner can be lucrative on all fronts.