A Look Back at the Most Successful Influencer Marketing Campaigns

The past year has been a scrapbook of successful influencer marketing campaigns. Brands are harnessing the power of social media influencers to propel their marketing efforts.

Leadership teams recognize the effectiveness of influencer marketing to drive substantial impact for their brand’s growth. They are dedicating significant budgets and attention to pursuing this strategy.

10 Successful Influencer Marketing Campaigns to Inspire You

If you’re a brand looking to build your influencer marketing campaign, then take a look at the most successful influencer marketing campaigns of 2019 for inspiration.

1. Vamp Campaign for Adobe Lightroom

Starting off strong with this Ewards-winning campaign, Adobe Lightroom captivated an audience to drive low-cost downloads.

Through the unique storytelling abilities of 37 Aussie Instagram influencers, curious followers were directed to their Stories for a customized tutorial of the Adobe Lightroom features that conceived the image.

Complete with swipe up capabilities, the brand was able to direct viewers straight to the download page to install the app and begin creating their own masterful content.

This strategy allowed Adobe to target consumers at the exact moment when the beautiful imagery piqued their interests.

High-performing influencer posts were assisted with paid amplification to reach a wider audience and drive greater results.

Image via Vamp

2. ASMR Campaign for Reese

In nearly an hour and a half production of “ASMRtistry,” Hershey Canada is giving it’s viewers goosebumps over the beloved Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup.

Featuring ASMRtists, influencers in the autonomous sensory meridian response practice, the movie covers a suspenseful, rich audible build up to the silent enjoyment of the candy.

Video via YouTube

Riding on the phenomenal physical effects that ASMR has on the human body, Hershey Canada was able to broadcast the conversation around how to eat a peanut butter cup in the Reese movie.

Staying on brand with their out-of-the-box marketing approach, this activation ranks highly as one of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns this year.

Reese previewed a clip of the feature-length film during a popular TV series and released the full movie on YouTube and HULU.

The brand was able to amass millions of views across different platforms and forge genuine connections with their audiences by combining influencers, ASMR, and, of course, peanut butter and chocolate.

3. #WithALittleHelp Campaign by Google

Influencers showcased how #WithALittleHelp from Google products, Search and Maps, they were able to perform a range of tasks.

As one of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns, Google’s activation has extended around the world to highlight their array of trustworthy offerings.

Each influencer published multiple sponsored videos over the course of three months to promote Google’s products and services. Despite what you think you already know about Google, these creators’ audiences were all for it, generating millions of views each.

Video via YouTube

4. #TargetTalent Campaign by Target

An example of a more strategic, long-term initiative, Target launched  #TargetTalent. Joining the ranks of successful influencer campaigns, the company centered this activation around their total rebranding strategy.

Seven diverse influencers established long-term partnerships with Target. The campaign will feature multiple posts from each creator on various social channels over the length of the partnership period.

Aiming to inspire with relatable content, the influencers share Target products in the context of their unique lifestyles.

Image via Instagram

5. #RevolveFestival by REVOLVE

No rookie when it comes to influencer marketing, REVOLVE reigns with some of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns in 2019, and well before.

One of their biggest activations is the REVOLVE Festival, a Coachella event that is almost as popular as the festival itself.

Influencers from every platform are invited to the photogenic experience, encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to capture and share prime content, dressed head-to-toe in the brand’s clothing.

Pairing the influencer campaign with a physical event, REVOLVE is able to amplify their reach and show their audience the versatility of their products. Micro-influencers and celebrities alike join the festivities to launch the campaign into an annual occurrence.

#RevolveFestival content captures diverse audiences and receives thousands of likes per post. What’s more, aspiring attendees share branded content as well, free of charge, in hopes of getting an invite for next year.

Image via Instagram

6. #ChipotleLidFlip Challenge by Chipotle Mexican Grill

Taking on one of the newest influencer platforms, the #ChipotleLidFlip challenge became the most successful influencer marketing campaign on TikTok in the U.S.

In celebration of National Burrito Day, the campaign partnered with David Dobrik, a popular YouTube vlogger with over 5.7 million TikTok fans, introducing a namesake menu item and launching the challenge.

Chipotle targeted a younger demographic with their platform choice of TikTok. And, their highly-engaged audience responded overwhelmingly.

The #ChipotleLidFlip challenge generated 430 million video starts and 250K video submissions within one week. Within one month, the hashtag alone attracted over 230 million views.

But, it didn’t end there. Building on their most successful influencer marketing campaign, Chipotle’s promotion yielded the biggest guacamole day ever, increasing avocado consumption 68% on National Avocado Day.

Image via TikTok

7. “Stories From Our Future” Campaign by Netflix

As promotion for the newest season release of Black Mirror, Netflix introduced their campaign “Stories From Our Future.” Targeting Spanish-speaking audiences, these shorts were inspired by fans and their homages to the series.

In one fell swoop, three YouTube influencers initiated one of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns of 2019, each publishing their video in the series on June 10th.

Other content creators starred in short films, generating an even wider sphere of influence for the campaign. With millions of views each, and hundreds of thousands of likes, “The Healthy Alternative,” “Getting to Know You,” and “Cure for Loneliness” stories gained the show traction among its audience, and Netflix a spot on this list.

Video via YouTube

8. #SimpleBirthControl Campaign by Simple Health

Influencer marketing in 2019 has proven that the most successful influencer marketing campaigns can result from highly-targeted micro-influencers too.

Simple Health’s #SimpleBirthControl campaign expanded into the female college-aged micro-influencer market this year.

Simple Health promotes their service through relevant influencers to develop brand awareness among young female audiences.

An extension of their partnerships with larger names like Anna Russett and Caley Alyssa, Simple Health activated multiple college lifestyle micro-influencers in their most recent #SimpleBirthControl campaign.

While this approach drove lower engagement metrics, they reached a wider audience with targeted messaging.

Image via Instagram

9. Boots Beauty Festival by Boots UK

Another decorated campaign, the Boots Beauty Festival won multiple Influencer Marketing Awards, landing a spot on our list of the most successful influencer marketing campaigns of 2019.

Utilizing an integrated influencer-led strategy, the Boots Beauty Festival exceeded brand expectations. They launched Facebook collection ads to run alongside their influencer content. In addition, Boots UK created a landing page for the festival content to drive customers to desired channels.

The integration of Boots UK’s own social campaign with paid influencers took this activation to the next level. They successfully delivered their first Facebook Live broadcast, hosted an event for brand ambassadors, and solidified a digital partnership with New magazine.

Boots harnessed the power of influencers throughout the entire customer journey to forge authentic connections with their target audience.

The Boots Beauty Festival and the surrounding influencer marketing campaign increased revenue 26% from product features on influencers’ channels.

10. #TheFutureIsVoting Campaign by HeadCount

Riding the curtails of Ariana Grande’s fandom, HeadCount’s initiative to encourage civic participation through their #TheFutureIsVoting campaign is registering voters at concerts, festivals, and cultural events.

In an effort to increase brand awareness and broadcast their message of social and voting engagement, HeadCount collaborates with various influencers – celebrities, musicians, content creators – to garner support for the cause.

Their success in promoting democratic participation through influencer marketing campaigns is evident in the numbers.

HeadCount has registered over 122,000 voters in 2019 alone, a significant leap compared to their 500,000 registered voters since 2004. And, influencer marketing is to credit for this accomplishment.

Image via Instagram

Final Thoughts

After highlighting the most successful influencer marketing campaigns of 2019, hopefully you are inspired to take advantage of this lucrative marketing strategy for your brand too.

Each of these campaigns contain unique elements paramount to their success. From celebrity to micro-influencer activations, if you can dream it, you can do it with influencer marketing.

If you have any questions about launching your influencer campaign, please feel free to connect with me.