Influencer marketing has grown exponentially over the past several years. What started as a novelty tactic for a select few digitally native brands has now become a multi-billion dollar industry and a mainstay for ecommerce startups and retail stalwarts alike.

In this blog, we’ll introduce you to some of those brands in several influencer marketing case studies and look inside the strategies that have helped them become household names in their respective fields. But first, let’s get familiar with some recent trends. 

Influencer marketing stats and trends you should know 

Influencer marketing is now nearly a $5 billion industry in the U.S.

Many brands increased their influencer marketing efforts this year as a cost-efficient way of driving sales and improving brand awareness amid a looming recession. In the U.S., influencer marketing spending reached $4.99 billion in 2022. By 2024, that number is expected to grow to $7.14 billion. 

As of July 2022, the most popular influencer marketing platforms by spending were as follows:

Influencer rates are on the rise. 

According to a recent survey, nearly 300 veteran influencer marketers said that rising influencer rates was one of the most common trends in 2022. As a result, many have begun prioritizing nano and micro influencers over their macro and celebrity counterparts. 

Smaller creators’ generally lower rates and a higher likelihood of accepting free products in exchange for products make them ideal partners for beginner and enterprise brands alike. However, bootstrapped brands interested in partnering with all creator sizes have found success in an affiliate model—a commission structure that only requires brands to pay influencers who get results. 

The industry is shifting to first-party data. 

Roughly 86% of marketers relied on third-party cookies to some extent in 2021. For influencer marketers, third-party data was most commonly used for discovering brand-aligned creators to partner with. 

However, in light of Google’s two-year plan to phase out third-party data, Meta policy updates, and Apple’s recent privacy update allowing Safari to block cookies and prevent advertisers from tracking users’ web habits, most of those marketers have already begun the transition to first-party data as an alternative. 

The transition from third-party to first-party data highlights an even greater need for long-term partnerships with authentic content creators. And although there might be some initial growing pains, shifting to a first-party data strategy will ultimately provide marketers with more accurate metrics to pull from when selecting the perfect brand partner. 

See also: First-Party Data vs. Third-Party Data: How Privacy Concerns May Affect the Future of Your Influencer Marketing Program

11 influencer marketing examples to inspire your next campaign

1. ICHIGO Inc. 

ICHIGO Inc. is a startup from Tokyo, Japan. It provides consumers with a subscription box service meant to celebrate Japanese culture through candy, snacks, and kawaii merchandise. 

Goal

In early 2022, ICHIGO Inc. built out an affiliate marketing program to generate buzz for its TokyoTreat and Sakuraco boxes. By zeroing in on high-performing creators who genuinely love the Japanese culture represented in ICHIGO Inc.’s products, the company planned to nurture a strong community of influential fans who share their brand affinity with engaged audiences.  

Execution 

ICHIGO Inc. works with creators of all sizes and pays them a flat rate or commission based on the number of conversions pulled in for the brand’s Tokyo Treat and Sakuraco boxes. The program deploys creators on multiple social media platforms but focuses primarily on YouTube creators who can reach an audience in the 18- to 50-year-old age range. As an extra incentive for their audience, ICHIGO Inc. gives each creator an affiliate link to offer their followers $5 off a subscription box. 

Results

With the help of GRIN’s intuitive affiliate marketing features, ICHIGO Inc. could execute multiple campaigns from start to finish and report on the success of each. As the brand continues to grow, ICHIGO Inc. relies on GRIN to nurture authentic relationships with niche creators and keep the brand love flowing. 

Within one year, ICHIGO Inc. was able to:  

Check out the full case study.

2. Branch Basics

Branch Basics provides direct-to-consumer, non-toxic cleaning products. Each one comes with a concentrate that users mix with water in refillable bottles that are lighter on the wallet and the environment.

Goal 

Branch Basics hoped to scale its influencer program to have an army of brand champions providing authentic product endorsements for its non-toxic cleaning products. In addition to having its creators post about the brand on their personal social media accounts, Branch Basics wanted to repurpose the highest-performing creator content across its entire marketing mix to get the most out of its partnerships.

Execution

@julesacree Use ‘JULES’ for 15% off @Branch Basics starter kits #ad #cleaningtiktok #cleaninghacks #minimalist ♬ autumn – Study Beats

Branch Basics executed its influencer marketing program in two tiers—affiliate and paid. Its affiliates work on a commission basis and receive links to share with their followers. When an affiliate performs particularly well, the company offers them a paid partnership. 

But before Branch Basics partners with a creator, it always sends the prospect a free product to ensure they genuinely like them and can learn how to use them properly. This leads to more authentic content that helps move the needle for their followers.  

Results

Branch Basics counts on GRIN to help scale its influencer program while saving the team time it can use to build long-term relationships with creators. Branch Basics now maintains a large creator roster that genuinely loves the brand while still managing to reach out to roughly 300 new creators monthly.

With GRIN’s all-in-one Creator Management platform, Branch Basics effectively manages: 

Check out the full case study.

3. City Beauty

City Beauty is a Los Angeles-based luxury skincare brand that unifies beauty and science to produce research-focused skincare solutions. The City Beauty team formulates its products with clean, cruelty-free ingredients designed to support specific skin goals—from visibly plumper lips to firmer-looking skin and anything in between.

Goal 

After rebranding in 2018, City Beauty started recruiting and sending products to social media creators who exemplified the brand’s values. The brand wanted to use its creators’ content to showcase the benefits of various skincare products while repurposing the highest-performing content across the entire marketing funnel. Although City Beauty’s main goal is always to drive sales, it also wants to build a thriving community where its influencers feel like trusted partners rather than mere transactions. 

Execution 

@janellemariss #AD #citybeauty #citybeautypartner #ad #fyp #makeup #makeuptiktok #makeupfinds #StJudeDadPhotos #fy #fypシ #viral #mascara #thebestmascara #makeuptips #makeuphacks #promua #mua #makeupartist #makeuptutorial #lashtutorial #lashes #longeyelashescheck @City Beauty – Luxury Skincare ♬ Momentum – ZOE Music

Since its rebrand, City Beauty has built a roster of high-performing content creators, including YouTubers, Instagram influencers, and models. Its robust community of “City Beauties” trust the brand, love its products, and support its mission to empower consumers to see the most beautiful version of themselves. 

Results

City Beauty grew its Instagram following by more than 35k in the first three years of using GRIN. The team has nurtured a thriving community of high-performing creators, with many generating as much as 200% ROI.

In just two years with GRIN, City Beauty accumulated:

Check out the full case study. 

4. Cuts Clothing

Cuts is a premium clothing brand specializing in T-shirts, sweatshirts, bottoms, and hats. The company’s goal is to provide clothing that is professional enough for work and stylish enough for a night out without sacrificing comfort.

Goal

Cuts recently executed a product seeding campaign with nano and micro influencers with the goals of growing the creators’ social presence and increasing Cuts’ brand awareness on TikTok. Success for the campaign meant establishing a sustainable “content farm” of high-performing creators to collectively produce 20-30 pieces of content with a 10%+ engagement rate and <$120 cost per acquisition (CPA).

Execution 

@cylussandoval #ad New Fall collection out now, link in bio to check out the rest of the collection. Use code CYSANDOVAL to save. #cutsclothing ♬ original sound – Marcos

The campaign assigned its creators 1-2 TikTok videos per month, each with a specific theme centered around a new product, collection, holiday, etc. New creators started on a one-month trial run, with the top performers invited for extended partnerships where they could become brand ambassadors and work more closely with the brand. 

Results

While leveraging the GRIN platform, Cuts created a team of 15 micro influencers who produced professional-grade content with little to no lift from the brand’s end. 

The campaign generated:

Check out the full case study. 

5. SlumberPod

SlumberPod was created by a mother-daughter duo as a sleep solution for room sharing with a baby or toddler. The brand’s feature product, the SlumberPod Sleep Canopy, provides a private, dark place for babies when families are traveling and have to sleep in the same space.

Goal 

In the beginning, SlumberPod’s marketing goal was to create brand awareness and generate excitement about the Sleep Canopy. The brand had a lot of success attracting customers and building a list of creators who wanted to work with them. As SlumberPod gained more traction, its goal changed from brand awareness to conversions. That’s when the brand turned to GRIN to help manage and track creator success during the transition. 

Execution 

@mydoublerainbows Here’s another one of those brilliant products I wish I would have had with my first baby, but am so grateful to have found with the twins! 100% blackout sleep canopy that turns any room into the perfect sleep environment. Link and discount code in my bio! @SlumberPod #slumberpod #gifted #babymusthaves #babysleep #twinhacks ♬ Music For a Sushi Restaurant – Harry Styles

The brand identified that partnering with sleep coaches and consultants was a natural fit since they already worked with their ideal customers. Creators in those niches—many having fewer than 10,000 followers—compose about two-thirds of SlumberPod’s creator roster. The other third are traditional influencers with more than 10,000 followers. The traditional influencers receive products in exchange for posting, while the more specialized creators operate solely on an affiliate agreement. 

Results

SlumberPod leveraged GRIN to automate all the busywork required to grow its creator roster and prioritize maximizing conversions for the brand. 

With GRIN’s help, SlumberPod saw:

Check out the full case study.

6. nutpods

Nutpods is the #1 non-dairy substitute creamer brand on Amazon. The vegan, kosher, non-GMO, gluten-free, and Whole30® approved brand is constantly tweaking and expanding its popular flavors to meet the trends and demands of its customers. 

Goal

It didn’t take long for nutpods to grow a dedicated fanbase eager to work with the brand. With a solid core of about 50 brand advocates working with nutpods from its early days, the influencer marketing team’s main goal was to build out an army of equally passionate advocates willing to share the love for their favorite non-dairy creamer company.  

Execution

@nicole_thenomad #ad The BEST matcha, hands down 🙌🏽🍵 the @nutpods make all the difference! #nutpodspartner #matcha ♬ original sound – Nicole Renard

Nutpods decided to step up its game with an affiliate program in addition to its ambassador program. Nutpods gave its ambassadors free products in exchange for content, while its affiliates could earn cash in a traditional commission model. Either way, the brand targeted high-quality creators ready to share their love for all things nutpods.  

Results

Nutpods relies on GRIN to run its product seeding and affiliate programs from end to end. Shortly after signing on with the world’s first Creator Management platform, nutpods grew its influencer roster to more than 250 creators and saw:

Check out the full case study.

7. Organifi

Organifi is a superfoods supplement company. Its products are meant to power the mind and body with blends made with whole food, organic ingredients, and less than three grams of sugar. 

Goal 

Organifi’s mission is to bring the benefits of superfoods into every North American household through its line of drink powder products. But Organifi wants to be known as more than just drink powders—the brand prides itself on connecting with its customer community and following their health transformations. Organifi works hard to foster a community among its fans and uses an influencer marketing program to help with that goal.

Execution 

@kelseylynnjones it’s good to eat green! 🥬🥑🌱🥝🥦#plantbasedtiktok #wieiad #healthtok #fyp @organifi #ad ♬ Summer Background Jazz – Relaxing Jazz Nights

Organifi hones in narrowly on creators who most closely resemble their ideal customers. Using carefully crafted buyer personas, the team also pinpoints those directly aligned with the brand’s mission and values. The execution required a ton of creator outreach, but in the end, Organifi had a team of ambassadors who could truly represent the brand and what it stands for. 

Results

Organifi leveraged GRIN to perform seamless creator outreach at scale and manage its entire influencer marketing program without a hitch. 

In just a short period of time, the brand managed to:

Check out the full case study.

8. Frenchie Bulldog

Frenchie Bulldog is a popular pet lifestyle brand and the original creator of the reversible dog harness. The company combines functionality with fashion to bring the best products to four-legged friends everywhere. 

Goal 

Frenchie Bulldog’s mission has always strived to build a community around its brand. And many of its most loyal early fans even became the first creators in its influencer marketing program. Now, with more than 90 dedicated influencers and 30 celebrity endorsers, Frenchie Bulldog’s influencer marketing program prioritizes generating high-quality content and increasing brand awareness. 

Execution 

@theoothefrenchiee We love @Frenchie_Bulldog ! The harness is one size so you can adjust it to perfectly fit your Frenchie! Go check them out! Harness- FRENCHIE STRAP HARNESS – EARTHY TIE DYE Poo bag- FRENCHIE POO BAG HOLDER – EARTHY TIE DYELeash- FRENCHIE COMFORT LEASH – EARTHY TIE DYE#friendchiebulldog #friendswithfrenchie #friendchiefamily #ReadyForHell #MadewithKAContest #katespadenycabana #MakeASplash #puppiesoftiktok #frenchiesoftiktok #dogsofttiktok #doglover #dogmom ♬ Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) – Kate Bush

Frenchie Bulldog partners with authentic, brand-aligned creators who produce engaging content the brand can use across its entire marketing mix. The brand also gives its creators discount codes to share with their audience to help drive sales. 

Results 

With GRIN’s help, Frenchie Bulldog can easily communicate with all its creators at scale, provide them with campaign briefs, secure the necessary content rights, and store all its valuable creator content in a single hub. 

After a short time using GRIN, Frenchie Bulldog racked up:

Check out the full case study. 

9. tentree

Tentree is an eco-friendly apparel and lifestyle brand with a mission of planting 10 trees for every item of clothing sold and eventually reaching 1 billion. So far, they’ve planted more than 42 million trees all over the world in places like Madagascar, Nepal, Haiti, the U.S., Canada, and more. 

Goal 

At first, tentree invested in traditional sponsored posts using professionally crafted content. But with a growing community of passionate fans, the brand began reaching out to environmentally friendly nano and micro influencers to produce more realistic and relatable user-generated content that could help tentree reach its ultimate goal. 

Execution 

@annevasea #ad @tentree 🌲 #seattlelife #seattlewashington #tentree #seattlethingstodo #seattlecheck ♬ Young – Vacations

Tentree reached out to numerous brand-aligned content creators who couldn’t wait to help the company fulfill its goal of planting 1 billion trees worldwide. Through the use of discount codes and affiliate links, tentree could track which creators drove the most sales for the brand and move its mission in the right direction. 

Results 

With GRIN’s robust Creator Management platform at its disposal, tentree quickly generated:

Check out the full case study.

10. MVMT Watches

MVMT is a Los Angeles-based retail brand selling high-quality, affordable watches, jewelry and accessories for men and women.

Goal 

Well before Instagram dominated the social media landscape, MVMT’s team instinctively knew its goal should be to work with talented IG photographers and content creators as a content-sourcing strategy. Years before influencer marketing became an everyday buzz phrase, the brand’s young, hip identity made working with influencers a natural fit.

Execution 

@lucabish Cook with us and then use code LUCA for 30% off @mvmt ♬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim

MVMT began sourcing its iconic social media imagery by reaching out to Instagram creators with 30,000 to 500,000 followers willing to produce content in exchange for free products. As the content gained traction online, MVMT realized leveraging creator partnerships was ideal not only for content, but as a cost-effective solution for driving sales. 

Results 

Finding GRIN enabled MVMT to keep up with the rapid growth of its influencer program and become an indispensable tool in its workflow. 

With GRIN, MVMT has seen:

Check out the full case study. 

11. Trifecta

Trifecta Nutrition provides athletes and health-conscious people with fresh and organic meals delivered right to their door. As one of the country’s largest organic meal delivery services. Trifecta feeds tens of thousands of people throughout the United States each day.

Goal 

Because Trifecta’s product is perfect for elite athletes, the brand’s immediate goal for its influencer marketing program was to build relationships with pro athletes like UFC fighters, bodybuilders, and Crossfitters. Trifecta correctly assumed that the partnerships formed would provide invaluable social proof for the brand and help drive sales. 

Execution 

@jeanlucdecoster Teaming up with @Trifecta to give you guys a discount on some SOLID meal prep 😮‍💨 use the code START40 tobsave 40% when trying it oht for the first time… link in bio! #trifecta #trifectapartner #mealprep #foodie #workouttips #fyp ♬ She Share Story (for Vlog) – 山口夕依

In addition to building relationships with professional athletes, Trifecta expanded its creator program to everyday health-conscious individuals who could generate relatable content and establish a community feel for the brand. Before long, Trifecta accumulated a vast library of quality creator content it could use across its marketing mix, getting the most mileage possible out of each post. 

Results

Shortly after coming on board with GRIN, Trifecta managed to:

Check out the full case study. 

Key takeaway: No matter your goals, influencer marketing can help take your brand to the next level. 

From increasing brand awareness to driving conversions and sales, partnering with authentic content creators has been the answer for thousands of brands looking for a cost-effective approach to marketing. The industry has grown exponentially and shows no signs of slowing down, making now the perfect time to implement or expand your influencer marketing program.

Updated: March 2023

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