Brand Partnerships Unwrapped: The 4 Influencer Trends Every CPG Marketer Must Understand Now

Influencer and brand partnerships are nothing new  — witness such recent high-profile influencer and brand partnerships from Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Tom Brady partnering with Dunkin Donuts for a Super Bowl ad to model/social media personality Sophia Richie Grainge’s partnership with jeweler David Yurman. BUT the evolution of how brands are now partnering with influencers – or people of influence – is evolving. Let’s explore the trends that are reshaping the way brands such as Dove, Glossier and HANDy Products connect with audiences, with a focus in the CPG category.

Whether you’re a seasoned CPG marketer or a curious enthusiast looking for thumb-stopping content to engage with, here are my predictions for the top trends to keep in mind when developing and executing successful brand partnerships in 2024.

The Rise of the Nanoinfluencers: As brand and influencer content becomes ubiquitous on all of the major social media platforms, brands are turning to nanoinfluencers—individuals with smaller but highly engaged followings—to cut through the noise and drive genuine connections with niche audiences. Studies show that nanoinfluencers (typically defined as fewer than 10,000 followers) achieve 7 times higher engagement rates than macro-influencers.

Brands like Glossier have successfully leveraged nanoinfluencers to create authentic connections with niche audiences. By partnering with beauty enthusiasts who have smaller but highly engaged followings, makeup and skin care brand Glossier has cultivated a loyal community of customers who trust and advocate for the brand, helping make Glossier one of the most successful direct-to-consumer brands to date ($1.8 billion!).

Bringing Online Communities Offline: Influencers can do so much more than create content about your product and amplify it across their social platforms. For example Maccabee client  Handy Products, a Minnesota-based DIY company that creates durable and functional products for consumers and tradespeople who have painting projects, has partnered with influencers for almost a decade. Handy Products has seen firsthand the power of partners creatively using their home décor products in an authentic way. But in recent years, our agency has also brought Handy Products’ influencer partners to in-person events and conferences to leverage their credibility. A recent example was our having one of Handy Products’ influencer partners featured at the Haven Conference (a leading DIY conference attended by hundreds of lifestyle influencers), who led a session using Handy Products. It was a great way to interact with influencers attending the Haven session, building relationships and brand awareness.

Authenticity Over AI: AI is an inevitable  topic of conversation across all marketing channels, with creatives and brand marketers arguing for and against its merits. Diving into this conversation, but truly trying to create a movement, Dove leaned into its long-running and successful Real Beauty platform to launch a pledge saying it will never use AI in its advertising to portray real people. Dove launched this campaign in April 2024 by collaborating with influencers who champion body positivity and self-acceptance. By doing so, the Dove brand resonated with communities seeking genuine content.

Leverage User-Generated Content: We all know the power of third-party credibility for your brand. And we also understand the power that content creators can generate for brands. Combining these two creates powerful content that can increase engagement and reach for brands. User-Generated Content (UGC)-based advertising often generate higher levels of engagement compared to traditional branded content. When consumers see themselves reflected in ads, they’re more likely to engage with the content, share it with their networks, and contribute their own UGC, thereby extending the brand’s reach organically. Utilizing UGC for ads can be a cost-effective strategy for brands, as it reduces the need for producing expensive, professionally curated content.

These brand examples demonstrate how forward-thinking companies are embracing influencer trends for 2024 to create impactful and memorable marketing campaigns. We’d love to hear from you on what’s working with your influencer campaigns!  Learn more about the Maccabee agency’s influencer marketing services at: https://maccabee.com/what-we-do/influencer-marketing/

And don’t miss our agency’s “6 Tips for Marketers on Hosting an Influencer Relations Event”: https://info.maccabee.com/blog/six-tips-for-marketers-on-how-to-host-a-successful-influencer-relations-event/