Thursday, February 13

📊 Did you know?

U.S. influencer marketing spending is projected to hit $9.29 billion in 2025, up 14.2%. And that’s excluding paid media and non-social spending.

(eMarketer, 2025)

👀 Campaign(s) to Learn From

Did you know? In 2010, only about a third of Super Bowl ads featured a celebrity.

By 2020, that number had jumped to 70%

But this year?

Brands realized that influencers drive more trust, engagement, and real-time conversation than celebrity endorsements ever could.

For this 2025 Super Bowl, I've reviewed most of the campaigns, and some offer valuable lessons for launching successful creator collaborations.

So, it’s now your turn to learn from my top 3 Super Bowl campaigns featuring creators:

1️⃣ Ulta Beauty – “For the W”

Ulta took its Super Bowl influencer collaboration offline with a pop-up event in New Orleans.

Hosted by Chanen Johnson (wife of NFL player Juwan Johnson), the activation celebrated women in sports and featured dozens of creators.

The campaign extended to social with beauty content starring SZA’s makeup artist Deanna Paley.

💡 Lesson: In-person activations create deeper brand experiences. Even if your brand isn’t directly tied to an event, you can still join the conversation.

Ulta, a beauty retailer, found its way into the Super Bowl by engaging a niche audience—NFL wives—and turning them into beauty ambassadors. Pairing influencer events with digital content keeps the momentum going long after game day.

ultabeauty

View more on Instagram

2️⃣  Pringles x Chef Creators and Adam Brody?!

Pringles paired Hollywood nostalgia with creator power, enlisting actor Adam Brody and TikTok chef Meredith Hayden (@WishboneKitchen, 3.5M followers). Brody, trending due to his hit Netflix show, helped the campaign tap into current pop culture.

The campaign blended humor with food content, making it highly shareable.

💡 Lesson: Smart partnerships bridge generational gaps. Leveraging trending celebrities alongside creators adds credibility while keeping content fresh and timely.

🔥 The results? 12M+ views on Instagram!

wishbonekitchen

View more on Instagram

3️⃣ Authenticity Wins

Hellmann’s, a household condiment brand, leaned into 90s nostalgia with a “When Harry Met Sally” parody featuring Meg Ryan and Sydney Sweeney.

Meanwhile, Carl’s Jr. tapped TikTok star Alix Earle for a modern take on its controversial “bikini-and-burgers” ads.

💡 Lesson: Audiences crave authenticity over polish. Nostalgia works, but integrating niche creators makes campaigns more relatable.

🔥 The results? 11M+ views on TikTok!!

@alixearle

we know you'll be hungover from the big game... I've got a cure. grab a hangover burger from @Carl’s Jr. for FREE all day Monday, 2/10 onl... See more

What else can you do with $7M (the cost of one Super Bowl ad)?

Instead of a single 30-second spot, that budget could power:

• 1.35 billion TikTok impressions – With a $5.18 CPM, TikTok offers a massive reach, but attention span remains a challenge.

• 1.6 billion Instagram Reels impressions – As TikTok faces uncertainty, Meta is aggressively growing Reels, matching ad spend for brands.

• A year-long influencer strategy – 500+ nano-influencers for a year or +5 massive creators for a month—each with a different reach & impact.

• 28,000 influencer gifts – Sending PR packages to micro-influencers can drive more organic content than paid ads.

💡 Looking to work with influencers in 2025? We can help craft a strategy, budget and plan tailored to your brand.

🚨 Don’t wait—secure your edge for 2025! (Psst, it’s free!)
🔗 Schedule your strategy session

🔔 Top Creator Stories

⏸️ Meta is testing a Reels pause feature with a small group of users.

🛒 TikTok expands in-stream shopping to Latin America.

🟡 Snapchat releases a Valentine’s Day marketing guide for brands.

📊 YouTube will spotlight device data to help creators tailor content for TV audiences.