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- 80% of consumers say they will likely buy from brands using influencers in real life.
- Dick’s Sporting Goods says using in-store influencers helped them grow.
- Blueland and Black Forager’s product line sold out fast, showing that product collaborations are effective.
- PGA’s Creator Classic mixed influencers with regular TV to get younger viewers.
- Estée Lauder’s campaign with a sleep scientist shows influencers can go past beauty into science.
Dick’s Sporting Goods: Influencers in stores and easy to see
Dick’s Sporting Goods has put influencer marketing in physical stores in a clear, shopper-focused way. Instead of only using influencers for online stuff, their own influencer program—Dick’s Varsity Team—makes young athletes and creators brand ambassadors. You can see them everywhere a customer might look.
These creators don’t just share online videos. They are
- On store signs and ads
- In catalogs and seasonal ads
- At store events and product demos
This mix of online and in-person people has helped Dick’s stand out in stores. It has turned stores into places to experience things. Their House of Sport expansion mixes sports, community, and online content in a way few brands have done. This is largely because of their deep influencer marketing plan.
Main point: Have real creators shape your space. Make it visual, tell a story, and create an experience. Use a real influencer campaign to take your brand off social media and into the real world.
Blueland and The Black Forager: Making together, not just working together
Influencer brand work is best when the creator’s voice really shapes the product, not just the ad. Blueland’s work with Alexis Nikole Nelson, known as @BlackForager, is a great example of making products together.
In this work, Alexis
- Helped create scents for a hand soap line
- Added her values to the green messages
- Showed how the collection was made on her social media
Why did fans like it so much? Because the soap wasn’t just “like” her brand, it was part of it. Her fans were already interested in her push for easy, green living. Blueland used this story and made it a sales success.
Main point: When working together becomes making together, your partnership does more than just reach people. It becomes important, builds trust, and sells things at the same time.
Deliveroo’ s Valentine’s Sommelier: Turning online content into real customer moments
Imagine a food delivery brand being part of your date night. That’s what Deliveroo did when they worked with Tom Gilbey, a wine influencer known for making wine fun and easy to understand.
For Valentine’s Day, Deliveroo
- Gave free in-home wine experts to three winners
- Had the influencer pick wines and suggest products
- Got people to share on social media after the event
The result? A fun, real influencer campaign that made the brand more than just food delivery. It made it part of good times and relationships. And because Gilbey shared his experiences online, it reached more people than just those at the event.
Main point: Good influencer brand work makes shared experiences better. Let your influencers connect what you offer to how people live.
PGA Tour’s Creator Classic: Online creators meet old sports
To get younger viewers, the PGA Tour changed what a sports influencer campaign could be. The Creator Classic was a short golf match before a big tournament. It had online influencers but was shown on TV like a regular sports event.
Why it worked
- It had creators who were good at stories and golf content
- It was streamed on TV, YouTube, and Twitch
- It made people excited before the main event in a way younger fans liked
This campaign shows influencer marketing can do more than just promote. It can make the event itself better. Using creators in live events added realness, humor, and energy. This changed how some people saw golf as boring or hard to get into.
Main point: Want to make an old brand or event new? Start with today’s creators. They will connect you to the viewers of tomorrow.
Estée Lauder’s Global Sleep Advisor: Science and trust meet beauty
Estée Lauder making Dr. Matthew Walker their Global Sleep Advisor wasn’t just for show. It was the start of a new type of influence. Instead of a typical beauty influencer, they picked a science author known for facts about sleep and health.
With this campaign, Dr. Walker
- Added science to the story of Advanced Night Repair serum
- Gave real reasons to use Lauder’s night routine
- Made content for both skincare and health fans
It was a new kind of real influencer partnership. It mixed beauty, sleep science, and media into a campaign that taught and entertained.
Main point: Trust is more than just looks. Think about experts and researchers as your next brand fans.
Amelia Dimoldenburg at the Oscars: Influencers as new reporters
When Amelia Dimoldenburg became the red carpet host at the Oscars, it showed how much culture and business are mixing. Known for her funny YouTube show Chicken Shop Date, her being at the Oscars was a big change.
Why it’s important
- Celebrities now want to be interviewed by her
- Viewers get real talk from someone they trust
- Media jobs are changing to include online talent
Brands should pay attention: influencer events are more than just photos. They are media. When influencers are official reporters or hosts, people pay more attention.
Main point: For your next event, think about using influencers to cover it. Let them report, tell the story, and make your brand’s big moments feel more human.
Why online and offline together is always better than just online
More than half of marketing teams plan to spend more on influencers in 2025. And not just for more online posts. The growth is in using many ways to reach people where they are.
Here’s why mixing online and real-world touchpoints works
- Real moments make stronger feelings: holding, seeing, or smelling a product.
- Offline events and signs make people find and like your brand without planning to.
- Creators can make experiences fit local areas and people.
Whether it’s influencers in stores or leading online events, campaigns that mix online and offline do better than just online. They improve brand recall, buying interest, and how long people pay attention.
Main point: Use influencer marketing not just as an ad, but as a constant part of your brand. Tell stories across both real and online spaces.
Making influencer marketing bigger with content tools
Running these complex campaigns doesn’t have to cost a lot or take up all your time. Content tools can help connect ideas and delivery. This is helpful when you want to get the most from influencer content.
Here’s how teams do it
- Take audio from influencer videos for podcasts
- Make print signs from social media posts
- Turn live events into email series and blog posts
Imagine a local shop working with an influencer to open a new café
- Use a live video tour for TikTok and Instagram Reels
- Automatically create captions, words for signs, and written copies
- Promote the event in emails, local news, and even postcards
Main point: Content tools don’t take away the human part. They help you make the magic bigger.
Being real is your best tool
People today are smart. If your influencer brand work looks fake, it can hurt you. Being real is more important than just looking good. Being honest wins in both online and real spaces.
Three ways to be real
- Pick creators who already use and like your product.
- Let influencers help shape not just the content but the whole campaign.
- Don’t use too many scripts. Real talk is better than perfect ads.
Bonus tip: Focus on being relevant, not just reaching lots of people. A smaller creator who shares your audience’s values often gets better results than a super famous person who doesn’t fit your brand.
Measuring the real success of influencer campaigns
Don’t just track online numbers. Mixing online and real-world work needs new ways to measure success. These should show results all the way through the sales process.
Track these real-life things along with online numbers
- How many more people buy in stores with influencer signs
- How often promo codes from events or posts are used
- How much local sales go up after influencer events
- How long customers from campaigns stay customers
Combine these with normal numbers like views, clicks, shares, and feelings to get a full picture.
Main point: Influencer campaigns are not just for show. They are real marketing that works at every point where customers see you.
What this means for small businesses
You don’t need a huge budget to win with influencer marketing. Real influencer campaigns are about being personal, not expensive. This is good news for small businesses.
Try this
- Have a class at your store with local micro-influencers
- Use IG Lives or YouTube Shorts to show new items before they are out
- Offer discounts to followers of local creators
Use free or cheap tools to record, edit, and share that content everywhere. This makes it last longer and reach more people.
Main point: With good ideas and a smart content plan, small businesses can beat big brands by being real and relevant.
Tips for the next step in influencer brand work
The future of influencer marketing is mixed, human, and story-based. Some best practices for what’s coming
- Include influencers early—in ideas, testing, and starting out
- Make real moments part of campaigns, from store openings to tasting events
- Let creators tell the story their way, not just read lines
- Make influencer content last longer by reusing it in smart ways
- Track real actions (like store visits, mentions, QR scans) with online numbers
It’s not just about posts. It’s about being there, joining in, and purpose.
As online spaces and real life become more connected, your influencer plan must change too. Real influencer campaigns are not just strong, they’re personal. They make moments real, show values, and build deeper connections with people in all places.
Brand success now won’t be about just following trends. It will come from real, complete influencer brand work that goes from online to in-store. With ideas, working together, and content tools, anything is possible.
Let your next campaign be more than just online—let it be real.
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