Influencer Marketing

Welcome to Ad Age’s influencer marketing newsletter, featuring news gathered by Ad Age reporter Gillian Follett. Every week, we explore how brands are working with influencers and how the creator economy is transforming the advertising landscape. You can sign up here to get updates delivered to your inbox.

Why NBCU is banking on creators for its long-term Olympics marketing strategy

For more than a decade, NBCUniversal has been leveraging social media to generate buzz around the Olympics and drive eyeballs to TV broadcasts of the Games. But the Paris Olympics reflect a major shift in NBCU’s approach to Olympics marketing aimed at younger audiences—one that puts the Olympics in front of creators’ audiences, rather than attempting to push those viewers to NBCU’s Olympics content.

And NBCU’s launch of its “Paris Creator Collective,” a group of 27 creators across YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Meta spanning niches from sports to comedy to beauty, is just the first step in the company’s long-term approach to convert Gen Z and Gen Alpha viewers into avid fans of the Summer Games ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. 

“So much of what our marketing strategy is for Paris, Milan, LA [and] the future is really bringing the Olympics back into the cultural zeitgeist,” Lyndsay Signor, senior VP, consumer engagement, sports strategic marketing at NBCU, told Ad Age. “[The Creator Collective] works together with our broader marketing strategy of getting the Olympics in front of as many people as possible in a way that’s engaging—so that, ideally, they become lifelong fans if they aren’t already.”

Read more about NBCU’s Olympics creator strategy here 

What we’re reading

Inside an ongoing legal battle between two content creators after one accused the other of copying the “neutral, beige, and cream aesthetic” of her social content. 

How sports marketing agencies are adapting to the rise of influencer-style deals between brands and athletes. 

Reddit’s number of daily active users is climbing faster than any other social platform, despite its smaller overall user base. 

Owala and Lululemon are challenging Stanley for the status of coolest water bottle in the classroom.

Creator economy job postings grew 66% from the first quarter to the second, and San Francisco and Los Angeles were the largest hubs for these new positions. 

Brand deal of the week

Olympic athletes have grown into some of the buzziest internet stars dominating social media feeds in recent weeks, increasingly blurring the line between “Olympian” and “influencer.” That soaring online fame has made Olympic athletes such as Team USA rugby player Ilona Maher appealing partners for brands looking to attract young consumers. Maher last week collaborated with Google on a sponsored Instagram Reel promoting the company’s Gemini AI platform—and, in the weeks leading up to the Paris Olympics, she also worked with L’Oréal, Secret deodorant and Tinder.

See more of the week’s creator and influencer trends here

Number of the week: 44%

Beauty has always been one of the largest influencer categories—and the internet’s collective interest in beauty creators and their content is only soaring higher. Influencer content spanning makeup, skincare, fragrance and hair care all saw significant boosts in engagement between the first half of 2023 and the first half of 2024, according to a new study from influencer marketing platform Traackr and Pinterest. Skincare saw the biggest jump in engagement, rising 44%, while hair care saw a 17% increase. Engagement with both makeup and fragrance influencer content rose 13%, per the study.