What celebrity influencer marketing is and how it impacts society
The earliest influencers were YouTubers and mommy bloggers, but influencers became a mainstream concept thanks to celebrities. With the launch of Instagram, it was easy to follow their lives and mimic the behaviors they were posting about. For brands, the opportunity to collaborate was immediate and influencer marketing was born!
The effect that mega influencers have had on society is vast. Let’s examine what a celebrity influencer is, look at examples, and explore how they’re transforming society.
Definition of a celebrity or mega influencer
Celebrity or mega influencers have one million followers or more. Sounds like a lot, right? Currently, the celebrity with the most Instagram followers is Christiano Ronaldo at 625 million! For comparison, Chrissy Tiegen has 42.6 million and Patrick Mahones has 6.8 million.
Are influencers celebrities… and are celebrities influencers?
Christiano Ronaldo, Chrissy Tiegen, and Patrick Mahomes are celebrities that used their fame to build a following on Instagram, but it can work the other way, too. Plenty of mega influencers started off by posting engaging content on social media that resonated with viewers. Over time, they gained more and more followers until they gained celebrity status.
When a person is recognized regularly off of their platform and out in public, they’re considered a celebrity.
Who are some of the highest-paid instagram influencers ?
Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in the world, so it’s not surprising that the two highest paid influencers are soccer players. Christiano Ronaldo and Leo Messi get around $3.2 million and $2.5 million per Instagram post, respectively. Let’s look at some more examples of influencers who live in the US!
Celebrity examples
These are examples of celebrities who are also influencers because of their fame. The Instagram follower count is as of March 2024.
Selena Gomez - The singer and successful businesswoman has 429 million followers and makes $2,557,000 per post.
Kylie Jenner - This reality TV star was famous before she was even a teenager. Today she’s also a businesswoman and has 400 million followers, earning $2,386,000 per post.
Dwayne Johnson - The ultimate trifecta: athlete, actor, and businessman! He has 397 million followers and makes $2,326,000 per post.
Kim Kardashian - Kim started off as Paris Hilton's personal assistant and then shot to fame from 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians.' She has 364 million followers and makes $2,176,000 per post.
Justin Bieber - This famous singer actually started on YouTube but found fame after signing with a record label. He has 292 million followers and brings in $1,763,000 per post.
Non- ‘celebrity’ examples
These are examples of influencers who became famous because of their great content on social media.
Dixie D’Amelio - This singer and internet personality became popular on TikTok. She makes $42,570 per sponsored post.
Nash Grier - Bringing in about $41,000 per post, Nash is a dad and video creator who first gained popularity on Vine.
Bella Poarch - This influencer is a singer and social media star who rose to fame on TikTok. She brings in nearly $30,000 per sponsored video and $18,000 per Instagram post
The pay per post was sourced from Roster.
How celebrities influence society (and how they don’t!)
Celebrities have a massive influence on society. What they wear, what products they use, and where they visit can shift an entire society’s behavior. Above all, celebrities are fantastic at increasing brand awareness.
It can also make a business successful or cause it to shut down. Take Guy Fieri's popular show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, for example. If a restaurant makes it on one of their episodes, it’s almost guaranteed to succeed. In fact, many featured restaurants expanded to multiple locations because of the demand that Guy Fieri created.
On the other hand, when celebrities visit already popular restaurants, bars and destinations, not much happens. For example, Chris Sullivan posted a fantastic reel trying the famous cheeseburger from Pizza Loves Emily. It was entertaining and certainly some people learned about this restaurant for the first time. But it didn’t put the restaurant on the map and likely did not affect the already-high demand it has.
The negative impacts of celebrity influencers
Before there was social media, society only had celebrities to look up to. Magazines, movies and TV made them look, well, perfect. When Audrey Hepburn wore black capri pants and ballet flats, every woman in the world wanted them, too. Years later, when Paris Hilton began wearing Juicy Couture tracksuits, every young woman ran to the store to buy a set.
The problem with idolizing celebrities like this is that many don’t show their authentic selves. Do you remember when paparazzi taking pictures of celebrities looking like regular people was a big deal? They capture images where celebrities are barely recognizable because photo editing is so heavily used and published. A majority of celebrities and public figures only allow us to see what they want us to see.
Editing in media creates unrealistic beauty, health, and fashion standards. In turn, much of our society tries to mimic the version of celebrities that they let us see. Whether it's hairstyles, perfect skin, or a strict diet, it can be unhealthy for easily-influenced minds of society.
If celebrities showed their natural selves more, society's expectations would be more realistic. (Shoutout to Pamela Anderson and the other celebrities who have made it a point to go makeup free.)
How to work with celebrity influencers
In order to work with a celebrity influencer, you’ll need to go through an influencer platform or agency. You can reach out to them directly, but they will likely turn you down or ignore you unless your brand is already well-known. If you decide to pursue a mega influencer, remember that the prices are high for a single celebrity endorsement.
Instead, consider working with a different social media influencer type like micro, mid-tier or macro influencers. Nano influencers are also driving fantastic results for brands of all sizes because of their highly engaged audiences.
