Celebrities and influencers proceed to draw latest endorsement deals as marketers look to such partnerships as a strategy to drive engagement with goal audiences. Over 1 / 4 of brands currently participating within the endorsement landscape entered it for the primary time through the last 12 months. However, only 4% of those newcomers entered into multiple endorsement deals, with others selecting only one deal, in accordance with a recent study by SponsorUnited.
Among the newcomer brands, the highest category was consumer products, followed by food products and apparel and accessories. Of all of the first-time brands, 38% belong to one in all these three categories.
The “2024 Celebrities & Influencer Report” from SponsorUnited evaluated over 650 brands and 1,350 deals. The report also evaluated 3,000 celebrity and influencer posts made between Sept. 3, 2023 and Sept. 2, 2024.
The landscape
When looking at the endorsement landscape overall, cosmetics and skincare brands are lively participants with 68 endorsement deals for the category, making it the largest category. The non-athletic apparel and footwear segment is available in a detailed second, with 62 endorsement deals. L’Oréal and Walmart each had six deals, making them the highest brands within the endorsement space. Amazon Prime and Airbnb are close seconds, with five deals each.
While traditional celebrities retain significant clout, influencers are making gains. Of the 918 million followers gained by the highest 100 celebrities and influencers over the past 12 months, over 70% of the expansion got here from influencers. This is on account of the increased impact of YouTube, in accordance with the report.
Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson saw his account grow by 182 million followers up to now 12 months. This makes Donaldson the primary influencer when it comes to gaining followers. The celebrity with the largest follower count jump was Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano, with 22 million latest followers up to now 12 months.
The influencer look
The most successful influencers and celebrities on the subject of securing brand deals fall between 25 and 44 years old, with this age range accounting for 58% of total deals across the highest 100 celebrities and influencers. Gender equity was split fairly equally, with women securing 48% of deals and men securing 52% of deals.
Platform popularity also differs between celebrities and influencers. Sixty-one percent of celebrity followers come from Instagram, in comparison with just 20% for influencers. Celebrities were also more popular on Facebook (18% vs. 7%) and X (13% vs. 3%). However, influencers dominate video-focused platforms. Thirty-six percent of influencer followers come from TikTok, in comparison with just 6% for celebrities. YouTube also has a powerful influencer presence, with 34% of influencer followers coming from the platform, in comparison with just 2% for celebrities.
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