Celebrities and influencers continue to attract new endorsement deals as marketers look to such partnerships as a way to foster engagement with target audiences. More than a quarter of brands currently participating in an endorsement environment entered an endorsement environment for the first time in the past 12 months. However, a recent study by Sponsor United found that only 4% of these new entrants signed multiple endorsement deals, while the rest opted for just one deal.
The top category for new entrants was consumer products, followed by food, apparel and accessories. Of all first-time brands, 38% fall into one of these three categories.
SponsorUnited’s 2024 Celebrities & Influencer Report evaluated more than 650 brands and 1,350 deals. The report also evaluated 3,000 celebrity and influencer posts made between September 3, 2023 and September 2, 2024.
landscape
Looking at the overall endorsements, cosmetics and skincare brands had 68 endorsement deals in this category, making it the largest category. The non-sports apparel and footwear category was a close second with 62 endorsement deals. L’Oréal and Walmart were the top brands in the endorsement space, with six deals each. Amazon Prime and Airbnb are close behind, with five deals each.
While traditional celebrities retain significant influence, influencers are also cashing in. Of the 918 million followers gained by the top 100 celebrities and influencers in the past 12 months, over 70% of the increase came from influencers. According to the report, this is due to YouTube’s growing influence.
Jimmy “Mr. Beast” Donaldson has added 182 million followers to his account in the past 12 months. This makes Donaldson the number one influencer in terms of followers. The celebrity with the biggest increase in followers was Italian sports journalist Fabrizio Romano, who gained 22 million new followers in the past 12 months.
influencer look
The most successful influencers and celebrities when it comes to securing brand deals are between the ages of 25 and 44, with this age group accounting for 58% of total deals for the top 100 celebrities and influencers. Gender equality was split almost evenly, with women securing 48% of deals and men securing 52% of deals.
Platform popularity also varies between celebrities and influencers. 61% of celebrity followers come from Instagram, compared to just 20% of influencers. Celebrities were also more popular on Facebook (18% vs. 7%) and X (13% vs. 3%). However, video-focused platforms are dominated by influencers. 36% of influencers’ followers come from TikTok, compared to just 6% of celebrities. YouTube also has a strong influencer presence, with 34% of influencer followers coming from the platform, compared to just 2% of celebrities.
