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AI adoption is no longer the challenge—trusted context is. Most organizations have AI tools, but many still rely on disconnected, stale, or unverified data, limiting the quality and trustworthiness of AI-generated outputs. Meltwater MCP brings trusted, real-time intelligence into AI assistants.

Your Best Context is Already in the Room

Today, PR teams aren’t just tracking media coverage and share of voice. They’re also measuring how their brand shows up in AI-generated answers, search summaries, and large language models (LLMs). This new LLM visibility layer is quickly becoming a critical part of PR performance.

15 Must-Have PR KPIs and How to Track Them

See how one platform can power every decision across PR, communications, and marketing.

The Meltwater Blog

Blog Topics: Generative Engine Optimization, Media Intelligence, Media Relations, Social Listening, Consumer Intelligence, Influencer Marketing

Find out how you can leverage Facebook to boost your brand's online presence and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

Facebook Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage Instagram to boost your brand's visual appeal and gain a competitive edge. Explore our category page today!

Instagram Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage LinkedIN to grow your professional network and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

LinkedIn Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage TikTok to elevate your brand with creative content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

TikTok Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage X / Twitter to engage your audience effectively and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

X / Twitter Blog | Meltwater

Find out how you can leverage YouTube to create engaging video content and gain a competitive edge. Explore the Meltwater category page today!

YouTube Blog | Meltwater

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) is transforming how brands show up in AI-powered search. Explore insights, strategies, and best practices to help your content rank and resonate across conversational engines like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Copilot.

Explore insights and strategies for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) to help your brand stay visible and discoverable in AI-powered search.

Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) Blog Collection | Meltwater

Media monitoring helps organizations stay informed about what’s being said across online news, print, broadcast, podcasts, and other media channels. Whether you're tracking brand mentions, measuring PR performance, monitoring competitors, or identifying emerging trends, our expert guides, best practices, and industry insights will help you build a smarter media monitoring strategy and make more informed communications decisions.

Discover expert media monitoring guides, best practices, and industry insights to track brand mentions, monitor competitors, and stay ahead of the news.

Media Monitoring: Guides, Best Practices & Industry Insights

Every day billions of conversations take place on social media: tweets, posts, comments, blogs, reviews, podcasts, and much more.
Learn how to use social listening to make sense of all of that data.

On our social listening category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around social listening and social media monitoring. Read more.

Social Listening Blogs | Category

Business Reputation Management: What does it take to add reputation management to your marketing strategy? More importantly, how do you keep your reputation sparkly and shiny? Here’s your all-access guide to online reputation management for the long term.

On our reputation management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around business reputation management. Read more.

Reputation Management Blogs | Category

From your brand's logo to your website, your social media presence to your customer support—these elements combined are what constitutes a brand in the minds of customers. But, there are thousands of other businesses that have a logo, website, social media presence, and website. So, how can you position your business on the market and make it stand out from the competition?
The key to success is branding & brand management!

On our brand management category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around brand management. Build your strategy and reach your goals!

Brand Management Blogs | Category

Competitive intelligence and the act of collecting competitive data can be seen as growth drivers for a company. Our guide will help you understand the concept of competitive intelligence (CI) by answering questions such as: What is the definition of competitive intelligence? How is competitive intelligence useful to organizations? What is the goal of competitive intelligence? And more.

On our competitive intelligence category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around competitive intelligence. Learn how to stay ahead.

Competitive Intelligence Blogs | Category

Let’s dive into the customer journey framework and how to optimize the process by creating a customer journey map and using metrics that matter when analyzing the customer journey.

On our customer journey category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Customer Journey Blogs | Category

What Is Data Analytics?
How can I grow my business? 
How do customers interact with my newly launched product?
How do I increase the productivity of my employees?
How do I know if my marketing efforts are working?
We have just two words for you...Data analytics!

On our data analytics category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around AI and data analytics. Technical and still easy to understand.

AI & Data Analytics Blogs | Category

Public relations and media relations can add impact to any marketing strategy. It’s an opportunity for brands to grow their reach beyond traditional sales messages. PR helps to shape the image you want people to have of your brand.
So, what is PR and how do you use it? This guide shows you everything you need to know to build a strong public relations foundation.

On our public relations (PR) category page, you find all our blogs covering public relations and communications topics. Step up your PR game.

Public Relations (PR) Blogs | Category

We all know exactly what the roles of sales or accounting are in a company, right? We might even have a slight idea of what the IT guys are doing.
But there is another business discipline, that plays a crucial role in organizations, even more so during the pandemic – internal communications!
But what exactly do we mean by that, what purpose does it serve and what steps can you take to ensure you and your employees will communicate effectively?

On our internal communications category page, you find all our blogs about internal comms topics. Learn about the intranet, internal newsletters, and more.

Internal Communications Blogs | Category

As the internet has taken root in more areas of our lives — everything from entertainment to shopping to paying bills and more — traditional marketing is becoming less impactful. As any marketer knows, you need to focus on where your audience is if you want to reach them. Since the average person spends about seven hours a day online, it’s no surprise that content has maintained its hold on marketers.
Here's a closer look at what content marketing is and why it matters more than ever in our digital-first economy.

On our content marketing category page, you find blogs about content marketing topics. Learn about strategies, KPIs, tips, and more. Make your content king!

Content Marketing Blogs | Category

The rise of the influencer marketing space – today a $10 billion industry, growing 50% per year – is one of the clearest examples of how social media is transforming traditional marketing. These days having a business website, presence on social, PR coverage, and your own content isn’t enough to compete.
We'll dive into the intricacies of influencer marketing to help ensure that you're equipped with the insights needed to be successful in this space.

On our influencer marketing category page, you find blogs about influencer marketing topics. Build your strategy, find influencers, and measure results.

Influencer Marketing Blogs | Category

Have you just launched a new product or service that you want to get the word out about? Maybe you want to share with consumers why it is awesome and how it is so much better than the one your competitors offer.
Well, then, there is one thing you can't do without...Marketing!

On our marketing category page, you find blogs about marketing topics. Learn about all the different angles and types of marketing and improve your results.

Marketing Blogs | Category

In this guide, we want to give you a peek into the definition of social media management, the daily schedule of a social media manager, social media platforms to promote your business, and the do’s & don’ts of social media management.
Are you ready to begin the journey of becoming a social media superstar?

On our social media management category page, you find blogs about social media management topics. Build and manage your online community.

Social Media Management Blogs | Category

Building a following and using social media platforms to reach a wider audience requires a well-planned social media marketing strategy. In this guide, we’ll be looking at why social media marketing is so essential and how you can make it work for your business.

On our social media marketing category page, you find blogs about social media marketing topics. Learn how to get the highest paid social ROI!

Social Media Marketing Blogs | Category

In the fast-evolving realm of digital marketing and public relations, utilizing the right tools is crucial for success. Our interdisciplinary category showcases all the pertinent tools for digital marketing & PR. These tools help in enhancing your online presence and effectively reaching target groups, whether through reputation management, influencer marketing, or social media management.

On our digital marketing and PR tools category page, you find all our blogs covering topics around mapping and understanding the customer journey.

Digital Marketing & PR Tools Blogs | Category

After nearly a decade Netflix’s Stranger Things is coming to a close, giving brands one last chance to cash in on the show’s monumental success. So far, the marketing and merchandising push is proving to be one for the history books, with featured brand partners across nearly every industry you can think of. 

There are Stranger Things coffee makers by Bialetti. A Stranger Things flashlight by Energizer. The Stranger Things LEGO set. Target alone has more than 150 Stranger Things items for sale, over half of which are exclusive to the retailer. 

As The Hollywood Reporter joked with the title of its coverage of the campaign, “It Might Be Easier to List Who Netflix Is Not Partnering With on ‘Stranger Things 5’ Merch”.

Ahead of the show’s feature-length finale on December 31, let’s take a closer look at some of the powerhouses behind this marketing blitz: influencers. From full-fledged celebrities to micro-creators, influencers are driving major visibility and value for some of the biggest Stranger Things partnerships. 

We used our influencer marketing solution to dig into how creator-brand alignment translates into measurable impact. With AI-powered personalization and campaign management transforming influencer marketing, Stranger Things offers timely lessons on the power of creative fit.

Note: The below data was sourced from Meltwater and is current as of the publish date. 

Stranger Things x CoverGirl: A win for audience and concept alignment

Influencer Jordan Rumsey (@cantbuyme80s_) is 1980s devotee whose content features teased hair, colorful eyeshadow, and mall pics year round. With 347,000 retro-loving followers, this creator was a natural fit for CoverGirl’s campaign promoting its limited-edition Stranger Things collection. In the above post, she used her retro niche to promote the product in a way that felt native to her audience. 

Generating $47,000 in Estimated Media Value (EMV), her Reel demonstrates just how valuable not only brand fit but concept fit are to an influencer partnership’s success. For brands looking to replicate this level of alignment at scale, AI-powered creator discovery solutions can surface creators whose tone, style, and audience naturally match the campaign’s creative direction. 

Stranger Things x Chips Ahoy: The impact of star power

No question about brand fit here. As the star of Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown is arguably the biggest celebrity to come out of the franchise. With about 66.4 million followers, a co-sign from her is a guaranteed engagement driver for any brand partnership. For example, the above post generated over $2 million in EMV.

Whether partnering with mega celebrities or smaller creators, the key is finding influencers whose content naturally fits the campaign. Tools like Meltwater’s AI Discovery help brands identify that alignment quickly by analyzing creator tone, style, and audience traits. 

For Chips Ahoy!, partnering with Brown supercharged the brand’s visibility among Gen-Zers, the Stranger Things fandom, and even customers of Brown’s own brand Florence by Mills. By pairing her involvement with in-person activations promoted in the caption, Chips Ahoy! made the most of this high-profile collaboration.

Stranger Things x Eggo: A diversified creator strategy 

Since the show’s pilot, Eggo has been a key on-screen brand. The character Eleven, played by Brown, is obsessed with iconic waffles, so of course Eggo had to go big with its influencer activations. It took a tactical approach to choosing content creators, partnering with micro, macro, and mega influencers alike. 

The results illustrate how vanity metrics aren’t guarantors of ROI. Instead, performance hinges on resonance and influencers whose creative instinct and communities authentically align with campaign needs.

For example, take the above post by lifestyle influencer Julie Sousa (@the_avantgarde_), who has 2.4 million Instagram followers. The post, featuring her creative take on decorating for a watch party, had a reach of 134,500. The resulting EMV, $168,800, is not far off from that of the below post by Sydney Jo (@thatgirlsydjo), who has a much smaller audience at about 330,000 followers.

Jo’s Reel showcased an unboxing and taste test in her signature playful, humorous style, achieving reach of about 396,300, beyond her follower count, generating $163,400 in EMV. 

The success of her post demonstrates how creators with smaller but highly aligned audiences can drive performance on par with those with much larger followings. Meltwater’s AI Personalization and AI Discovery features help brands identify creators whose tone, content style, and audience are the best fit for their goals, making it easier to spot partners likely to resonate.

Here’s an even more striking example of the importance of creative alignment and brand fit:  Photography and videography influencer Conner Chant (@chant_photography) used humor and artistry to share Stranger Things Eggos with his 27,000 Instagram followers. 

Chant’s talent for pairing comedy with retro-inspired visuals that align with the Stranger Things aesthetic hit the assignment, and resulting ROI, out of the park. The post not only reached the overwhelming majority of his audience, it also racked up an eye-popping 38.59% engagement rate and about $102,900 in EMV, demonstrating just how well it resonated with viewers. 

For brands looking to achieve similar, or better, results, AI-powered brand fit analysis is especially valuable. Creators that creatively align with your brand or campaign may not appear in searches based on vanity metrics. However, tools like Meltwater’s AI Discovery feature helps brands inform stronger partnership decisions based on factors like relevance, alignment, and resonance that aren’t reflected in follower counts.

Overall, Eggo won big by partnering with highly relevant content creators of all sizes that closely aligned with its audience interests and brand story. Its strategy shows that moving beyond follower count to focus on relevance, reach, and most of all creativity, is key to generating impactful results.

What can marketers learn from the Stranger Things marketing blitz?

Stranger Things influencer campaigns show how highly relevant, creatively aligned influencers are gold for competitive brands. While mega stars like Millie Bobby Brown can activate huge audiences, smaller influencers can punch above their weight with authentic, engaging storytelling. 

At the end of the day, the first step to campaign success is seamless brand fit, requiring a personalized approach to influencer discovery and vetting. Meltwater lets brands determine brand fit at scale, expediting your journey from initial idea to creator outreach in three ways:

AI Personalization learns the nuances of your brand, including voice, audience, tone, and creator preferences. It then shapes discovery results around those qualities.

AI Discovery delivers ideal creator recommendations along with instant explanations of how they fit your goals, audience, and context. 

AI Outreach enables efficient communication at scale efficient without sacrificing authenticity or quality. 

Together, these capabilities help brands build influencer programs with long-term value. See how — fill out the form below to take a test drive.

FAQ: Stranger Things and Influencer Marketing

What makes Stranger Things influencer partnerships so effective for brands?

Successful Stranger Things influencer campaigns combined highly engaged fan communities with influencers whose content resonates naturally with audiences. Mega stars like Millie Bobby Brown drive massive reach. Meanwhile micro and mid-tier creators deliver high engagement rates and strong Estimated Media Value (EMV), a metric automatically calculated within Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution. 

How can smaller influencers drive comparable ROI to celebrities?

Smaller influencers can have tightly-knit, niche audiences, resulting in more authentic engagement. For example, creators with tens of thousands of followers can generate comparable Estimated Media Value (EMV), if not higher, than influencers with much larger audiences. Platforms like Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution use AI to help brands uncover these smaller influencers, measure performance, and optimize campaigns.

How can brands identify the right influencers for campaigns?

Using AI-powered platforms like Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution,  brands can streamline influencer discovery by analyzing brand fit, audience overlap, and content style. This ensures influencer partnerships are authentic, contextually relevant, and resonate with audiences.

What is EMV and why is it important for influencer marketing?

Estimated Media Value (EMV) quantifies the monetary impact of influencer content based on reach, engagement, and campaign outcomes. Meltwater’s AI-powered influencer marketing solution lets brands automatically measure EMV, making it easier to compare ROI and optimize campaigns for maximum results.

How can brands replicate Stranger Things-level engagement?

Success requires seamless brand fit, creative content, and personalized influencer outreach. Use platforms like Meltwater’s AI-powered influencer marketing solution to find the right creators, analyze audience alignment, and track performance. With this data, brands can maximize visibility, engagement, and ROI.

From Micro Creators to Mega Stars: The Marketing Value of Stranger Things Influencer Partnerships

In today’s shifting influencer marketing landscape, brands are only as competitive as the intelligence behind their strategies. Succeeding in the face of saturation and audience fatigue calls for efficient workflows, precise measurement, and data-driven insights that decision-makers can actually use. According to the newly released IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Influencer Management for SMB Companies 2025–2026 Vendor Assessment (IDC #US52967425, November 2025), is a Leader. 

With IDC MarketScape’s recognition of Meltwater as a Leader in the IDC MarketScape evaluation for SMB influencer marketing platforms, we were the only vendor recognized as a Leader across both the SMB and large enterprise categories for 2025–2026. We believe this dual achievement makes it official: Meltwater at the forefront of influencer marketing management organizations of every size. Here’s why that matters.

How AI is transforming influencer marketing

AI is revolutionizing every aspect of how organizations do business, and influencer marketing is no exception. Instead of the time-consuming manual processes and analyses that were once unavoidable, AI now allows marketers to make their operations “intelligent”. Klear, Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution, is at the cutting edge of this sea change, enabling organizations to boost ROIs with campaign management automation, advanced data analytics, and end-to-end campaign measurement across all major social platforms.  

IDC MarketScape vendor analysis model is designed to provide an overview of the competitive fitness of technology and suppliers in a given market. The research methodology utilizes a rigorous scoring methodology based on both qualitative and quantitative criteria that results in a single graphical illustration of each supplier’s position within a given market. The Capabilities score measures supplier product, go-to-market and business execution in the short-term. The Strategy score measures alignment of supplier strategies with customer requirements in a 3-5-year timeframe. Supplier market share is represented by the size of the icons.

As an IDC MarketScape-recognized Leader in enterprise and SMB influencer marketing management, we believe Meltwater is uniquely positioned to support brands navigating the industry’s biggest shifts. Some of the key strengths that were recognized by the IDC MarketScape’s recognition include:

End-to-end campaign management and reporting

Proprietary True Reach scoring system to measure creators' authentic audience size and influence levels

Built in "CRM" functionality to manage influencers

How we believe Meltwater is differentiated for influencer intelligence

The biggest shift in influencer marketing today is undoubtedly just how important AI has become for moving past rudimentary operations to advanced ones. Now, AI-powered creator identification, campaign optimization, and performance modeling goes hand-in-hand with smarter, more efficient decision-making. Klear, Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution, is purpose-built to address that shift head on by delivering:

Advanced analytics, including sentiment tracking and predictive insights

Precise attribution modeling, linking influencer activity directly to business outcomes

Data quality and structuring that scales with organizations and their needs

The features that we believe differentiate our influencer marketing solution include:

Klear’s influencer discovery features simplifies the process of finding the strongest, most relevant content creators for your campaign goals. Instead of spending hours sorting through profiles and relying on vanity metrics, the solution automatically analyzes audience authenticity, engagement quality, and predicted fit.  

Competitive SMBs and enterprises don’t have time to waste on hopping from solution to solution. That is why we built Klear to bring all campaign measurement and reporting functions into one easy-to-navigate platform. With it, marketing teams of all sizes save time, while boosting collaboration and democratizing insights with a single source of influencer campaign truth.

Klear’s True Reach score takes the guesswork out of creator vetting and verification, using AI to evaluate exactly how influential influencers are among their followers and how relevant they are to your specific brand. With True Reach, organizations no longer have to worry about inflated follower counts or frauds, letting them focus on partnering with only the strongest, most relevant content creators.

Through relationship tracking, collaboration tools, and other features supporting successful long-term creator partnerships, Meltwater’s built-in CRM makes influencer programs scalable and sustainable. With it, organizations of all sizes can manage creator pipelines with the same sophistication they bring to customer relationship management.

Here at Meltwater, we’ve seen firsthand how these capabilities allow marketing teams large and small to cultivate data-driven creator programs that are measurable, scalable, and move the needle on wider business goals.

For one example, look to Radisson Hotel Group. The global leader in hospitality uses Meltwater to power its international PR and influencer marketing operations. With our solutions, Radisson Hotels moved from fragmented, manual processes to a fully integrated approach, achieving an estimated 22% increase in the value of its influencer marketing program. 

This is one of the many success stories we’re seeing roll in from our clients, and it’s just the beginning. As Klear continues to evolve, so will the sophistication and measurable impact of the programs it powers.

Discover how Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution, Klear, simplifies discovery and vetting, strengthens creator-brand relationships, and delivers data-driven insights. Explore the platform with a product tour or fill out the form below for a demo. 

FAQ: Meltwater’s IDC MarketScape position as a Leader and Influencer Marketing Solution

What did Meltwater get recognized for by IDC MarketScape?

Meltwater was named a Leader in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Influencer Management for SMB Companies 2025–2026 Vendor Assessment. This follows Meltwater’s recent Leader placement in IDC’s Worldwide Influencer Marketing Platforms for Large Enterprises 2025–2026 Vendor Assessment.

Why do you believe Meltwater’s IDC MarketScape recognition important?

Meltwater is the only vendor that IDC MarketScape has recognized as a Leader across both SMB and enterprise influencer marketing evaluations. We at Meltwater believe this confirms our ability to support organizations of all sizes.

What strengths did IDC MarketScape highlight about Meltwater?

The IDC MarketScape noted the following strengths for Meltwater –

How does Meltwater use AI in influencer marketing?

Klear, Meltwater’s Influencer Marketing solution, uses AI to power creator identification, brand safety analysis, audience authenticity modeling, brand and influencer relevancy scoring, and automated campaign measurement, helping brands focus on strategy instead of spreadsheets.

Who can use Meltwater’s influencer platform?

Klear, Meltwater’s scalable, unified Influencer Marketing solution, serves SMBs, mid-market brands, and global enterprises.

True Reach is Meltwater’s proprietary metric that calculates a creator’s authentic audience size, reducing inflated follower numbers and improving ROI modeling.

How Meltwater Is Transforming Influencer Management for Enterprises and SMBs

From movie stars to models, it’s not hard for luxury fashion brands to find relevant influencers to partner with for digital campaigns. However, as the landscape only grows more and more saturated, it takes some creativity to break through the noise and generate meaningful engagement with target audiences. Luckily, there’s no shortage of luxury brands to look to for inspiration for future campaigns. 

We used our influencer marketing solution to dig into the Estimated Media Value (or EMV, more on that below) of some creative examples of sponsored posts we came across this year. Read on to see how luxury handbag brands, apparel brands, jewelry brands, and more are putting their unique twist on influencer partnerships.

How do luxury fashion brands measure the ROI of influencer marketing?

3 types of influencers driving impact for luxury fashion brands

Key takeaways for luxury fashion influencer marketing

Many luxury fashion brands measure influencer marketing impact with Estimated Media Value, or EMV, a metric that translates campaign performance into equivalent ad spend value. EMV lets luxury brands compare their digital and traditional marketing activities, thus allowing for unified views of their data. For example, an Instagram post that has $5,000 EMV achieved the same results in terms of visibility and engagement as $5,000 of traditional ad spend. And though determining EMV can be complex, Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution calculates EMV automatically for posts, as well as entire campaigns.

Here are just a few of the countless examples of content creators generating great ROIs for luxury fashion brands. 

Brands flock to social media to reach Gen Z and Gen Alpha. However, sometimes, the key to reaching younger audiences is getting behind someone older. At least, that’s what some luxury fashion brands are finding in their partnerships with content creators who have honed their sense of style over decades. For example, in September 2025, Mulberry partnered with influencer Grece Ghanem to promote its Roxanne handbag to her over two million followers.

The above Instagram carousel was a hit with her largely Millennial audience, generating over $100,700 in EMV with a .14% engagement rate, according to Meltwater data. 

Meanwhile, the below October 2025 Reel by Aki and Koichi (@akiandkoichi) promoting Polène generated about $264,000 in EMV, according to Meltwater data, with a 1.84% engagement rate. The couple, who have previously worked with labels like Loewe and Comme des Garçons, has an audience that is largely Gen Z with an average age of 27.  

As both posts show, credibility and authenticity work well with the aspirational quality that luxury fashion brands cultivate as they target audiences of any age.

Download the Luxury Fashion Influencer Benchmarking Snapshot to explore how leading brands are driving — and measuring — success in their influencer marketing campaigns.

Luxury fashion and professional sports stars have a long history together that’s only getting more exciting as more sports leagues gain popularity. For evidence, look no further than the WNBA, which has skyrocketed in viewership and media coverage in recent years. 

In the process, the tunnels players use to enter stadiums ahead of their games have become de facto runways, leading Vogue to declare them official fashion destinations. Organic and sponsored social media posts beam the tunnel looks to fashion and sports fans around the world. For example, according to Meltwater data, Chicago Sky player Hailey Van Lith (@haileyvanlith) generated about $553,900 in EMV with a 3.32% engagement rate for Coach with a September 2025 Instagram post that fit seamlessly into her designer fashion-heavy feed. 

Meanwhile, Angel Reese (@angelreese5), one of the superstars of the league and a fellow Chicago Sky player, dressed in head-to-toe Gucci ahead of her July 2025 game against the Minnesota Lynx. As of this writing, the post (seen below) has generated about $1.3 million in EMV for the luxury brand with a 2.35% engagement rate, according to Meltwater data. 

Both posts authentically integrated luxury fashion into moments WNBA and Chicago Sky fans already care about, drawing on each athlete's authentic personal style. As the 2026 Winter Olympics and World Cup approach, expect to see even more luxury influencer activations capitalizing on high-profile moments on the slopes, on the field, and in the arenas.

If there’s anything luxury fashion enthusiasts love, it’s someone who’s knowledgeable about the industry and its history. Hence why so many major luxury brands are putting creative directors, craftsmen, and other experts in the spotlight of their digital campaigns. Sometimes brands look externally, as brand Billy Reid did when it tapped influencer Brian Sacawa (@hespokestyle) to promote its custom suits. Known for giving fashion advice, Sacawa created a sponsored Instagram post for the brand in October 2025 that, according to Meltwater data, has generated about $28,000 in EMV with a .46% engagement rate. 

Often, however, luxury fashion brands have plenty of experts that they can tap internally, as Tiffany & Co. did for a 2025 holiday campaign. The jewelry brand’s post below featuring Lauren Santo Domingo (@thelsd), Artistic Director of Tiffany Home, generated over $203,000 with a .07% engagement rate within its first day online, according to Meltwater data.

In featuring experts, both posts tapped into a sense of authority and depth of storytelling that only comes with expertise, appealing to each luxury brand’s discerning consumer base.

<table class="table-primary">
  <caption>Comparison of Luxury Fashion Influencer Campaigns</caption>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Influencer Type / Example</th>
      <th>Brand</th>
      <th>Engagement Rate</th>
      <th>EMV (Estimated Media Value)</th>
      <th>Key Takeaway</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Midlife and “silver” influencers

</td>
      <td>Mulberry, Polène</td>
      <td>0.14% – 1.84%</td>
      <td>~$100K – $264K</td>
      <td>Influencers who have honed their style over decades lend authenticity, credibility, and an aspirational quality to luxury fashion brands.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Superstar athletes</td>
      <td>Coach, Gucci</td>
      <td>2.35% – 3.32%</td>
      <td>~$554K – $1.3M</td>
      <td>Superstar athletes raise the visibility of luxury fashion brands by integrating them into high-profile sports moments.</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Industry experts</td>
      <td>Billy Reid, Tiffany and Co.</td>
      <td>0.07% – 0.46%</td>
      <td>~$28K – $203K</td>
      <td>Experts have an authority and depth of storytelling that appeals to discerning luxury fashion consumers.</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

Note: The data in the table above was drawn from Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution based on a small selection of influencer posts.

In the battle for social media, luxury brands around the world are driving stronger ROI by partnering with diverse influencer segments, like “silver” style icons, superstar athletes, and respected experts. Whether it’s a pro sports player taking followers behind the scenes or long-time industry voices sharing their knowledge through storytelling, authenticity is the thread running through successful partnerships today. For luxury fashion brands looking to drive meaningful engagement and high EMV through influencer marketing, genuine storytelling is critical for success. 

How do luxury fashion brands measure influencer marketing ROI?

Some use Estimated Media Value (EMV), which translates engagement and reach into a dollar amount equivalent to paid media spend. This helps compare influencer performance with that of traditional ad campaigns.

What tools help luxury fashion brands measure influencer campaign performance globally?

Platforms like Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution allow luxury brands to automatically calculate Estimated Media Value (EMV) and ROI across campaigns. Meanwhile, Meltwater’s unified dashboards combine influencer data with other owned, earned, and paid performance data so brands can have a 360-degree view of performance. 

What is Estimated Media Value (EMV) in luxury marketing in the luxury fashion industry?

Estimated Media Value (EMV) is a metric that translates influencer content performance—such as engagement, reach, and visibility—into an equivalent dollar value of traditional ad spend.

Why do luxury fashion brands partner with midlife or “silver” influencers?

Middle age and older influencers bring credibility, knowledge, and a refined sense of style to their content that resonates with audiences of all ages. Luxury brands partner with them to appeal to their audiences’ desire for authenticity and fashion figures to look up to.

Why do luxury fashion brands partner with professional athletes?

With their often global followings, professional athletes boost luxury fashion brands’ visibility in the sports sector of the entertainment industry. Partnering with them helps luxury fashion brands capitalize on high-profile cultural moments, from league tournaments to global events like the Olympics and the World Cup.

Why do luxury fashion brands partner with industry experts?

Industry experts like craftspeople and creative directors lend deep knowledge and storytelling to luxury fashion influencer campaigns. Their content has a level of authority that appeals to discerning luxury consumers. 

Ready to start taking a data-driven approach to influencer marketing? Tour our AI-powered influencer marketing solution or fill out the form below for a free demo. 

3 Examples of Influencers Driving Impact for Luxury Fashion Brands

When it comes to alcohol brands, creators with food-forward audiences, like bartenders and chefs, are always top of mind for influencer partnerships. But as influencer marketing has matured, so has the hard beverage sector’s approach to it. Today, new and legacy alcohol brands alike are generating great engagement — and high Estimated Media Value (or EMV, more on that below) — by partnering with a more wide-ranging set of social media influencers. Think athletes, artists, adventurers, and more. 

With so much sameness flooding social media feeds, there’s never been a better time for alcohol brands to get creative with influencer marketing. We used our influencer marketing solution to highlight how innovative partnerships are driving delicious results in the alcohol industry. 

What are the benefits of influencers for alcoholic beverage brands?

Why is Estimated Media Value (EMV) important in influencer marketing?

3 types of influencers driving impact for alcoholic beverage brands

Key takeaways: Alcohol brands and influencer marketing

FAQ: Alcoholic Beverage Influencer Marketing

For alcohol brands, social media influencers are key partners for expanding awareness and boosting exposure with digital-native audiences, like Gen Z. For liquor and other mixed-drink ingredient brands in particular, influencers can show your product in action with walk-through recipes and cocktail-making demonstrations. More broadly, influencers can lend alcohol brands trust and relevance by featuring them as part of a specific lifestyle or digital community.

To learn more about how the world’s leading alcohol brands are successfully leveraging influencer marketing, download the Alcoholic Beverages Influencer Benchmarking Snapshot. 

Estimated Media Value, or EMV, is a metric that translates influencer campaign performance into ad spend value. It’s important because it allows for ROI comparison between digital and traditional marketing activities. For example, an Instagram post that has $2,000 EMV achieved the same results in terms of visibility and engagement as $2,000 of traditional ad spend. While determining EMV can be complex, Meltwater’s influencer marketing platform calculates EMV automatically, both for individual posts as well as across campaigns.

Foodie influencers will always be important partners for alcohol brands, but that doesn’t mean they’re the only options. Let this handful of examples be your inspiration for exploring the wider possibilities of influencer marketing in the beverage sector.

Note: The EMV values mentioned below were calculated with Meltwater’s influencer marketing solution.

Yes, you read that correctly. Social media meme pages are some of the most in-demand influencers today. Dealing in the brainrot language of digital spaces, they can drive engagement for even the most serious brands. For beverages looking to associate themselves with carefree fun, meme pages are especially effective partners. For example, guess how much EMV this meme page post generated for Angry Orchard cider?

According to our influencer marketing solution, the above post from meme account @middleclassfancy achieved a 5.68% engagement rate and generated about $1.9 million in EMV. Meanwhile, meme account @dudewithsign’s sponsored post for On the Rocks, seen below, achieved a .18% engagement rate and generated about $365,000 in EMV, another impressive figure.

Both posts use creative ways to promote the sponsored brands by doing away with the normal heavy sell tactics and leaning into irreverence. In the process, they position the alcohol beverage brands as being relevant to, and well-versed in, Gen Z and Millennial internet culture.

Social media content creators don’t only make videos. Many “analog” creators like painters, illustrators, and musicians also have large social media followings and partner with a wide range of brands. 

The above post from illustrator Violet Clair (@violetclair) promoting Yes Way Rosé in a personal carousel about facing uncertainty achieved a .95% engagement rate and generated about $29,600 in EMV. 

Meanwhile, professional makeup artist Abby Wren (@abbywrenartistry) achieved a 1.31% engagement rate and about $57,000 in EMV with the above Reel promoting Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. at the Outside Lands music festival. 

Both creators used their artistic work, expertly edited and packaged for Instagram, to position each brand as positive parts of their lifestyles. As a result, their posts resonated with their music- and visual art-loving audiences.

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