Why Celebrity Influencer Marketing Is the Way Forward

Celebrity influencer marketing works because well-known personalities solve the three hardest problems in today’s media landscape at once: getting attention in an overcrowded feed, being trusted when audiences are sceptical, and reaching people across generations and channels. As AI-generated content and scam ads flood social media, a real, recognisable person who genuinely stands behind a brand becomes more valuable – not less. That is why we believe celebrity influencer marketing, used the right way, is one of the strongest tools brands have for the years ahead.

That does not mean celebrities are the answer to every brief. Below we explain what the data says, why we see recognisable faces gaining value, and how to use celebrities so the investment pays off.

What is celebrity influencer marketing?

Celebrity influencer marketing means that a brand works with a well-known personality – from TV, music, sports, radio or entertainment – who also has a strong presence in social media. Unlike a traditional celebrity endorsement, where a famous face appears in a TV commercial, the collaboration takes place in the personality’s own channels and tone of voice, often combined with paid distribution. The personality is not just a face on a poster but a storyteller with a relationship to their audience.

Why do celebrities still matter when micro-influencers are trending?

Much of the industry conversation in recent years has been about smaller creators, and for good reason. In HubSpot’s latest State of Marketing report, marketers most often named micro-influencers (32.4 percent) and macro-influencers (30.2 percent) as their most successful tier. Influencer Marketing Hub’s latest Benchmark Report shows many brands planning to expand their use of nano and micro creators.

But that is only half of the picture. When marketers describe their goals, awareness dominates: in the IAB’s 2025 creator economy report, building brand awareness (43 percent) and reaching new audiences (41 percent) were the most common objectives, followed by enhancing brand reputation and trust (35 percent). Those are precisely the jobs well-known personalities do best. Small creators are excellent for depth, niche communities and volume; celebrities are excellent for scale, recognition and cultural impact. The question is not either-or, but which job you need done.

Why are recognisable faces becoming more valuable?

1. Attention is the scarcest resource

Creators and brands produce more content than ever, and AI makes it even cheaper to produce more. When everything looks polished, recognition is what makes people stop scrolling. A familiar face is processed instantly – you know who it is, what they stand for and roughly what to expect – which gives the message a head start that an unknown sender has to work hard for.

2. Trust is under pressure – and real people stand out

In Internetstiftelsen’s report Svenskarna och internet 2025, 60 percent of Swedes said they had seen a fraudulent ad on social media in the past year. Among them, 40 percent said one of the signs was that the ad used celebrities. Fake celebrity ads are a real problem – and that is exactly why genuine, clearly labelled collaborations, where the personality is visibly and actively involved, are worth more. The audience learns to tell the difference between a stolen image and a person who actually talks about a brand in their own channels.

Trust also has a local dimension. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer special report on brand trust found that people trust domestic brands more than foreign ones (75 versus 60 percent globally). Local personalities whom the audience has followed for years carry that same sense of closeness.

3. Celebrities reach across generations and channels

Platform use in Sweden differs sharply by age. According to Svenskarna och internet 2025, Swedes born in the 2000s mainly use Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok daily, while those born in the 1900s mainly use Facebook and Instagram. Many Swedish celebrities are known from TV, radio, music and podcasts as well as social media, which means their audience spans generations. Mediemyndigheten also notes that the largest Swedish influencers operate far beyond social media, with their own brands, production companies and appearances in traditional media.

4. Celebrities create content people choose to watch

Experienced entertainers know how to create content that holds attention. When Carolina Gynning and Carina Berg took on the Tough Viking obstacle race for Ellos, Collabri developed a humorous video concept around their dynamic, and it reached more than 756,000 views. The brand was part of the story rather than an interruption.

5. Celebrity content works in paid media too

Creator content is increasingly used as advertising. CreatorIQ’s Creator-Powered Funnel report found that creator content makes up 44 percent of brands’ paid media creative on average. Content featuring a well-known face can be amplified with paid media and used in several channels – provided usage rights are agreed from the start.

When is a celebrity the right choice?

• Launches, where you need to create awareness quickly.

• Repositioning or brand building, where you want to borrow the personality’s values and tone.

• Campaigns aimed at broad audiences across several age groups.

• Big moments – seasons, holidays, events – when competition for attention is highest.

• Content you want to use in paid media and several channels.

For pure performance campaigns in a narrow niche, a group of smaller creators can be more efficient. Often the best solution is a combination: a well-known personality creates the attention, and creators add volume and depth. The Fazer Domino launch, for example, used a mix of creators on TikTok and Instagram and reached more than 3.5 million views and 14,000 interactions.

How do you make celebrity influencer marketing pay off?

• Prioritise fit: the personality’s audience and values must match the brand. The IAB found that creator reputation (58 percent) and audience alignment (56 percent) are the top selection criteria for buyers.

• Give creative freedom: let the personality tell the story in their own way.

• Think long term: repeated collaborations build recognition and credibility.

• Plan paid distribution and usage rights from day one.

• Be transparent: clear ad labelling protects both the brand and the personality.

• Measure beyond views: engagement, brand lift, traffic and sales.

Key takeaways

• Celebrities deliver attention, trust and reach across generations – three of the hardest things to buy today.

• Awareness and reaching new audiences remain brands’ most common goals – jobs celebrities do well.

• Fake celebrity ads make genuine, clearly labelled collaborations more valuable.

• Celebrities work best for launches, brand building and broad campaigns, often combined with creators.

• Fit, creative freedom and long-term thinking decide the result.

Frequently asked questions

Is celebrity influencer marketing worth the cost?

It can be, when the goal is awareness, broad reach or brand building and the personality fits the brand. The value increases when the content is also used in paid media and other channels.

What is the difference between a celebrity endorsement and celebrity influencer marketing?

A traditional endorsement often uses a celebrity in the brand’s own advertising. Celebrity influencer marketing takes place in the personality’s own channels and voice, which usually feels more personal and engaging.

Are micro-influencers better than celebrities?

They do different jobs. Micro-influencers are strong in niches and for volume; celebrities are strong for scale and recognition. Many successful campaigns combine both.

How do you choose the right celebrity for a brand?

Start from the target group and the message. Look at the personality’s audience, values, tone and previous collaborations, and choose someone for whom the product feels like a natural fit.

Collabri works with some of Sweden’s best-known personalities, including Pernilla Wahlgren, Carolina Gynning, Carina Berg, Laila Bagge, Marko “Markoolio” Lehtosalo and Sofia Wistam. Want to explore what a celebrity collaboration could do for your brand? Contact us at info@collabri.se.

Sources

• HubSpot – 2026 State of Marketing (2026): https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/hubspot-blog-marketing-industry-trends-report

• Influencer Marketing Hub – Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2026 (2026): https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-benchmark-report/

• IAB – Creator Economy Ad Spend to Reach $37 Billion in 2025, Growing 4x Faster than Total Media Industry (2025): https://www.iab.com/news/creator-economy-ad-spend-to-reach-37-billion-in-2025-growing-4x-faster-than-total-media-industry-according-to-iab/

• Internetstiftelsen – Svenskarna och internet 2025: Annonsbedrägerier (2025): https://svenskarnaochinternet.se/rapporter/svenskarna-och-internet-2025/annonsbedragerier/

• Internetstiftelsen – Svenskarna och internet 2025: Sociala medier (2025): https://svenskarnaochinternet.se/rapporter/svenskarna-och-internet-2025/sociala-medier/

• Edelman – 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer Special Report: Brand Trust, From We to Me (2025): https://www.edelman.com/sites/g/files/aatuss191/files/2025-06/2025%20Edelman%20Trust%20Barometer%20Special%20Report%20Brand%20Trust,%20From%20We%20to%20Me_FINAL_0.pdf

• Mediemyndigheten – Influencers på den svenska mediemarknaden (2026): https://mediemyndigheten.se/rapporter-och-analyser/influencers-pa-den-svenska-mediemarknaden/

• CreatorIQ – Creator Content Now Powers 44% of Paid Media Creative (2026): https://www.creatoriq.com/press/releases/creator-powered-funnel-report-2026

This article was written with the help of AI and reviewed by Collabri.