The #ad posts on your Instagram feed may look relaxed, personal and spontaneous – but behind many of them is a carefully planned campaign, a detailed contract and, in some cases, a seven-figure fee. For Charlie Bowes-Lyon, co-founder of Wild, the refillable natural deodorant brand bought by Unilever last year, influencer marketing has been the company's "secret sauce".
Wild uses high-profile names including Stacey Solomon, Emma Raducanu and Molly-Mae Hague to promote its products. Bowes-Lyon says the brand has spent millions on its partnership with Raducanu and hundreds of thousands on campaigns with Solomon and Hague. The company's yearly influencer marketing budget is just under £10m – "but next year that may double as we look for larger brand ambassadors", he adds.
“Wild deodorant spends up to £1m per celebrity influencer, with yearly budget nearly £10m.”
How much the company spends can vary from £100,000 through to millions for a top-tier celebrity. "If you want them to do a one-off post you wouldn't pay too much but typically what they and you want is to develop a bit more of a relationship," Bowes-Lyon explains. British tennis player Raducanu, Wild's current brand ambassador, has done "full day shoots in New York, lots of posts and stories on Instagram and she even came in to create her own deodorant scent".
"These celebrities aren't strapped for cash so it's not really about the money for them, it's more about whether the brand is a right fit," he says. "When I tell people influencers make £2,000 for a single post, they are shocked, never mind the fact some are making £50,000 for one post."
Hannah Campbell, founder of influencer marketing agency One Twelve Agency, says brands use influencers over traditional adverts because "they do actually influence". "They have built audiences and communities that trust them, and the old adage 'people buy from people' is true. Consumers, especially younger audiences, aren't engaging with traditional media but they do follow and engage with their favourite influencers daily."
Influencer marketing is now so central to Wild's business that it employs a team of more than 20 solely dedicated to working on this. Katy Howell, director at marketing agency Rethink Social, says paid ads "don't necessarily corrupt a recommen…” – the source cuts off, but the implication is clear: the line between authentic recommendation and paid promotion is increasingly blurred, and the price tag for that blurring can run into millions.
