The influencer campaigns that defined 2025

Influencer marketing has quietly but decisively changed gear. What was once a supporting tactic is now shaping entire brand identities, driving cultural relevance and, in many cases, selling out products in minutes. With 81 percent of brands planning to increase their influencer budgets in 2026, the message is clear. This is no longer optional. It is essential.

According to Kolsquare, Europes leading influencer marketing platform, the most successful campaigns of 2025 all shared one thing in common. They understood influence not as reach alone, but as trust, tone and timing. From beauty and fashion to food and dating, these were the campaigns that cut through.

Rhode and the power of modern beauty obsession

Rhode spent 2025 perfecting the art of desire. Built around founder Hailey Bieber and a tightly aligned creator community, the brand turned product launches into cultural moments. The Lemontini Peptide Lip Tint became a talking point not through heavy handed advertising, but through lifestyle driven content that felt effortless and aspirational.

Rhode worked with 181 micro creators on Instagram and 100 on TikTok, all carefully aligned with the brands minimalist aesthetic. The standout moment came with the now infamous lip phone case, retailing at £35 and designed to hold the Peptide Lip Treatment while doubling as an iPhone case. What could have felt gimmicky instead went viral. Influencers made it unavoidable and stock sold out with a waiting list that reportedly reached 440000 people.

Big names including Molly Mae and Rochelle Humes added star power, but it was the consistency of community led content that made Rhode feel omnipresent rather than overexposed.

ASOS and the return of insider credibility

ASOS reminded the industry that sometimes the strongest influencers are already inside the building. Its revived Insiders programme brought together 36 fashion voices, many of them ASOS employees, who shared styling ideas, trend edits and personal picks in a way that felt lived in rather than staged.

The programme, paused in 2020 and relaunched in 2024, resonated deeply with Gen Z audiences who value authenticity over polish. Alongside this, ASOS scaled aggressively, working with 1100 Instagram creators and 140 on TikTok throughout 2025.

The results spoke for themselves. Earned media value peaked twice during the year, hitting £1.7 million, while engagement reached 3.4 million on Instagram and 1.26 million on TikTok. It was influence built on familiarity, not fantasy.

Nandos and football culture done right

Nandos found the sweet spot between celebrity and community by partnering with Arsenal and England winger Bukayo Saka for the launch of PERi PERi Saka, a limited edition sauce blending smoky BBQ with the brands signature heat.

Rather than leaning solely on star power, the collaboration sat within Nandos wider This Must Be The Place campaign, designed to connect food with contemporary culture. A short film titled Yes Chef cast Saka as head chef in a high energy kitchen, while a restaurant takeover on Holloway Road turned the campaign into a physical experience.

Saka was the only celebrity level name involved. The rest of the campaign relied on a mix of micro and macro creators, reflecting a clear shift in the UK market towards scalable, community driven influence. In total, Nandos worked with 277 Instagram creators, reaching 7.36 million people, and 100 TikTok creators, generating 1.26 million engagements. Fans took it from there, producing their own content and extending the campaign organically.

Bumble and confidence over conversion

Bumble made a smart and culturally fluent choice by partnering with Amelia Dimoldenberg, the creator behind Chicken Shop Date. The campaign ran throughout 2025, peaking around Valentines Day, and avoided the usual dating app tropes entirely.

Instead of offering advice, the content focused on confidence, awkwardness and being unapologetically yourself. Amelias videos explored modern dating anxiety, flirty firsts and unspoken rules, all delivered in her signature deadpan style.

The campaign refreshed Bumbles relevance with Gen Z, particularly women who had grown sceptical of dating apps. Remarkably, Bumble worked with just 10 influencers on Instagram, generating an earned media value of £112000, and only 9 creators on TikTok, securing £276000 in EMV. It was proof that cultural fit can outweigh scale.

Redken and the new blueprint for celebrity beauty

Redken made headlines by appointing Sabrina Carpenter as its first global ambassador, a move that paid off handsomely in the UK thanks to her chart success and TikTok influence. Already a genuine fan of the brand, Sabrina fronted campaigns focused on hair health, shine and colour longevity.

The Leave It In campaign combined playful film content with behind the scenes tour footage, creator led get ready with me reels and product seeding that felt natural rather than forced. Redken struck a careful balance between celebrity authority and everyday credibility, supported by 104 micro creators on Instagram and 25 on TikTok.

It was a reminder that celebrity works best when it feels earned, not rented.

Made by Mitchell and the rise of live commerce

If one brand defined TikTok Shop in the UK this year, it was Made by Mitchell. Built almost entirely on live selling, creator demos and community energy, the brand proved that influence can convert instantly when the audience feels involved.

Mitchell himself went live constantly, packing orders, chatting to followers and throwing in surprise free products. His unapologetically bold taglines became hooks in their own right, fuelling urgency and repeat viewing.

Rather than chasing big names, the brand worked with 202 micro creators on TikTok, generating 1.76 million engagements and an earned media value of £3.2 million. Fans amplified the momentum through haul videos and reviews, creating a self sustaining content loop. At its peak, the brand was reportedly generating one million dollars a day in Instagram sales.

What 2025 taught us

The best influencer campaigns of 2025 were not about who shouted the loudest. They were about who felt most believable. Whether through micro creators, insiders, live selling or carefully chosen celebrities, the brands that won understood culture first and metrics second.

As budgets grow and expectations rise in 2026, one thing is certain. Influence is no longer borrowed. It has to be built.