WILD DEODORANT SPENDS MILLIONS ON CELEBRITY INFLUENCER CAMPAIGNS

Wild, a refillable natural deodorant company owned by Unilever, allocates nearly £10m annually to influencer marketing partnerships with high-profile figures including Stacey Solomon, Emma Raducanu and Molly-Mae Hague. Co-founder Charlie Bowes-Lyon described the strategy as his "secret sauce" for the company's commercial success. Wild employs more than 20 staff dedicated solely to influencer marketing work. Bowes-Lyon indicated the company's influencer budget may double next year as it pursues larger brand ambassadors.

Expenditure on individual campaigns ranges from £100,000 to several million pounds depending on the celebrity's profile and campaign depth, according to Bowes-Lyon. Raducanu, a British tennis player, serves as a current brand ambassador and has worked with Wild for the past year on activities including full-day photoshoots in New York, social media posts and developing a custom deodorant scent. Bowes-Lyon stated that campaigns typically evolve beyond single promotional posts into longer-term brand relationships. He added that high-profile celebrities prioritise brand alignment over financial compensation when selecting partnerships.

Hannah Campbell, founder of influencer marketing agency One Twelve Agency, stated that brands favour influencers over traditional advertising because influencers have built audiences and communities that trust them. Campbell noted that younger consumers do not engage with conventional media but follow and interact with favourite influencers on a daily basis. She described influencer marketing as genuinely influential compared to traditional adverts, citing the principle that "people buy from people".