2024 Influencer Marketing Recap: Strategic Insights & 2025 Brand Playbook

2024 marked a turning point in influencer marketing. From the rise of global creators to luxury’s entertainment takeover, brands across every vertical—from beauty to hospitality—used influencer strategies not just to grow visibility, but to build brand ecosystems. In this article, we go beyond the dashboards to unpack the strategic takeaways from Lefty’s 2024 Year in Data report and reveal what they mean for brand growth in 2025.

2024 at a Glance: Influence at Full Speed

Influencer marketing saw dramatic growth across industries:

• +69% EMV in Fragrance
• +41% in Makeup
• +15% in Hospitality
• $163M EMV during the Paris Olympics
• And over $2.2B generated by Hailey Bieber alone

But the real story? How brands generated this value. Let’s break it down industry by industry.

1. Beauty: Strategic Storytelling Drives EMV

Key Trend: Personality-Driven Product Launches

Beauty’s top performers launched products with stories. Rare Beauty remained at the top with $282M EMV by combining emotional relevance and inclusion. Meanwhile, Rhode Skin’s viral Lip Case campaign proved that platform-native content and affiliate links drive conversion, not just hype.

Skincare Goes Athletic

La Roche-Posay’s partnerships with Jannik Sinner and Marc Márquez helped the brand earn $60M in EMV by tapping into wellness and performance culture. They combined dermatologist-backed trust with athlete relatability.

2. Fashion: The Rise of the Entertaining Brand

Tommy Hilfiger’s Ferry Show: Experience Is Everything

Tommy’s NYFW takeover featuring the Wu-Tang Clan and APAC stars was more than a show—it was a performance. The campaign delivered $56.5M in EMV and 302% growth, making it a case study in how entertainment-first strategy fuels visibility.

Maison Margiela and Pat McGrath Sparked a Viral Trend

A porcelain-doll makeup moment from the Margiela show became a TikTok phenomenon, showing how fashion x beauty synergy can extend EMV across verticals.

3. Sportswear: Performance Meets Cultural Power

Athletes Aren’t Just Ambassadors. They’re EMV Engines.

Athletes contributed over 56% of all EMV in sportswear. Brands like Adidas ($741M EMV) dominated not only because of their gear, but because of authentic partnerships with creators who compete and connect.

Simone Biles alone generated $114M, topping even some luxury fashion houses.

Olympics Effect: From National Pride to Global Reach

The Paris 2024 Olympics generated $163M in EMV and created legacy impact for brands like Nike, Ralph Lauren, and Samsung through athlete-led storytelling.

4. Hospitality: Design, Emotion, and Destination Marketing

From Properties to Platforms

2024 proved that hotels aren’t just backdrops; they’re now content creators. The Kerzner x Balmain beach club, the Bulgari x Zendaya campaign, and the relaunch of Mandarin Oriental created the most EMV in the sector.

Mandarin Oriental saw +129% YoY EMV growth, while One&Only Hotels grew a stunning +323%.

Why It Worked: Cross-Industry Synergy

These campaigns succeeded because they blended luxury with storytelling, celebrity, and experiential formats.

5. Automotive: Entertainment and Influencer-Culture Collabs

Luxury auto brands such as Mercedes-Benz broke from tradition in 2024, hosting performance-led product launches. A Travis Scott concert for the G-Class Electric SUV and the Moncler Genius x Mercedes collab created a cultural moment, not just a product reveal.

Tesla, despite minimal influencer presence, saw +403% YoY growth, hinting at the demand for narrative control and scarcity.

6. Influencer of the Year: Nara Smith

Why She Won: Storytelling Over Shock Value

Nara Smith generated +784% follower growth and $28.5M in EMV by cooking in couture. Her soft-spoken, cinematic videos defined 2024’s "slow influence" trend.

She partnered with Chanel, Aston Martin, and W Hotels, positioning herself as a cross-industry brand builder, not just a beauty creator.

2025 Predictions: What Comes Next

• EMV ≠ Enough: Brands will shift from Earned Media Value alone to measuring creator equity and lifetime brand impact.
• From Hype to Habit: Consistent storytelling from recurring creators will win over flash-in-the-pan viral moments.
• Niche Will Win: Micro and mid-tier creators with cult-like loyalty will deliver better retention and conversion than mass reach.

Turn Insights into Action with Lefty

Lefty’s influencer marketing platform helps top brands:

• Find the right creators with AI-powered discovery
• Benchmark performance with live EMV dashboards
• Scale affiliate and ambassador programs
• Measure ROI across beauty, fashion, travel, and more