The lucrative paid partnerships, sponsorships, ads and ‘gifts’ of 10 influencers revealed
Top influencers are making a motza and scoring freebies through paid partnerships — with even scandals failing to slow their gravy trains. Here’s the ‘partnerships’ of 10, how the influencer model works and how much money is made.
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From blueberries to luxe holidays, Dyson hair products and purifiers to expensive cars — WAG influencers, beauty queens and sporting identities are getting loads of freebies and making a motza for the loan of their faces and whopping social media followings.
And research shows the brands they “partner” with are getting bang for their buck too.
A Swinburne University study found that, particularly when it came to beauty, Australians now prefer to receive marketing pitches from “micro celebrity” influencers over genuine stars, because they believe them more.
Dr Oluwakemi Shobowale’s research revealed influencers rated higher than big stars with ordinary Aussies for trustworthiness, because they were seen as “real people”.
They also rated higher than Hollywood stars for what was perceived as their genuine engagement with followers and their apparent transparency.
“Unlike celebrities, influencers are seen as closer to the average person. They can be aspirational in a way that still feels achievable,” Dr Shobowale said.
Swinburne PHD candidate Sarah Scales — who is researching the impact of celebrity and influencer scandals on their marketability — told the Herald Sun whether scandals reduced an influencer’s reach, left it undamaged or even increased their resonance with the public depended on the nature of the scandal, and how it was perceived.
Some scandals could make the public relate to, and like, influencers more — as people saw the situation they were in as human or even felt sorry for them — while other scandals turned the public off them completely, she said.
For former WAG and influencer Nadia Bartel, the Kmart ‘white powder’ scandal of 2021 does not seem to have diminished her appeal to brands in the long-term, despite the fact some severed their relationships with her in the immediate aftermath of the white powder video going viral and subsequent, negative media attention.
TEN INFLUENCERS IN DEMAND
Nadia Bartel
With an Instagram page full of designer bags and clothes, nail gels, GHD hair products, make-up, teeth whitening, spa stays and more — most with only the smallest and most subtle of references to the post being an #ad or paid partnership — former WAG and influencer Nadia Bartel has certainly bounced back from her 2021 Kmart plate white powder scandal, making an estimated $3830 per post last year and with 530,000 Instagram followers.
Bec Judd
The wife of former Carlton star Chris Judd is said to earn about $5500 per sponsored Instagram post, with her paid partnerships including everything from out-of-this-world Dubai luxury holidays at Atlantis the Royal Beach Resort, to “gifted stays” at Crown in Sydney. Judd has paid partnerships with Chadstone, Mermade Hair, Gem teeth whitening strips, Spotify, Shannakian Fine Jewellery, real estate developer Lowe Living, The Skincare Company and Trit House furniture store, to name a few. Last week — just in time for Christmas — Judd revealed a paid partnership with expensive, luxury French fragrance, candle and decor brand Diptyque. Unlike Nadia, Bec mostly tags her paid partnerships and “gifts” at the start of her posts. She also produces stylish videos for her 759,000 Instagram followers that brands would be more than happy with.
Emma Hawkins
The wife of Geelong Cats star Tom Hawkins, influencer Emma Hawkins, recently posted that she doesn’t often use her children “in campaigns or shoots anymore”, but in the past has featured them widely. Of late her Instagram has promoted a Mecca, Diptyque advent calendar and a “gift” of Driscolls blueberries, that was liked by Nadia Bartel and commented on by Bec Judd.
Hawkins has also posted videos and pictures to her 139,000 Insta followers of the family setting out for a day of fun in her expensive Toyota LandCruiser, the car company for which she is an “ambassador”.
Declared paid partnerships include with La Roche-Posay face serum, Dan Murphys, Coles and Eastland shopping centre — a post for which she did indeed use one of her children.
The children have also appeared in a sponsored post for Crown Hotels.
Mia Fevola
With 149,000 Instagram followers, daughter of Alex and AFL identity Brendan Fevola — now Melbourne’s “It girl’ — Mia Fevola has, or has had, paid lucrative partnerships with Crown Melbourne and Chadstone shopping centre, Virgin’s Velocity Frequent Flyer, Doordash, Twilight Beach Polo, where she has promoted retail brand Forever New, and Caulfield Racecourse, among others.
Domenica Calarco
The former MAFs and I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here contestant – famous for her high sex drive and candid opinions – has recently posted an ad for Pro-Voke purple blonding shampoo, announced a “collaboration” with Orro + Co tanning company for a new body oil and regularly tags Priceline in her beauty product demonstrations. Domenica Calarco has also posted ads for Olay skincare products and claims to have “created a dream vibrator”. Her famous feud with Kerri-Anne Kennerley on I’m a Celebrity, in which she called KAK the c-word, saw her profile and popularity only grow. She has 523,000 Instagram followers.
Maria Thattil
Stunning and smart, Miss Universe Australia 2020 Maria Thattil has no shortage of brands wanting to partner with her and take advantage of her 240,000-follower Instagram account. Recent ads have included Olay and Hey Bud Skincare, Elite Eleven sportswear sets and she has a paid partnership with Thomas Sabo, a luxury German manufacturer of jewellery and watches. Thattil also revealed in October a paid partnership with a Sydney festival, while one of her “collaborations” is with Crafted Furniture. Of course she is also collaborating on a far more personal level with AFLW identity Mo Hope these days.
Moraya Wilson
Recent scandal involving her father’s company – and subsequent calls for her beauty queen crown to be removed – seem not to have dented the appeal to brands of Melbourne’s Moraya Wilson.
While she has not tagged her promotion of brands as either #ads or #partnerships, this year’s second runner-up in the Miss Universe World competition and Miss Universe Australia titleholder has made the most of her competition-ready figure recently, spruiking tagged bikini brands, showing herself have her hair done at Hair House Australia (also tagged) and using home hair straighteners supplied by them. She has also posted an ad for a sunglasses brand. To date she has 91.4K Instagram followers.
Amie Rohan
Influencer Amie Rohan – a mum of two (soon to be three) and former partner of Cats star Gary Rohan – doesn’t shy away from featuring her children in Instagram posts promoting her paid partnerships with Nature’s Way children’s vitamins, The Embrace Hub, Target, Voice of Nature and more. The gorgeous girls also appear in videos spruiking “gifted” getaways in luxe hotels. She has 43.3K followers.
Jelena Dokic
The former tennis star who has overcome enormous adversity and is now a powerful voice for abuse survivors and body positivity uses her high profile image and 182,000 Instagram following to try and create positive change, but also has a paid partnerships with clothing brand Jackie E, Shoe Connection and Healthy Trim.
Mama Mila
Melbourne home cleaning hacks and styling influencer Chantel Ibbotson, with 2.2m Instagram followers, has spruiked expensive Dyson products, including its room air purifier, that she has tagged as a paid partnership. The former marketing and property management employee, known as Mama Mila on Instagram, told the Herald Sun in August the sponsored content she now put on her sites made being an influencer more than profitable enough to be a full-time career.
How sponsored influencer content works
The most common form of co-operation between brands and Instagram influencers is through sponsored posts and partnerships. According to Influencer Marketing Hub, brands typically reach out to somebody they consider an influencer and offer to pay them to push out a sponsored image or video to their followers.
How much they are paid depends on the influencer and how many followers they have, and of course the size and amount of money behind the brand itself.
“The ideal sponsored post shows how the brand’s product fits perfectly into the Instagrammer’s life and how it can just as easily fit into the lives of his or her followers,” Influencer Marketing Hub explains.
“It is not unheard of for those with more than 100,000 followers to earn $700-$900 per photo. Those with 500,000 followers can command $2000 to $3000 per sponsored photo posted. Then, of course, there are the superstars. Kim Kardashian can command up to $850,000 for a post across all of her social media platforms. Of course, her 364 million Instagram followers do put her in a class of her own. A typical post by any of the Kardashian/Jenners clan usually earns at least $200,000. Often, Instagrammers create the content, and the brand then has the rights to reuse that content in their marketing and on their website.”
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