The phenomenon of influencer marketing has fundamentally changed the way brands communicate with their audience. The I3 study, a cooperation between parfumdreams and the digital agency Buzzmatic, analyzes the engagement of the 1,000 German Instagram influencers with the highest reach. The study provides insightful results about the strategies and trends in this dynamic marketing sector.

Key findings of the I3 study

1. Influencer marketing on the rise: 70% of the top 1,000 influencers have published at least one sponsored post in the last 3 years, which shows that influencer marketing is firmly anchored in marketing strategies.
2. Fashion in focus: With 37% of all sponsored posts, fashion companies are the frontrunners in influencer marketing. Zalando proved to be the most active brand.
3. Advertising power: The designer and shopping queen judge Guido Maria Kretschmer is characterized by a high proportion of 68% advertising in his posts, which illustrates the high level of trust that advertising partners have in celebrities.
4. Wide reach: With 1.3 million likes for a sponsored post from the Glamira brand, Sylvie Meis impressively demonstrates the immense reach and appeal of influencers.
5. Platform shift: The study shows a slight decline in influencer marketing activity on Instagram and a shift towards other platforms such as TikTok, Twitch and YouTube Shorts. This underlines the constant adaptation and further development in influencer marketing.

Top influencers in the advertising business according to the I3 Index

The I3 study also identified the influencers who publish sponsored posts most frequently. Here are the top 10:

1. Alessandro Silverfox (69,9 %)
2. Guido Maria Kretschmer (68,7 %)
3. Max Muench (61,7 %)
4. Kosta Williams (59,4 %)
5. Artur Kramer (58,4 %)
6. Tatjana Witte (57,0 %)
7. Mimi Darko (56,9 %)
8. Sabrina Mirella Börke (52,7 %)
9. Açelya De Rosa (52,6 %)
10. Farina Opoko (52,0 %)

These influencers also received the most likes on their sponsored posts:

1. CaliKessie (11,5 %)
2. naomijon (11,5 %)
3. Simon&Timo (11,3 %)
4. Anni The Duck (11,8 %)
5. Simon / GamerBrother (10,6 %)

The most outstanding brands in influencer marketing

The I3 study also analyzed the brands that collaborate most frequently with influencers and are particularly successful in doing so. These brands rely most frequently on collaborations:

1. Zalando (119/804)
2. Amazon (79/184)
3. NA-KD Fashion (71/420)
4. Douglas (64/113)
5. SHEIN (60/370)

In brackets: Number of cooperation partners and number of sponsored posts

And these brands achieve the greatest success with their sponsored posts:

1. Dealbunny (8,8 %)
2. Koro (6,4 %)
3. Calvin Klein (6,3 %)
4. Lipton (5,6 %)
5. Olympus (5,6 %)

The complete list of the top 100 brands and influencers can be found here.

The I3 study is an important source of information for brands, marketing agencies and consumers looking to navigate the fast-paced world of influencer marketing.