How Daniel Wellington made a $200 million Business thanks to influencer marketing on Instagram?

Created in 2011, the Daniel Wellington watch brand now generates more than $200 million in revenue. 

Average quality watches with a sleek design at a competitive price, so that's what makes the brand's success worthwhile? Well no, it's much more subtle than that: Daniel Wellington did what no one in his time dared to do on social networks. ⌚️

Influence marketing is more topical than ever and no one doubts its effectiveness today... But while it was not taken seriously 10 years ago, this Swedish brand made the bold choice to break the codes and was a pioneer in marketing strategy with micro-influencers.

‍‍

The beginnings of an empire

While it does not offer a luxury product, in just one year, Daniel Wellington watches broke all records and became a must-have product. So much so that a study conducted in 2019 showed that it had become the most cited brand on Instagram sponsored posts (using #ad). The strategy was simple, but that's what has allowed DW to make an impressive 50% margin today.

But then how did they do it concretely?

Indeed, its creator Filip Tysander quickly understood that the voices of small influencers were better than those of a single big star. And he was right.

That's why in 2011, he invested $15,000 and launched an influential marketing campaign that made Daniel Wellington's famous success. 🌟

‍

The principle was simple: 

1. Partnerships with micro-influencers 🤳

Offer a watch to micro-influencers in exchange for a post mentioning the partnership on their Instagram account (sometimes accompanied by a promotional code). Just quote @danielwellington and the hashtag #ad.

This operation, repeated many times with influencers from all over the world, Daniel Wellington boosted their sales considerably by activating the impressive visibility of their network. 👀

‍

2. The massive use of User Generated Content 📲

The daily #DWPickoftheDay contest challenged influencers to come up with the most original sponsored post for a chance to be reposted on Daniel Wellington's official account and enjoy great exposure. 🏆

Other contests of the same style were set up by the brand: #DWPickoftheMonth, #DWcaption... allowing the account at the time to be made up to 90% of tested photos of the influencers.

‍

‍

Today's results

The sales revenue generated by these micro-influencers enabled Daniel Wellington to reach new, higher-end partnerships with mega-influencers. Today, their Instagram feed includes celebrities such as model Hailey Bieber and TikToker Addison Rae, who between them have nearly 70 million subscribers. 😎

‍

This textbook case should have proved something: when used properly, influencer marketing can be an extremely powerful weapon! It can become unavoidable in just a few years. 📈