Increasing Awareness for WD-40 Brand Products with Trending Creators
Highlights
182 million+
impressions – exceeding objective by 298%
691,100+
engagements
$50
or less CPM across partnerships
12
unique influencer partnerships facilitated and managed
Opportunity
For nearly three decades, NST has served as the PR agency of record for WD-40 Brand and in 2017, launched its influencer marketing program to better connect WD-40 Brand fans and end-users. NST developed strategic partnerships with trusted influencers and trending social media creators in the trades – automotive; farming; construction; maintenance, repair and operations; and home improvement – to educate target audiences on product usage and generate authentic content that drives engagement and creates positive lasting memories of WD-40 Brand. The roster of influencer partners has adapted to changing times, including the addition of TikTok influencer partners as the platform has gained traction.
Approach
NST audited the current roster of partners to ensure continued fit and evaluated the influencer landscape to ensure the right influencers are on board to meet WD-40 Brand’s objectives. The team identified content creators that aligned with the brand’s goals and values and reviewed their content to become acquainted with their personality, the types of content they publish and what resonates well with their audiences. With these factors in mind, NST developed parameters for the partnerships, including impressions and other performance metrics, targeted CPMs, and yearly benchmarks.
In 2023, NST facilitated relationships with 12 influencer partners – six automotive, three construction/DIY, two MRO and one farming – to create content for YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and podcast ad reads. At the start of a partnership, the team coordinated onboarding sessions with each influencer to educate them on WD-40 Brand’s full line of products and provided supplemental materials – including a content publishing checklist, Federal Trade Commission guidelines and approved product uses – to ensure influencer partners were set up for success. Throughout the partnership, NST guided the influencer on the goal of each activation, provided continuing education on products and uses, collaborated on creative assets and managed the review and approval of all content.
Outcome
In total, the influencer program surpassed anticipated impressions and CPMs. Partnering with large creators like Donut Media, Throtl, Humble Mechanic, Fix This Build That, Make Everything, delivered compelling, industry-specific lifestyle content, millions of impressions, hundreds of thousands of engagements and CPMs that showed a great return on investment for WD-40 Brand. Overall, NST’s influencer marketing strategy of partnering with trade and lifestyle influencers proved to be effective in educating end users and engaging interest in WD-40 Brand and resulted in more than 182 million impressions – surpassing our objectives by 298% and securing 691,100 engagements with an average CPM under $50.
*Results from FY23: September 2022-August 2023
Services Provided
Influencer Marketing, Social Media Strategy