Brands tap outside-the-box personalities to stand out as influencer marketing gets more competitive

Earlier this year, the mattress brand Saatva used influencer partnerships to make a bigger push into the fitness space when announcing its multi-year Olympics sponsorship of Team USA, which coincides with the company’s 15th anniversary.

For the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 and Paralympic Winter Games, Saatva is kicking off a full-funnel campaign featuring Team USA members. As part of the sponsorship, Saatva is providing the team members with mattresses, linens and pillows. The partnership will continue until the Los Angeles Summer Games in 2028.

Shari Ajayi, the public relations director at Saatva, said the company’s Olympic athletes sponsorship is part of an effort to introduce the brand’s restorative sleep ethos to a wider audience. “Our brand caters to the different needs of our consumers, and one type of ambassador can’t always embody all of those things,” she said.

Working with athletes expands beyond Saatva’s typical affiliate program partners, which have historically been people in the interior design and wellness space. 

“We’re showcasing how different people can represent different parts of Saatva’s DNA, so it felt like a natural fit,” Ajayi said. She added that the company chose Team Saatva members based on their ability to message the way “sleep unlocks your superpower.” 

In August, Saatva unveiled its first Olympics ambassador, gold medalist cross-country skier Jessie Diggins. “The announcement was also aligned with the opening of our Edina, Minn. store,” Ajayi said, which ties to Diggins being a Minnesota native. 

“These athletes are everyday people, but they can also perform at this amazing level,” Ajayi said. “And they know that sleep is a very important part of their training and recovery routine.” Another Team USA ambassador currently starring in Saatva’s ads is Paralympic snowboarder Brenna Huckaby, who speaks about the importance of sleep in her busy routine. 

Quynh Mai, founder of creative strategy and cultural intelligence agency Qulture, said the shift in influencer marketing is prompted by the changes social media platforms have undergone in recent years, following TikTok’s lead. Thanks to TikTok’s algorithm, in the last few years, everyday people can go viral while showcasing their favorite products, hacks or dupes organically. This is a major shift, from the polished Instagram influencer content that dominated feeds for years to a more organic look and feel in line with TikTok content.  

“No longer driven by follower count, video views are driven by engagement, and for brands, that means entertainment,” Mai said. So, to gain organic views, brands have shifted to partnering with talent ranging from comedy sketch performers to reporters to creative directors. “The traditional fashion and beauty influencers, with their outfits of the day, no longer cut through the algorithm,” Mai said.

As an example, Mai pointed to the recent campaign for the Johnnie Walker X “Squid Game” collaboration, which Qulture worked on. To promote the Netflix show’s partnership with the Scotch whisky brand, the campaign chose to seed gifts to creators like Janelle C. Shuttlesworth, who co-hosts the Sneaky Leak podcast, which covers the intersection of sneakers and pop culture. Shuttlesworth excitedly told followers that the gifted bundle, which also included a Puma X “Squid Game” tracksuit, was her first unboxing video. While Shuttlesworth isn’t a food and beverage creator, she was chosen to promote the collaboration based on her love of discussing film and TV fandoms, which she often weaves throughout her sneaker content.

This fall, the legwear brand Hue partnered with dancers from Moves NYC to promote its “Color that Move You” collection. The campaign is running on social media platforms TikTok and Instagram and on out-of-home billboards and screens.

Julia Townsend, the president of Hue parent company Kayser-Roth, said, “Working with Moves NYC was a way to merge culture, dance and our collection, which stood out far beyond our social channels.”

“Hue’s collaboration with dancers over the standard influencers reframes style as expression,” Townsend said. At the same time, it’s a natural fit given that many dancers wear tights during their dance rehearsals or classes. “They don’t just wear color, but they bring it to life through movement and show how color and confidence come alive in motion,” she said. The company also chose to partner with a dance school as an ode to its roots. Hue was founded in 1978 and started out by selling satin ballet flats.

Townsend said this campaign’s strategy was also meant to help Hue stand out amid a sea of “get ready with me” influencer content, which many fashion brands lean into to showcase their pieces. In the “Color that Moves You” campaign, Hue shows the ways that its tights, leggings and socks survive rigorous movement. The video spots also show how dancers mix and match Hue’s colorful tights with their rehearsal outfits.

Meanwhile, for supplement brand Amplifye, a key focus has been expanding its roster to include more diverse creators from beyond the fitness space.

Amplifye sells a supplement that claims to help with protein absorption; in turn, it may find itself competing with protein bar brands, apparel companies, wearable startups and more to score a partnership with a fitness influencer.

“When we launched Amplifye, we focused on wellness influencers to get broad awareness around protein absorption,” said Courtney McHugh, chief commercial officer at Amplifye. That gave the company a broad top-funnel reach. “But over time, we realized we needed a more nuanced approach,” she said. “Now, we partner with creators who represent the full range of people who can benefit from better protein absorption.” That includes practicing nutritionists, vegan creators and women currently in menopause.

“For example, Dr. Felice Chan is a practicing nutritionist who will be integrating AmplifyeP24 into her educational content,” McHugh said. Remy Park, a vegan creator, is talking to her audience about protein gaps in plant-based diets and how AmplifyeP24 can help. “We also have campaigns coming with Denise Austin, who represents women who are active agers.” McHugh said the company is expanding this strategy to include creators from different lifestyles, as well as a range of age groups, from busy millennials to women entering perimenopause.

Ajayi said that, in general, brands like Saatva are increasingly trying to think outside the box, when it comes to who would make a great affiliate partner. “They might not be the first person you might think of to represent the brand,” Ajayi said. “And we hope the success of the people we’re supporting is enough to justify Saatva being a part of their [Olympic] journey.”