Danone’s Bold Playbook for Creator-Driven Brand Growth

This text was produced in partnership with Linqia.

This submit was drafted utilizing AI and reviewed by an editor.

In a media panorama the place authenticity strikes markets, Danone is leaning on influencer advertising to get its message out.

Throughout a panel at ADWEEK’s Social Media Week, Danone CMO Linda Bethea and govt artistic director Eric Flinn joined Linqia chief technique officer Keith Bendes to unpack a technique that marries real-time relevance with manufacturing prowess.

“Influencer is a important part of our total advertising technique,” stated Bethea. “The normal linear advertising funnel, that’s useless. Youthful customers immediately have interaction in a steady loop of discovery and engagement due to the web, social media, and influencers.”

This shift from linear to loop underscores the meals and beverage big’s method: Influencers usually are not simply amplifiers—they’re collaborators built-in at each contact level, from content material creation to cultural engagement.

Exhibiting up on the proper events

Danone’s playbook begins with cultural responsiveness. When a social media submit sparked debate over whether or not to place cereal or milk within the bowl first, Danone’s Silk model jumped in.

“It was approach simpler on Twitter,” stated Flinn. “Now there’s an expectation for visible content material, and it slows the method down. However should you do it proper, it feels actually genuine.”

“You must present as much as the fitting social gathering,” stated Bethea. “We’ve a portfolio of over 20 manufacturers, and it’s essential that we perceive the model goal, the model positioning, and the audience for every, in order that we deliver our model to life in an genuine, related approach.”

That authenticity was on show when Silk collaborated with influencers to weigh in on the cereal-first controversy, full with road interviews. The takeaway? Agility requires greater than velocity—it calls for a transparent course of and inside alignment.

Artistic integration, inside and outside

Past reactive campaigns, Danone is weaving influencers straight into its manufacturing ecosystem.

“You see MrBeast in NFL video games,” stated Flinn. “While you work with movie star expertise or sports activities expertise, that means of attempting to get them to get on social media on their channels is often fairly compelled and tedious. In case you work with a creator or influencer, that’s of their wheelhouse.”