In influencer advertising and marketing, standing out requires extra than simply leaping on developments – it’s about delivering one thing that cuts via the noise and captures consideration. Enter DAH! Artisan Yogurts, a model within the crowded well being and wellness house was decided to make its mark. Regardless of having an in-house influencer program, they couldn’t fairly crack the code for creating the extent of buzz wanted to rise above the competitors.
That’s the place Get Hyped got here in. They didn’t simply hit the bottom operating—they first took a deep dive into DAH!’s present influencer methods, pinpointing gaps and areas for enchancment. Then, Get Hyped crafted a viral marketing campaign that didn’t simply contain influencers; it partnered with the influencers.
The consequence? A marketing campaign that blew up on-line with a 9.7% engagement fee and over 100 movies and pictures that had the social media world buzzing. It was a first-rate instance of how influencer advertising and marketing, when completed proper, doesn’t simply enhance engagement—it drives large model consciousness, positioning DAH! Artisan Yogurts as a real participant within the wellness recreation.
And this marketing campaign? It didn’t simply showcase the facility of influencer advertising and marketing—it highlighted the kind of strategic brilliance that the highest SF influencer advertising and marketing companies deliver to the desk. These companies are led by leaders who’re redefining the panorama with cutting-edge campaigns and an uncanny capacity to attach manufacturers with the precise influencers.
These {industry} leaders know find out how to flip a very good marketing campaign right into a game-changer, and their experience is strictly what manufacturers must rise above the noise in right this moment’s aggressive digital house.
Prime 9 CEOs of Influencer Advertising and marketing Firms in San Francisco
San Francisco is dwelling to a few of the most visionary influencer advertising and marketing CEOs and main companies that flip concepts into viral actions. These {industry} pioneers don’t simply comply with developments—they create them, driving actual impression for manufacturers worldwide.
1. Andy Berkenfield
Andy Berkenfield is a seasoned chief who has formed Duncan Channon into probably the most modern companies in San Francisco, notably within the influencer advertising and marketing house. As CEO and accomplice for over 25 years, Andy has pushed the company’s strategic imaginative and prescient and cemented its popularity as a artistic powerhouse. Below his management, Duncan Channon has persistently earned accolades, together with being named Advert Age’s Company of the 12 months 4 occasions.
Earlier than his tenure at Duncan Channon, Andy honed his expertise at FCB/San Francisco, main high-profile campaigns for Taco Bell, Levi’s, and Sega’s $100 million Dreamcast launch. This expertise laid the inspiration for his dynamic strategy to advertising and marketing, mixing conventional promoting experience with cutting-edge digital methods.
A pivotal second in Andy’s profession got here with the launch of DCLA, the company’s influencer advertising and marketing division. As one of many first to acknowledge the potential of influencers within the advertising and marketing combine, Andy positioned DCLA as a trailblazer within the house, working with main manufacturers like Nintendo and Citibank. His knack for tapping into rising developments has stored Duncan Channon forward of the curve within the ever-evolving panorama of digital and social media advertising and marketing.
Past his skilled achievements, Andy’s various pursuits—from his fluency in French to his ardour for pictures and crossfit—deliver a novel perspective to his management. His mix of creativity, strategic perception, and {industry} foresight has made him a standout CEO within the influencer advertising and marketing subject. For anybody trying to perceive the way forward for advertising and marketing, Andy Berkenfield is a reputation that continues to affect and encourage.
2. Chuck McBride
Because the Founder and Chief Inventive Officer of Cutwater, McBride leads a powerhouse company that turns manufacturers into channels and clients into followers. With places of work in San Francisco and New York, Cutwater is redefining trendy promoting via a daring mixture of storytelling, technique, and influencer advertising and marketing.
McBride’s profession reads like a spotlight reel of promoting’s best hits. From creating the Ray-Ban “By no means Cover” marketing campaign, which helped propel the model to international dominance, to shaping Nike’s legendary “Simply Do It” relaunch, his work has influenced a few of the world’s most iconic manufacturers. Below his management, Cutwater has led modern influencer-driven campaigns for manufacturers like San Francisco Bay Espresso and Harvest Snaps, proving that authenticity and creativity win in right this moment’s market.
However McBride isn’t simply concerning the large concepts—he’s about bringing them to life. His company’s influencer advertising and marketing efforts transcend social developments, tapping into cultural actions and actual human connections. As a keynote speaker on the Bend Design Convention, he’s shared his philosophy on how creativity drives enterprise, providing a uncommon mix of artistry and technique that few can match.
Earlier than founding Cutwater, McBride held prime artistic roles at TBWAChiatDay, Wieden+Kennedy, and Goodby Silverstein & Companions, the place he labored on every little thing from Levi’s and Lexus to Adidas and PlayStation. His work has not solely formed manufacturers however has additionally earned industry-wide recognition, together with Cannes Lions and AdAge Company of the 12 months awards.
3. Eric Facas
Facas’s journey to main probably the most impactful companies within the nonprofit house is nothing in need of spectacular. Media Trigger, his prized possession, is a mission-driven advertising and marketing powerhouse that helps nonprofits and social impression organizations amplify their voices and drive actual change. From securing shoppers just like the It Will get Higher Venture to delivering 300+ hours of pro-bono providers in a single yr, his work proves that advertising and marketing generally is a drive for good.
Earlier than Media Trigger, he co-founded Tallwave, a digital enterprise accelerator, and spent 5 years at Google, the place he performed a key position in launching the AdWords API program, incomes him a prestigious EMG/Founder’s Award. His experience in digital technique and efficiency advertising and marketing has formed the best way nonprofits navigate an more and more complicated digital panorama.
However his affect doesn’t cease at advertising and marketing. Facas can also be the creator of Rally Starter, a digital advocacy platform designed to assist anybody construct actions for change, and he co-hosts the “If Not Us” podcast, the place he spotlights people making a constructive impression on the planet.
Below his management, Media Trigger has grown to a workforce of 60+ workers, gained 22 {industry} awards, and continues to set the usual for a way influencer advertising and marketing, digital technique, and social good can intersect.
4. Peter Finn
Peter Finn has managed to develop FINN Companions into one of many world’s largest, impartial advertising and marketing and communications corporations with 1,300+ workers throughout 34 places of work on three continents. As a worldwide advertising and marketing powerhouse, Peter has dabbled within the ever-evolving world of influencer advertising and marketing, the place in a surprisingly brief period of time, he’s setting the bar excessive.
Below Finn’s management, the company has mastered the artwork and science of influencer advertising and marketing, crafting campaigns that prioritize authenticity, viewers engagement, and ROI. Whether or not it’s branded content material, social activations, or experiential occasions, FINN Companions ensures manufacturers join with the precise voices to amplify their message.
However what makes Finn’s strategy completely different? Relationships. FINN Companions has cultivated long-term connections with influencers, media, and {industry} leaders worldwide, turning influencer advertising and marketing right into a strategic asset moderately than only a pattern. His imaginative and prescient has helped the company safe main {industry} accolades, together with recognition as PRWeek Energy Checklist honoree in 2023, a testomony to his daring management and modern progress methods.
Earlier than founding FINN Companions in 2011, Finn spent practically three many years at Ruder Finn, the place he sharpened his experience in model technique, public relations, and digital advertising and marketing. Right this moment, his company has grown to $196 million in annual charges, proving {that a} dedication to significant advertising and marketing and real affect is a profitable method.
5. Amra & Elma Beganovich
Amra and Elma Beganovich are the Co-brains of the operations behind Amra & Elma. This dynamic duo has constructed a digital advertising and marketing empire, leveraging their very own 2 million+ followers to assist manufacturers join with audiences in genuine, high-impact methods.
With backgrounds in economics, regulation, and international finance, Amra and Elma took an unconventional path to the world of influencer advertising and marketing. However their experience in data-driven technique, enterprise improvement, and inventive storytelling has made them go-to companions for Fortune 500 giants like LVMH, Nestlé, Johnson & Johnson, Uber, and Procter & Gamble. Their company’s secret? A novel strategy that blends AI-driven influencer choice, pattern forecasting, and highly effective model storytelling—making certain each marketing campaign isn’t simply seen, however remembered.
What units them aside is their twin perspective—as each entrepreneurs and influencers, they perceive what actually resonates with digital audiences. Their campaigns span social media, branded content material, PR, web optimization, and experiential advertising and marketing, making them a one-stop store for influencer-led model progress.
Their success hasn’t gone unnoticed. Forbes, Enterprise Insider, Bloomberg, and The Wall Road Journal have all acknowledged Amra & Elma as leaders in digital advertising and marketing, whereas Yahoo Information credit them with shaping the way forward for influencer-driven promoting.
6. Gustav Lindell & Race Johnson
Gustav Lindell and Race Johnson are one other duo that is redefining influencer advertising and marketing at scale. As co-founders of Pixly, they’ve constructed an company that thrives on information, artistic execution, and performance-driven influencer activations. Since launching in 2017, Pixly has executed over 25,000 sponsored activations, producing 20 billion+ video views and operating 500+ campaigns month-to-month—numbers that show they know find out how to flip affect into impression.
Lindell, Pixly’s CEO, leads the company’s strategic route, advertiser partnerships, and firm progress. With over seven years of expertise in digital promoting, he’s developed a eager capacity to merge expertise with influencer advertising and marketing, serving to manufacturers scale their attain with precision and authenticity.
Johnson, Pixly’s COO, oversees product improvement, operational progress, and strategic partnerships. With a background in cell advertising and marketing relationship again to 2012, he’s performed a vital position in optimizing the company’s infrastructure, making certain manufacturers join with the precise influencers on the proper time, on the precise platforms.
Their shopper roster speaks volumes—Pixly has collaborated with Epic Video games, miHoYo, Opera, Manscaped, Casetify, and plenty of extra, serving to them faucet into YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, and Instagram with customized influencer campaigns that drive measurable outcomes.
7. Jon Davids
Jon David understood the potential of YouTube as a brand-building machine again in 2011. This foresight has taken him down the influencer advertising and marketing path with Influicity, the place he is the founder and CEO. Since his time on the helm, David’s has constructed one of many earliest influencer advertising and marketing companies.
Davids’ journey into digital advertising and marketing began early. In faculty, he constructed a web-based journal, monetized it with digital adverts, and offered it to a serious writer in 2009. However as a substitute of coasting on that success, he noticed the subsequent large alternative: influencers. By 2015, he launched Influicity, and since then, his company has labored with Warner Bros, Walmart, Financial institution of America, and different main manufacturers, proving that strategic influencer campaigns can drive severe ROI.
However Influicity isn’t nearly influencers—it’s about proudly owning affect. Below Davids’ management, the company has expanded into podcast manufacturing, social media progress methods, paid media campaigns, and AI-powered content material advertising and marketing. And with over 100 manufacturers in its portfolio, Influicity continues to push the boundaries of recent advertising and marketing.
Past operating a top-tier company, Davids is a content material machine himself. He hosts the podcast Making It with Jon Davids (now a prime 10 advertising and marketing podcast worldwide) and is a sought-after keynote speaker, sharing insights on progress, branding, and digital technique.
8. Nader Alizadeh
What occurs when Fortune 500 corporations belief you with all their influencer advertising and marketing want? Effectively, you get to name your self the pioneer of the {industry}. That is precisely who Nader Alizadeh is – the Co-founder and CEO of Linqia.
Earlier than launching Linqia, Alizadeh was already a trailblazer in digital engagement. As Senior Vice President and co-founder of Lithium Applied sciences, he performed a key position in shaping social CRM options that helped manufacturers like Finest Purchase, Sony, and PayPal faucet into on-line communities for progress.
Since founding Linqia in 2012, Alizadeh has led the company to work with over 650 shoppers, together with Clorox, McDonald’s, Anheuser-Busch, Common Motors, and Bayer. Below his management, Linqia has run 1000’s of profitable influencer campaigns, proving that influencer advertising and marketing isn’t nearly attain—it’s about actual, measurable impression.
What units Linqia aside? Efficiency-based influencer advertising and marketing. Alizadeh’s imaginative and prescient has formed Linqia right into a platform the place manufacturers don’t simply hope for engagement—they pay for precise outcomes. By leveraging AI-powered analytics and precision-matched influencers, Linqia ensures manufacturers get the very best attainable ROI on each marketing campaign.
With a 91% CEO approval score from his workers, Alizadeh’s management shouldn’t be solely revered but additionally deeply valued by his workforce.
9. Jason Harris
Jason Harris is the pioneering CEO of Mekanism, a San Francisco-based artistic advertising and marketing company that has redefined model storytelling via its distinctive “Soul + Science” strategy. Based in 2006, Mekanism has change into a powerhouse within the advertising and marketing world, working with iconic manufacturers like Peloton, Ben & Jerry’s, and Charles Schwab.
Below Harris’s management, the company has garnered vital recognition, together with Unbiased Company of the 12 months by The Drum and a spot among the many prime 10 Most Efficient Unbiased Businesses within the U.S.
A thought chief within the {industry}, Harris authored the bestselling e-book “The Soulful Artwork of Persuasion,” which presents insights into influential advertising and marketing methods. His methodologies have been so impactful that they are studied at Harvard Enterprise College.
Harris’s affect reaches past company work. He hosts the “Soul & Science” podcast, interviewing main entrepreneurs and exploring model tradition. His dedication to social impression is clear via his co-founding of the Inventive Alliance, a bunch of communication specialists devoted to constructive societal change. Not too long ago acquired by Plus Firm, Mekanism continues to push boundaries in efficiency advertising and marketing.
The Visionaries Redefining Affect: San Francisco’s Prime CEOs of Influencer Advertising and marketing Corporations
In a world the place consideration is probably the most priceless forex, these CEOs are proving that influencer advertising and marketing isn’t nearly developments—it’s about strategic impression. From performance-driven influencer corporations to artistic storytelling companies, they’re shaping the way forward for brand-consumer relationships.
Whether or not via AI-powered insights, viral content material, or mission-driven campaigns, every of those leaders is redefining what it means to affect at scale. As manufacturers navigate the evolving digital panorama, these San Francisco-based CEOs proceed to set the usual, proving that the precise influencer advertising and marketing service can flip engagement into actual, measurable success.
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Author
Olya Apostolova, an integral author on the gross sales workforce at Influencer Advertising and marketing Hub, brings her distinctive experience to the forefront of our content material creation. She expertly crafts articles that meet our stringent high quality requirements and replicate her deep understanding and experience in social commerce and digital advertising and marketing, providing readers priceless insights.
