From Celebrities to Microcultures: Why Influencer Marketing Will Enter B2B in 2025

This week, we continue this special series exploring 2025 predictions by looking at influencer marketing and why I think in 2025 we will see leading B2B brands venturing into this space and how AI will play a role. Let’s take a closer look.

Focus On: The Evolution of Influencer Marketing

In the pre-social media era, influencer marketing was synonymous with celebrity endorsements. Brands collaborated with actors, musicians, and athletes to tap into their fame and sway consumer behaviour. Activated on traditional media like TV, radio, and print, these campaigns were very broad and effective, at a time when large parts of society identified with a relatively small number of celebrities.

The early 2000s saw the rise of social media and in the 2010s 4/5G enabled smartphones gave birth to a new wave of digital influencers. These creators built followings through authentic (or perceived as such), niche content rather than mainstream fame. From beauty vloggers to gaming streamers, they connected deeply with their audiences, creating a completely new marketing channel, one much closer and relatable to the customer.

Micro and Nano-Influencers

Even the influencer marketing trend is now evolving and becoming more layered than ever. The focus has shifted from mega-influencers to micro (10,000–100,000 followers) and even nano-influencers (1,000–10,000 followers). Despite smaller audiences, their content feels more personal, resulting in higher engagement and trust. By collaborating with these influencers, brands gain access to niche markets and foster authentic connections with consumers.

This change has been driven mainly by consumers seeking authenticity over polished perfection, as many mega-influencers now resemble A-list celebrities in the quality of their production, but their authenticity is often questioned.

On the other hand, platforms like TikTok have propelled relatable, unpolished content to the masses. This trend has created a new breed of influencers—the content creators who build their following by sharing candid insights into their lives. For brands, aligning with such influencers adds credibility and emotional resonance, moreover by tapping into these microcultures they can unlock deeper levels of consumer engagement and advocacy, going beyond product promotion to become cultural participants.

The Role of AI

Now let's look at how artificial intelligence is reshaping how brands approach influencer marketing. By analysing data on follower demographics, engagement patterns, and online behaviours, AI tools allow brands to identify influencers with the best audience alignment, optimize content strategies for higher engagement and predict campaign outcomes and refine them in real-time. Not to mention the opportunity to support with content creation and campaign amplification.

These capabilities will be critical as brands navigate increasingly fragmented markets and microculture-driven trends, ensuring their influencer collaborations are effective and scalable.

The Potential in B2B Influencer Marketing

While influencer marketing has traditionally been associated with B2C strategies, it’s becoming very relevant in the B2B space too. After all leading B2B brands are not new to using celebrities to titillate the emotional side of high-stakes B2B decisions.

Volvo Trucks’ iconic "Epic Split" commercial featuring Jean-Claude Van Damme is a classic example. Though a B2B brand, Volvo used a celebrity to highlight product precision and innovation, creating cultural resonance.

In 2025, we will see leading B2B brands leveraging micro and niche influencers as well. This shift aligns well with established account-based marketing (ABM) programmes, where hyper-targeted tactics naturally integrate with the authenticity and reach of influencers. Thought leaders, industry specialists, and niche creators will become pivotal in humanising B2B messages, building trust, and amplifying their relevance within specific buying groups.

Where To Start? Some Practical Steps for Brands

1. Leverage Micro and Nano-Influencers: Start by identifying influencers who align closely with your brand’s values and resonate with niche audiences. For example, a cybersecurity company might scout for IT specialists sharing tips and tricks on their social channels.

2. Invest in AI Tools: Use AI-driven analytics to select the right influencers and measure campaign effectiveness, this is going to be key to ensure scalability.

3. Focus on Authenticity: Partner with creators known for genuine, relatable content that reflects your brand’s ethos and only use AI to repurpose and distribute originally created content.

4. Tap into Microcultures: Explore and engage with sub-communities within your audience to fuel campaigns with cultural relevance. Back to the cybersecurity company, they could look for e-commerce entrepreneurs/SMEs, IT specialists and healthcare IT professionals.

Influencer marketing is already a cornerstone of modern B2C marketing strategies and in 2025 I predict we will see leading B2B brands venture in this space, coupling established ABM efforts with influencer marketing pilots. What do you think?

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Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in Chronicles of Change and on my social media accounts are my own and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of S&P Global.