Building brand affinity through influencer marketing in the UK

Brand affinity vs brand loyalty

Brand loyalty refers to customers consistently returning to a brand over time. On the other hand, brand affinity refers to the strong emotional connection and alignment with a brand's message and mission. Businesses can foster brand loyalty through affinity, but it can also stem from the difficulty of switching brands, low costs, or convenience.

Brand affinity vs brand equity

Brand equity is how much value a recognised brand name adds to a product. For example, Nutella vs. generic chocolate spread. The reasons why customers prefer these brands also vary, such as brand recall, positive sentiment, rather than a deep affinity.

The UK context: why influencer marketing affects affinity in 2025

Influencer marketing campaigns cut through the noise, allowing brands to reach target markets through aligned individuals. 

This is essential, given the current economic climate. UK consumer confidence is low, falling by 10.4% in Q2 2025—the lowest it’s reached since the first quarter of 2024, according to a Deloitte report.

Shoppers worry about their job security, favor flexible payment options, and think carefully before parting with their cash.

So, what inspires today’s consumers to buy?

Firstly, shoppers still find space in their budget to do what they love. Memories and experiences are valued, as is entertainment and travel.

Authenticity is another key factor. Consumers want to ensure that any recommended products will benefit them. Therefore, influencers with a strong track record of beneficial recommendations develop trust and a community with their followers over time. This is a valuable resource for brands. 

From collaboration to connection: how do you build brand affinity with KOLs?

Marketers can build brand affinity by establishing connections with key opinion leaders (KOLs) who are perceived as authentic and trustworthy. 

But brands must be careful. Not every influencer's brand mentions will inspire repeat purchases.  

A recent example is Katie Price, who shared on a podcast that she doesn't take any supplements. However, on social media, she has regularly promoted collagen supplements. These comments undermine consumer trust and render future recommendations powerless. 

Brands must find reliable, authentic influencers who can share content with messages that align with their own—on every platform. 

Once you identify creators with brand affinity and dedicated communities, you should consider collaborating with them on a long-term basis. Like any relationship, working with an influencer over a longer period demonstrates that you genuinely value their audience.

What is an example of brand affinity? And how do brands generate it through influencer marketing?

Let’s look at three top examples of brands building affinity through influencer marketing across different product categories. 

Example 1: Trinny London reactivating influencers to increase impact

Trinny London is a beauty brand created by TV personality Trinny Woodall. The brand creates luxury beauty products for women aged 40 and above. Its neutral tones and considered formulas resonate with its target audience. 

As a result, the brand has created a beauty empire. From March 2022 to 2023, Trinny London generated £55 million in revenue. The brand's CMO, Shira Feuer, believes that part of their success stems from the community and brand affinity that they’ve built. She shared with Brand Innovators, “We start with the core message and what resonates with the audience, then think about the creative and the channel. The brand has created a Trinny Tribe, a group of brand advocates. They've built a strong, loyal customer base that trusts the products.”

Woodall herself often markets through her own social media accounts. The brand also collaborates with influencers in the long term, fostering a sense strong emotional connection.

Presenter and influencer Amanda Lamb (@missamandalamb, 139K followers, Instagram) is one example. Over the past six months, she created 19 pieces of content tagging Trinny London, resulting in €23.5K in earned media value (EMV), which estimates the value of the buzz generated by the campaign, had it been achieved through traditional marketing channels. More than two-thirds (70%) of her audience are aged over 44, perfectly matching Trinny London's target market. 

Example 2: Gymshark, long-term affiliates, long-term gains

Fitness fashion brand Gymshark was one of the first brands to run affiliate influencer marketing campaigns, which use unique promo codes and URLs to link influencers and sales. With this framework, the influencer isn't paid up front (or is only paid a small amount). 

Instead, the majority of their earnings are paid on a commission basis. When a customer uses the KOL's URL or promo code, they receive a portion, typically 5-20%, of the checkout value. This tactic enables brands to collaborate with a large number of influencers without unmanageable upfront costs. 

Gymshark’s affiliate campaign activated dedicated fitness KOLS and athletes who align with the brand’s values. The influencers then create content in their usual style while wearing Gymshark clothes. It's a successful tactic: the brand reported record revenue between July 2023 and July 2024, bringing in £607.3 million.

These long-term collaborations closely align the brand with influencers who share the same values around fitness. This helps the brand dominate social media conversations and strengthen its values. 

Lily Lifts (@Lilylifts, 748K followers, Instagram) is a long-term Gymshark ambassador. The macro-influencer shares engaging and relatable gym content, with a 15% engagement rate on Instagram Reels. Her 70+ pieces of Instagram content for Gymshark and GymShark Women over the past six months have generated over €12M in EMV. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJ98FSgo590/

Example 3: Revolut, creating affinity with Gen Z and Millennials

Revolut is a finance app that has transformed the fintech industry and become a household name. The brand targets Millennials and Gen Zers, positioning itself as an alternative to traditional banks. It embodies these younger consumers' values, such as convenience, transparency, and the adoption of new technologies like AI and cryptocurrency. 

Revolut’s tone is casual and approachable. They often market via social media with influencer marketing, activating comedians and reality TV stars for humorous content. This creates strong brand affinity because the brand message aligns with the influencers it activates and their target audiences. 

Revolut collaborated with comedian and influencer Jack Joseph (@jackjos3ph, 1.1m followers, Instagram) to create three reels and two stories over the past year. Joseph created content in his usual style, which consists of comedic skits based on relatable situations. In the video below, he acts as a “stingy” friend who is offered a free meal thanks to Revolut’s perks. 

Measuring data, not vibes: metrics and KPIs that signal brand affinity 

So, how do you find influencers with brand affinity? 

As a marketer, you have great intuition. But judging on vibes alone isn't enough. There are clear data points that will ensure an influencer will move the needle. 

Use this guide to discover how to find influencers who will make a lasting impact on brand affinity.

Past collaborations: the indicator of the future

Begin by reviewing the KOL's past collaborations. How has the influencer performed for similar brands? 

Previous success suggests that the influencer will align with your brand. However, in some sectors, people may perceive an influencer promoting your product immediately after a competitor's as disingenuous. 

For example, an influencer who shares their favourite nighttime moisturiser shouldn’t promote a different "go-to" evening moisturiser a month later.

Engagement: actions are not made equal 

Engagement is one of the most important metrics in influencer marketing. However, not all are equally relevant when it comes to brand affinity.

For example, comments show an extra layer of engagement compared to likes. The person bothered to stop scrolling to type a message, signaling that they likely watched the entire video and are ready to start a conversation. Shares are also good indicators that the content is connecting with audiences. 

Influencer’s earned media value: the buzz you can create

Analyse the expected EMV from influencers' posts. An influencer platform can help you here. Platforms like Kolsquare will estimate the amount of EMV that an influencer can generate for each format and platform. For example, Instagram reels or TikTok videos. You can also check EMV for specific posts and a wealth of other data, including engagement metrics, audience demographics, past collaborations, and more. 

Book a Kolsquare demo today. 

Share of voice: where are you in the conversation?

Brands can also use share of voice data to identify which influencers competitors are engaging and which tactics yield the best results. 

Audience demographics: Who are you connecting with?

Verify whether the influencer's audience demographics align with your target audience. This makes it more likely that you will create brand affinity in their audience.

Going beyond metrics: content style and values

All brand affinity strategies should include an analysis of the KOL's content style, values and beliefs. Otherwise, their social media posts may not build meaningful relationships.

For example, an influencer who typically shares videos of luxury getaways, designer clothes, and private jets will not align with an eco-friendly brand that emphasises reducing environmental impact. 

There are also more subtle instances. For example, an influencer who often shares about having dry hair should not promote products from a brand that primarily targets oily hair. 

Tips to build brand affinity with UK creators 

Brand affinity gives companies a competitive advantage. It's a powerful way to build a community of like-minded customers and influencers. 

Use these tips and tactics to develop brand affinity with influencers:

• Rather than selecting KOLs based on high reach, choose those who truly reflect your brand's values.
• When collaborating, prioritize consistency over virality—this is about long-term connections, not quick results.
• Smaller creators, such as micro and nano influencers, enable you to reach targeted audiences, increasing the likelihood that your brand will resonate with them. 

In addition, be respectful to influencers. Of course, this is always a priority, but when you're running long-term campaigns, it's essential to pay influencers on time, clearly explain deliverables, and create transparent contracts. 

But there's no need to sign a long-term contract right away. If you’re unsure who to choose after reviewing the data, select an influencer for a short-term collaboration and analyse their performance. If you see a lot of positive sentiment and engagement, continue the collaboration. 

Pro tip: When collaborations go well, consider aligning your brand with the influencer even more closely. Tactics like co-creating products and brand takeovers form a deeper connection between your brand and the creator.

Make brand affinity your next play with influencer marketing tools

Influencer marketing is an excellent way of building brand affinity. But you need to rely on more than intuition for a great influencer marketing campaign. You must select influencers who align with your brand and have an impact on their audience, whether they're on Instagram, Snapchat, or TikTok. The easiest way to find these creators is by using metrics. 

One way to speed up the process is to use an influencer marketing platform like Kolsqaure. 

Kolsquare stores data about millions of influencers worldwide. To discover KOLs who suit your campaign, simply search for relevant keywords. From there, you can filter by audience demographics, engagement rates, location, platform and much more to find your perfect match.

Once your campaign is up and running, you can also track results on Kolsquare. You quickly learn which creators are making an impact and your position in the industry.