Low season? A few tips on how to work with influencers in summer
Hello, this is the Influencer Myth Busters. Today we’re busting the myth that summer holidays are not only for schoolchildren, but also for influencers. We’ll also share a few tips on how to prepare for the season so that your influencer marketing efforts deliver results—without disrupting your own vacation plans.
A seasonal influencer market?
Even if you yourself sit in the advertiser’s chair, you’ll probably admit that in November and December, opening your social media feed can feel overwhelming with ads everywhere you look. Summer is quite different—and for influencers, it effectively begins once May is halfway through.
In May, silence tends to settle across social media feeds, communication channels, and influencers’ inboxes—lasting until September, when everything suddenly becomes needed “here and now” again. That silence is broken only by occasional ads for seasonal products (ice cream, non-alcoholic refreshing beer, or swimwear).
Why does this happen? Among advertisers, there’s a widespread belief that in summer everyone takes a break from social media—influencers, brands, and their audiences alike. But that’s not entirely true. During holidays, we actually consume even more entertainment content, so there’s no shortage of airtime or opportunities to reach your target audience in summer. And summer sunshine certainly doesn’t stop influencers from creating impressive brand integrations—even while lying by the sea.
Cheatsheet: effective vs. ineffective summer advertising
So what should you do to make your influencer campaigns shine in summer—or maybe even earn an award or two? We have some ideas.
What to do?
✅ Be where your audience is
Where do your fans and customers spend their summers? Maybe they’re enjoying music festivals, getting active at a wake park, or laughing with friends at live comedy events.
We recently talked about offline influencer marketing trends—and summer is an especially good time to lean into them. Grab your brand ambassador or a favorite influencer by the hand and dive into the heart of events. This will add authenticity to your campaigns, something that matters even more in summer.
Or maybe your audience dreams of going somewhere—perhaps even onto a movie screen? By inviting influencers to travel, you can give their followers a chance to visit new places virtually. Much like Inidė Jasnauskaitė did when she went to the Gran Turismo racetrack together with Nissan Lithuania.
✅ Bring influencers together
Long summer evenings offer plenty of opportunities to connect and strengthen relationships between brands, their ambassadors, and their fans. We suggest taking inspiration from our clients Douglas, who last year dedicated their summer event to PRIDE month. A fun program, colorful activities, and clearly communicated values turn into engaging content that everyone who attended is eager to share.
That said, initiating your own events is not the only path. During summer, many interesting and humor-driven creator projects take place—projects that brands later regret not having supported. Perhaps events organized by comedians that bring together energetic audiences, such as “Hiparikai Live” or “Komandiruotė,” are already on your radar? Trust us—people appreciate brands that support their favorite creators.
Creators also come together in virtual spaces, with more and more digital summer content projects emerging. A great example is the series “Šeima,” which united the audiences of Justas Pečeliūnas, Goda Kujavskytė (also known as Goda Problema), Ineta Stasiulytė, and Timūras Augucevičius. After just a few episodes, it spread so widely that brands immediately wanted to be part of it.
✅ Turn on creativity
Marketing wisdom says that an average idea needs good planning and perfect timing, but a great idea will deliver results at any time. Having implemented hundreds of projects, we are convinced that in summer, fun and energetic ideas achieve the best results.
You can start from classic summer attributes—just as Laneige did by sending influencers their new watermelon lip mask. In summer, it also pays off to take an extra step for creativity, as demonstrated by MAC Cosmetics, who named their product sets after popular content creators.
Running out of ideas? Here are a few inspiration-worthy examples that achieved excellent results in Lithuania:
What not to do?
❌ Send gifts and expect quick results
We love gifts—and influencers do too. However, in summer, gifting campaigns require especially careful planning. Your package might not reach your favorite creators on time if they’ve relocated to the seaside for a while.
Every rule has an exception. One example is this successful Maltesers market-entry and sales-boosting campaign, during which 50 influencers in Lithuania generated as many as 136 pieces of content. Thanks to influencers’ enthusiasm for sharing sweets with friends, the campaign stayed alive for several weeks—until everyone had tasted the chocolate bubbles. The success of this campaign, which went against classic influencer marketing rules, was driven by the impressiveness of the gift and the appeal of the product. So in summer, it’s worth making sure your package is truly extra.
Finally, a word of caution: if you decide to send gifts in summer, be prepared for your product to appear on social media a bit later than planned—or at a time when you least expect it.
❌ Plan campaigns at the last minute
Have you decided to take advantage of a quieter, lighter summer media environment for your brand? Then don’t leave planning to the last minute. When organizing summer advertising campaigns, first make sure your chosen influencers will be available and that all campaign details are approved in advance. It’s also wise to allow extra time for content approvals—after all, even you might feel tempted to swap work for a carefree sunny day.
