Germany has a thriving creator economy that is only growing. However, what makes it different from its European neighbours? With one of the largest budgets for influencer marketing, what are some of the key standouts that have shaped the German industry?
Through this European Influencer Marketing series, I’ll be deep-diving into the quirks of various countries in Europe. This week, I spoke to Jeanette Okwu from BeyondInfluence in Berlin.
Okwu had a lot of interesting insights, and the most staggering statistic was the sheer amount Germany spends on influencer marketing compared to the rest of Europe. With a budget of over five million, Okwu explained Germany has “the biggest budgets for influencer marketing” in Europe.
Germany faces different legal barriers from the rest of Europe
In Germany, there were different laws and regulations established in 2019, which serve to monitor sponsored content. This applies to both influencers who promote products and the brands commissioning them. The Media State Treaty and the Telemedia Act both establish that sponsored content must be clearly labelled and follow specific guidelines, or they could face hefty consequences.
In a Kolsquare study that Okwu shared, around 75% of German influencers were compliant with labelling regulations.
Acceptable tags for influencer advertising content are #advertisement and #advertisement, which must be clearly mentioned at the beginning of a post or video and in the description.
Okwu praised the 2019 ruling in the Kolsquare study.
“This newfound awareness of transparency obligations has led to positive change. Influencers and brands are aware of their responsibility to maintain transparency and build trust with their audience.”
Interestingly, Okwu mentioned that gambling and gaming halls fell into the restricted content that influencers aren’t allowed to promote. According to the Gaming Law, which was passed in 2024, “no ‘variable remuneration' may be paid for advertising on the internet. This includes affiliated links. In particular, revenue, deposit or stakes-based remuneration is prohibited.”
Financial advice is also being “eyed very critically.”
Dry humour is on the rise
When I asked Okwu about the type of content that performs well in Germany, she actually pinpointed comedian and influencer, Celeste Barber.
Barber is known for making parody videos of unrealistic beauty standards, which are not only hilarious to watch but also share an important message about authenticity.
Her beauty brand, Booie Beauty, just launched a new marketing campaign using a teenage photo of Barber with the slogan, “not everyone wants to look younger.”
Okwu noted that there were more and more German influencers who were starting to make content similar to hers.
Do German influencers prefer affiliate links or flat fees?
In Germany, Okwu said that most influencers want to have flat fees instead of affiliate links, however, she has noticed a “growing trend” to do affiliate.
“We have specific agencies that deal with that. And I think it’s a growing trend, especially now that influencer marketing becomes more and more of a performance channel.”
Language barriers
Interestingly, English-speaking content does not perform well in Germany. Okwu explained that marketing campaigns are all run in German.
However, one of the exceptions to this rule has to be Nara Smith, a famous TikToker who is known for posting homemade recipes and luxury lifestyle content.
A native English and German speaker, she has accumulated over 11 million followers on TikTok. She grew up in Frankfurt and makes hybrid English and German-narrated cooking videos.
She has a dry sense of humour just like Barber, however, she is known for never ‘breaking character,’ which maintains the mystery of whether she really is joking or not.
Okwu did say that breaking down language barriers can have its benefits and often encourages influencers to post videos in one language and Instagram Stories in another to maximise reach.
The influencer marketing landscape in Germany definitely has more visible barriers compared to the rest of Europe, mainly due to the law. However, these haven’t stunted Germany’s growth, and it seems the industry is only on the up.
