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Brand Trust · Community Engagement · Influencer Marketing · Local Marketing
In 2025, brands like Paramount are strategically partnering with local community leaders, such as the Brooklyn Stroll Club, to build authentic trust and connection, prioritizing embedded influence and community engagement over traditional social media follower counts in their marketing plans.
The article, published August 1, 2025, by Gillian Follett for AdAgeAnswersBeta, highlights a significant shift in influencer marketing strategy. Companies are increasingly recognizing the value of individuals who organize local groups—like run clubs, dinner parties, or neighborhood dad walks—over social media stars with millions of followers.
These local leaders cultivate genuine communities, fostering a deeper level of trust and connection that large-scale social media influencers often cannot replicate. This strategy leverages "embedded influence," where the credibility of the local leader within their specific community translates directly into brand affinity.
Paramount's partnership with the Brooklyn Stroll Club for an early "Smurfs" movie screening exemplifies this approach, demonstrating how brands can access highly engaged, targeted audiences through authentic community engagement. This move signifies a maturation of the influencer marketing landscape, moving beyond superficial metrics to focus on tangible community impact and trust-building.
This trend suggests a sustained investment by brands in hyper-local marketing initiatives, recognizing that genuine connection drives more effective engagement and long-term customer loyalty.
