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Zevia used Cardi B to trade niche wellness credibility for mass-market permission at seven-figure cost.
166 million Instagram followers
and a reputation for candor that the brand believes…
10,000 to 50,000 followers
whose audience matches your ideal customer
$500 to $2,500
depending on reach
$2,000 test
buys proof of concept and a repeatable playbook
Zevia, the stevia-sweetened soda brand, launched its largest campaign to date by signing Cardi B as brand ambassador, according to Marketing Dive. The multi-channel effort marks a deliberate pivot from wellness-focused messaging to mass-market relevance through celebrity voice.
The brand deployed Cardi B across paid media, social content, and retail activations in what the company describes as a seven-figure investment. Zevia's CMO framed the partnership as an attempt to normalize zero-sugar beverages beyond the fitness and clean-eating audience that built the brand. The campaign centers on Cardi B's unscripted commentary on everyday choices, positioning Zevia as the no-compromise option in a category historically coded as sacrifice.
The mechanism is borrowed from mature CPG: use celebrity proximity to collapse consideration barriers. Cardi B brings 166 million Instagram followers and a reputation for candor that the brand believes will transfer to the product. Zevia is betting that her endorsement signals permission to choose zero-sugar without signaling diet culture or restriction. The brand explicitly avoided wellness language in campaign assets, instead leaning into Cardi B's vernacular and letting her frame the product as obvious rather than virtuous.
This works because celebrity moves the conversation from ingredient scrutiny to social proof. A consumer who hesitates over stevia or questions the taste profile stops calculating when someone they trust vouches for the choice. The investment shifts the decision from rational evaluation to cultural alignment. Zevia is not asking the shopper to read the label; it is asking them to trust Cardi B's taste and judgment. That shortcut is expensive but fast.
The smaller physical-product brand cannot hire Cardi B, but the play is replicable at micro scale. Identify one creator with 10,000 to 50,000 followers whose audience matches your ideal customer. Prioritize engagement rate over follower count and look for creators who already talk about adjacent categories without formal sponsorships. Reach out with product and a flat-fee offer for three posts over 60 days, typically $500 to $2,500 depending on reach. Do not script the content. Send the product, share two or three usage occasions, and let them frame it in their own voice. The goal is the same credibility transfer Zevia bought at scale: their audience trusts them, and that trust extends to your product when the endorsement feels organic. Track traffic and conversions by creator using unique discount codes, then double spend on the top performer. The seven-figure budget buys speed and reach; the $2,000 test buys proof of concept and a repeatable playbook.
The broader pattern is celebrity and creator partnerships moving from awareness plays to decision-layer interventions. Brands are no longer hiring influencers to generate impressions; they are hiring them to collapse objections and shift category perception in real time.
Test one micro-creator at $500 to $2,500 for three organic posts, track conversions by unique code, then double spend on the winner.
For the operator
Budget $25,000 to $75,000 for mid-tier creator partnerships with usage rights, prioritize engagement over reach, let them script the story in their voice.
For the house
Evaluate creator partnerships as decision-layer interventions, not awareness plays; require conversion tracking and multi-touch attribution before committing to long-term deals.
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