6 Brazilian influencers that are making history

Standing out in a digital and globalized world is a real challenge. Brands often struggle to connect with the massive audience on the World Wide Web, especially with so many new social media platforms launching and gaining users.

Nielsen Groups published a recent study that reaffirms Brazil’s status as a country of influencers. The survey shows that over 500,000 Brazilian influencers have at least 10K followers across multiple platforms.

Many of these Brazilian influencers are making history, and – it’s fair to say – changing the world.

How do you go about picking which one to work with? There’s no easy answer. The proper use of influencer marketing in Brazil calls for a specialized agency to help your business make the right choice.

But first, you need to know the names of some of the biggest influencers in Brazil, which we will address in this article.

If you are a 21st century company looking to stay competitive, you already know that social networks are key to reaching your target audiences.

All kinds of people use social media to connect and share their thoughts. Brazil is home to over 159 million social media daily users, of all ages.

But why do all these people use social networks? The need to belong  is intrinsic to all human beings. Social networks bring all kinds of people together to express themselves and find others who think similarly.

They offer a place to find one’s voice, to be heard. Who users choose to follow and consider an authority on a given subject is a reflection of who they are – or want to be.

A recent Statista Global Consumer Survey highlights influencer marketing as an essential pillar of marketing in Brazil. The market is expected to grow to 17 billion U.S. dollars in 2022.

The survey also claims that Social Media influencers have the greatest power of anyone over purchasing decisions in Brazil.

This young Brazilian influencer started out on YouTube in 2010 and has been conquering the internet ever since. On YouTube alone, he has 44.7 million subscribers and more than fifteen billion accumulated views. He was recently named as one of Time’s 100 most influential people in the world. He is also a businessman, comedian, and writer.

Although his videos focus on general entertainment, Neto is also considered to be a political influencer for young viewers, and is consistently engaged in philanthropy. As part of a protest against censorship, he bought 14 thousand LGBT books and donated funds to the Rio de Janeiro Book Biennial.

Known as the “cousin” to all Brazilians, which is also how Maísa affectionately refers to her adoring followers. Like a Brazilian Shirley Temple, with her curly hair and spunky personality, Maísa engaged followers to keep their hair natural and took ownership of her curly hair a few years ago. This helped a lot of young people to appreciate their black ancestry and phenotypes.

Thanks to her pep talks about reaching your dreams, Maísa has become an online phenomenon, beloved by all Brazilians, and Gen Z in particular. She has over 45.5M followers on Instagram alone.

Yes, Anitta is a worldwide celebrity. But she is more than that. With over 63 million followers on Instagram alone, she is the voice of many overlooked fans who struggle with racism, sexism, and homophobia, among other issues. She is a symbol of female empowerment, and encourages body acceptance.

Anitta is also a philanthropist, donating part of her earnings to an NGO that fights poverty in the favelas – colorful communities where many poor workers live.

Whinderson is an internet phenomenon, gaining 59 million followers thanks to his YouTube comedy channel since 2011. He is also currently involved in singing and acting projects.

Oh, and he fights too… kind of. In early 2022 he fought the three-time boxing champion Popó – and lost badly. The wrestling match was streamed online and was a huge success – just one example of his innovative content.

He became a Brazilian hero by mobilizing artists to donate oxygen cylinders to Manaus, the capital of Amazonia, in 2021. He has also auctioned personal items to help the victims of flooding in Bahia.

This Brazilian influencer aims to demystify the prejudices surrounding Muslims – including topics such as burkinis and hijabs – in a very liberal country like Brazil.

She went viral on TikTok, where she has 1.2M followers, with a video series about how her marriage was arranged by none other than Mark Zuckerberg (a joke, since she actually met her husband on Facebook).

One of the most famous soccer players in the world, Neymar Jr is also one of the most famous Brazilian male influencers. He has over 181M followers on Instagram, where he mostly talks about his soccer career.

His philanthropy aims to increase opportunities for children and their families. He also speaks out for better healthcare, education, sports and access to culture.

Last but not least, when using an influencer in your marketing strategy, keep in mind that your values and beliefs have to match theirs. Choose the Brazilian influencers who will introduce you to a relevant audience.

The Internet is full of information. Don’t try to turn your brand into something that it’s not. Use transparency to your favor, to raise brand awareness and increase conversions.