Italian influencer marketing saw significant activity across both Instagram and TikTok during May-June 2025, with nearly identical post volumes but significant differences in engagement strategies and advertiser participation.
AdReport’s latest intelligence reveals that Instagram saw 4,835 sponsored posts from 769 advertisers working with 1,095 influencers, while TikTok recorded 4,839 posts from 579 advertisers collaborating with 548 influencers. Despite the similar post volumes, Instagram’s influencer pool remains twice as large as TikTok’s, suggesting Instagram continues to offer brands a wider selection of potential partners.
“Instagram has seen 769 investors and 1,095 influencers active for 4,835 posts, with 57.8% featuring video content,” the report states, highlighting the platform’s development toward video-centric engagement.
Top Advertisers Reveal Platform Strategies
The data indicates clear platform preferences among major brands, with some companies investing heavily in one platform while maintaining minimal presence on the other.
On Instagram, fashion retailer Shein leads with 236 posts generating 12.12 million likes and 120,960 comments, followed by Infinity (115 posts) and UEFA Champions League (94 posts). L’Oréal appears fourth with 72 posts, demonstrating the beauty sector’s continued Instagram focus.
TikTok’s advertising reveals a different pattern, with Sephora leading at 54 ads, followed by Shein (47) and NYX (42). The platform shows stronger representation from beauty and cosmetics brands among top advertisers, with Sephora, Shein, NYX, and ghd comprising four of the top positions.
“Sephora, Shein, and NYX have been the most active advertisers by number of TikTok ads,” notes the report, highlighting beauty brands’ strategic focus on the platform.
Top Performing Content
Performance metrics reveal distinct differences in what resonates with audiences across the two platforms. On Instagram, Apple Italia’s collaboration with influencer David Baldo (@in_visible_world) achieved the highest engagement, earning 2.44 million likes and 6,440 comments with 2.31 million video views. The post featured a minimalist image of apples in a crate placed on grass.
Sports content dominates Instagram’s comment metrics, with UEFA Champions League content related to Inter Milan claiming both first and fourth positions for the Champions League final in Monaco, as well as third position for the semifinal against Barcelona.
TikTok’s top-performing content shows entertainment and consumer goods dominating, with Warner Bros’ promotion for “F1: The Movie” starring Brad Pitt claiming the top spot for views. Coca-Cola’s “Friends and Coca-Cola: unique moments to remember” campaign ranked second, while Findus followed with its “Try the new BBQ Wings, these make you flyyyyyy!” campaign.
“At the top of the rankings for TikTok post views, we find Warner Bros for F1: The Movie with Brad Pitt in first place,” the report confirms.
Multi-Brand Collaborators
Influencer analysis shows a clear emphasis on versatility, with those working across multiple brands rising to prominent positions in AdReport’s rankings.
On Instagram, Ginevra Giaccherini leads with 29 brand partnerships across 22 posts to her 488,680 followers. Her bio describes her content focus as “beauty advice, curly hair, and fashion.” Beauty content creator Giulia Casaro (@blondiemoustache) follows with 26 brand collaborations, while journalist Chidozie Obasi completes the top three with 21 brand partnerships despite posting only five times during the period.
On TikTok, influencers follow similar patterns but different leaders. @blondiemoustache (Giulia Casaro) tops the chart with 24 brand partnerships across 37 posts to her 327,200 followers. Anna Volpi (@volpi_nana) follows with 17 brand collaborations, while Rebecca Maurino (@maurinorebecca) ranks third with 15 brand partnerships.
“Ginevra Giaccherini, Giulia Casaro (blondiemoustache), and Chidozie Obasi are the influencers who have communicated the most brands [on Instagram],” the report states.
Platform Engagement Models
The report highlights key differences in how branded content is structured across platforms. Instagram shows a more organic approach, with 1,064 posts using the platform’s “Paid Partnership” tag, while TikTok features 317 posts labeled as “TopAds,” suggesting more formalized advertising arrangements.
This distinction points to TikTok’s more commercial approach to branded content, with clearer delineation between organic and paid posts, while Instagram maintains a more integrated model where sponsored content often blends with organic posts through partnership tags rather than formal advertisements.
Despite Instagram’s origins as a photo-sharing platform, video now commands a majority share of sponsored content. The report identifies 2,797 video posts compared to 2,038 image posts, representing a 57.8% share for video content.
This trend aligns with Meta’s continued push toward video content across its platforms, as Instagram competes more directly with TikTok’s video-first approach.
Cosmetics and Fashion on TikTok
On TikTok, advertising also follows certain industry patterns, with beauty and fashion brands claiming eight of the top twenty positions. Sephora leads with 54 ads reaching 225,900 followers, while Shein follows with 47 ads reaching 387,400 followers.
The presence of electronics retailers (Euronics), food brands (Lidl), automotive companies (Volkswagen), and educational institutions (Politecnico di Bari) in the top rankings demonstrates TikTok’s growing appeal across diverse industry sectors, moving beyond its early reputation as primarily appealing to beauty and fashion advertisers.
Sports Content on Instagram
UEFA Champions League content dominates Instagram’s comment metrics, with posts about the 2025 Champions League final in Germany and the semifinal between Inter Milan and Barcelona generating exceptional engagement. The highest-performing sports post received 23,840 comments with 1 million likes and 4.33 million video views.
This performance highlights the continued importance of major sporting events for social media engagement, with football in particular driving conversation among Italian audiences.
Methodology and Data Collection
AdReport is an intelligence and insight service for digital advertising activities across Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The service is operated by Media Consultants S.r.l., based in Milan, Italy.
The report’s findings come from continuous monitoring of influencer campaigns on Instagram and TikTok using an automated verification model. The service tracks approximately 1,500 influencers and 1,000 advertisers in Italy, with monitoring active 24/7. The data presented covers May-June 2025 and includes detailed metrics on post volume, engagement rates, advertiser activity, and influencer performance across both platforms.
All images are credited to AdReport. The full report is available here.
Dragomir is a Serbian freelance blog writer and translator. He is passionate about covering insightful stories and exploring topics such as influencer marketing, the creator economy, technology, business, and cyber fraud.
Italian influencer marketing saw significant activity across both Instagram and TikTok during May-June 2025, with nearly identical post volumes but significant differences in engagement strategies and advertiser participation.
AdReport’s latest intelligence reveals that Instagram saw 4,835 sponsored posts from 769 advertisers working with 1,095 influencers, while TikTok recorded 4,839 posts from 579 advertisers collaborating with 548 influencers. Despite the similar post volumes, Instagram’s influencer pool remains twice as large as TikTok’s, suggesting Instagram continues to offer brands a wider selection of potential partners.
“Instagram has seen 769 investors and 1,095 influencers active for 4,835 posts, with 57.8% featuring video content,” the report states, highlighting the platform’s development toward video-centric engagement.
Top Advertisers Reveal Platform Strategies
The data indicates clear platform preferences among major brands, with some companies investing heavily in one platform while maintaining minimal presence on the other.
On Instagram, fashion retailer Shein leads with 236 posts generating 12.12 million likes and 120,960 comments, followed by Infinity (115 posts) and UEFA Champions League (94 posts). L’Oréal appears fourth with 72 posts, demonstrating the beauty sector’s continued Instagram focus.
TikTok’s advertising reveals a different pattern, with Sephora leading at 54 ads, followed by Shein (47) and NYX (42). The platform shows stronger representation from beauty and cosmetics brands among top advertisers, with Sephora, Shein, NYX, and ghd comprising four of the top positions.
“Sephora, Shein, and NYX have been the most active advertisers by number of TikTok ads,” notes the report, highlighting beauty brands’ strategic focus on the platform.
Top Performing Content
Performance metrics reveal distinct differences in what resonates with audiences across the two platforms. On Instagram, Apple Italia’s collaboration with influencer David Baldo (@in_visible_world) achieved the highest engagement, earning 2.44 million likes and 6,440 comments with 2.31 million video views. The post featured a minimalist image of apples in a crate placed on grass.
Sports content dominates Instagram’s comment metrics, with UEFA Champions League content related to Inter Milan claiming both first and fourth positions for the Champions League final in Monaco, as well as third position for the semifinal against Barcelona.
TikTok’s top-performing content shows entertainment and consumer goods dominating, with Warner Bros’ promotion for “F1: The Movie” starring Brad Pitt claiming the top spot for views. Coca-Cola’s “Friends and Coca-Cola: unique moments to remember” campaign ranked second, while Findus followed with its “Try the new BBQ Wings, these make you flyyyyyy!” campaign.
“At the top of the rankings for TikTok post views, we find Warner Bros for F1: The Movie with Brad Pitt in first place,” the report confirms.
Multi-Brand Collaborators
Influencer analysis shows a clear emphasis on versatility, with those working across multiple brands rising to prominent positions in AdReport’s rankings.
On Instagram, Ginevra Giaccherini leads with 29 brand partnerships across 22 posts to her 488,680 followers. Her bio describes her content focus as “beauty advice, curly hair, and fashion.” Beauty content creator Giulia Casaro (@blondiemoustache) follows with 26 brand collaborations, while journalist Chidozie Obasi completes the top three with 21 brand partnerships despite posting only five times during the period.
On TikTok, influencers follow similar patterns but different leaders. @blondiemoustache (Giulia Casaro) tops the chart with 24 brand partnerships across 37 posts to her 327,200 followers. Anna Volpi (@volpi_nana) follows with 17 brand collaborations, while Rebecca Maurino (@maurinorebecca) ranks third with 15 brand partnerships.
“Ginevra Giaccherini, Giulia Casaro (blondiemoustache), and Chidozie Obasi are the influencers who have communicated the most brands [on Instagram],” the report states.
Platform Engagement Models
The report highlights key differences in how branded content is structured across platforms. Instagram shows a more organic approach, with 1,064 posts using the platform’s “Paid Partnership” tag, while TikTok features 317 posts labeled as “TopAds,” suggesting more formalized advertising arrangements.
This distinction points to TikTok’s more commercial approach to branded content, with clearer delineation between organic and paid posts, while Instagram maintains a more integrated model where sponsored content often blends with organic posts through partnership tags rather than formal advertisements.
Despite Instagram’s origins as a photo-sharing platform, video now commands a majority share of sponsored content. The report identifies 2,797 video posts compared to 2,038 image posts, representing a 57.8% share for video content.
This trend aligns with Meta’s continued push toward video content across its platforms, as Instagram competes more directly with TikTok’s video-first approach.
Cosmetics and Fashion on TikTok
On TikTok, advertising also follows certain industry patterns, with beauty and fashion brands claiming eight of the top twenty positions. Sephora leads with 54 ads reaching 225,900 followers, while Shein follows with 47 ads reaching 387,400 followers.
The presence of electronics retailers (Euronics), food brands (Lidl), automotive companies (Volkswagen), and educational institutions (Politecnico di Bari) in the top rankings demonstrates TikTok’s growing appeal across diverse industry sectors, moving beyond its early reputation as primarily appealing to beauty and fashion advertisers.
Sports Content on Instagram
UEFA Champions League content dominates Instagram’s comment metrics, with posts about the 2025 Champions League final in Germany and the semifinal between Inter Milan and Barcelona generating exceptional engagement. The highest-performing sports post received 23,840 comments with 1 million likes and 4.33 million video views.
This performance highlights the continued importance of major sporting events for social media engagement, with football in particular driving conversation among Italian audiences.
Methodology and Data Collection
AdReport is an intelligence and insight service for digital advertising activities across Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The service is operated by Media Consultants S.r.l., based in Milan, Italy.
The report’s findings come from continuous monitoring of influencer campaigns on Instagram and TikTok using an automated verification model. The service tracks approximately 1,500 influencers and 1,000 advertisers in Italy, with monitoring active 24/7. The data presented covers May-June 2025 and includes detailed metrics on post volume, engagement rates, advertiser activity, and influencer performance across both platforms.
All images are credited to AdReport.
The full report is available here.
Checkout Our Latest Podcast