Dive Brief:

• Acura is partnering with social media influencers on a new campaign for its 2019 RDX model that encourages people to share their unique views and experiences, the company announced via a news release. The campaign was inspired by the #LookUp hashtag, which has about 4 million posts on Instagram, and will appear across the auto brand's social media with a focus on Pinterest and Instagram. 
• Influencers, including Bryan Castillo and Tiffany Nguyen, will showcase the RDX in photos shot in a variety of settings, including a forest and a desert, and most will highlight what can be seen outside the RDX's panoramic moonroof. The influencers are also creating "how-to" guides and tutorials on topics like photographing the Milky Way or setting up the perfect shot.
• The campaign was created with MullenLowe, and also focuses on Acura's performance and highlights the RDX's features, design and technology. #LookUp is the next phase of Acura's "Everything We Ever Imagined and Then Some" marketing push, which the brand introduced in June. 

Dive Insight:

Working with influencers, focusing on Instagram and Pinterest and offering tutorials on picture-taking are a strong effort by Acura to attract a new generation of car buyers. Millennials are buying fewer cars than older age groups, and members of Gen Z may be even slower to embrace car ownership. Gen Z's conversations around auto brands have dropped significantly, according to a recent Engagement Labs study, as Gen Z shows a preference for ride-hailing apps and walkable activities. 

Younger consumers are heavy Instagram and Pinterest users and are also more trusting of influencer campaigns over other forms of marketing. Acura is part of a growing list of brands eyeing influencers to help them grow brand awareness. Over the next 12 months, 65% of multinational brands plan to increase their influencer marketing spends, according to a recent World Federation of Advertisers survey. Acura is attempting to expand its reach by tapping into the popularity of the existing #LookUp hashtag and its 4 million followers.

Marketers have listed Instagram as a top platform for influencer campaigns, the WFA study found. Pinterest has been working to grow its influencer business. The company announced this week that it is opening up its content marketing API to third-party influencer marketing platforms to help brands track a campaign's success and identify the influencers best-suited for the brand.