Models-turned-influencers are the biggest celebrity endorsers in 2017

Models with a large social media influence are the top celebrity endorsers for brands in 2017, according to a new report by Celebrity Intelligence.

Model Bella Hadid was the number one celebrity endorser for her work with high end fashion brands such as Versace, Fendi and Alexander Wang.

Hadid is a model who has a huge following across a multitude of social media platforms with 16.4 million Instagram followers and 960,000 followers on Twitter.

Bella’s older sister Gigi came third and is another example of a model with a powerful social media presence. She has 37.5 million Instagram followers, 4.2 million Facebook followers and 8.21 million Twitter followers. Maybelline collaborated with the 22-year-old this year to create her own makeup range.

Celebrity Intelligence, Marketing Week’s sister publication, created the list by calculating the volume of endorsements for their 60,000 profiles which include stars from sport, entertainment and fashion.

The Hadid sisters were not the only family dynasty who topped the charts with Kendall Jenner and her half-sister Kim Kardashian West both making it into the top five.

Jenner ranked second despite her controversial Pepsi advert earlier this year which saw the model heavily criticised for an advert that was based on the Black Lives Matter movement.

READ MORE: ‘Pepsi’s tone-deaf Kendall Jenner ad deserves to be criticised’

The ranking shows brands are continuing to use influencers over traditional celebrities despite some high-profile errors and mounting questions over the ROI of influencer marketing.

She explains:”Digital influencers have overtaken celebrities as their number one choice for enodorsement opportunities – I think this year’s top endorsers list is testimony to that. A brand ambassador is no longer just the face of a campaign but the voice of it – they connect brands to their audiences. This explains why a strong, authentic and engaged social media following is of utmost importance to brands when identifying talent to work with.”

Tom Daley was the only traditional celebrity to make it into the top five and one of the few men on the list.

Daley, along with the majority of the celebrities on the list, has more than one job. He is an athlete, vlogger and celebrity chef launching his second cookbook in June.

Kardashian West is an entrepreneur actress as well as being a television personality and Jenner is not only a model but also an author.

The top 10 celebrity endorsers are:

1. Bella Hadid
2. Kendall Jenner
3. Gigi Hadid
4. Tom Daley
5. Kim Kardashian West
6. Jasmine Sanders
7. Taylor Hill
8. Karlie Kloss
9. Sofia Ritchie
10. Demi Rose Mawby