Influencer marketing gains ground as global ad budgets tighten

Ashton Hall’s morning routine involves dunking his head in iced Saratoga Spring Water. For the company that sells the bottled water — Hall’s brand of choice for drinking, brushing his teeth and submerging himself — that’s fantastic news.

“We’re so thankful to this incredible fitness influencer called Ashton Hall,” Saratoga-owner Primo Brands Corp.’s Chief Executive Officer Robbert Rietbroek said on an earnings call after Hall’s morning routine video went viral. “He really helped put our brand on the map.”

Primo Brands, which…