Top 5 animal influencers. Hypetrain version

Companies and brands all over the world are trying to extend their leverage. That’s because they are constantly seeking ways to advertise themselves. A couple of decades back, an advertising manager would simply put up a notice, develop a flyer to give out and then place an advertisement in a magazine, coupon or on television. However, the world is changing, forcing advertisers to develop more contemporary methods of promoting their goods. It’s all the rage nowadays for renowned corporations to cooperate with influencers on social media (which isn’t so weird, as they usually gain millions of followers). There are all types of influencers: ones who speak out and comment on global problems, satirize stuff or protest against old values and motivate people to change. Yet, there is a specifically outstanding type – animal influencers, which this article covers. 

Patron (@patron_dsns)

329K followers

Patron made his first post on March 20, after 25 days of the war in Ukraine, and for all the time it has been going on, he was diligently making new posts to make people aware of what had to be done because of the military actions. Patron is just a small Jack Russell Terrier who, despite seeming helpless, plays a huge role in stopping war actions because he is a service dog of the Chernihiv pyrotechnic troop.

But one may wonder, isn’t it cruel to make this dog risk his life? The thing is that Patron’s weighs less than 5 kilograms, which means that his body weight is safe for detecting anti-personnel mines.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, accompanied by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, honored Patron with a Medal for Dedicated Service and his handler Mykhailo Lliev with an Order for Courage, Third Class, thanking them for their service to Ukraine.

Seeing such a charming, good boy risk his life by defusing mined beaches and fields makes people’s hearts bleed.

Patron does have a few collaborations, one of which is with @wanderlust.com.ua to contribute to deminers of State Emergency Services of Ukraine actions.

Stepan (@loveyoustepan)

1.3M followers

Stepan has been a public figure for about two years. He started an account in August 2020 and rapidly grew followers, and now has over a million fans worldwide. His beauty made everyone fall for him, so he quickly became a celebrity. Memes of Stepan have exploded in popularity across the internet. Stepan also promotes ending the war because he was born in Ukraine.

Tika the iggy (@tikatheiggy)

1.1M followers

A well-known greyhound model shows up on Instagram in the most extravagant outfits. Throughout all the time she has had an account (since 2016!), she has tried on thousands of branded, best quality and fancy pieces of clothing. Thousands of more shops, brands and companies hope to get their designs advertised by her. Not very long ago, she had a book written about her, and now she has her online shop (@iggyclothing) where she sells her merch – stickers, T-shirts, hats, posters, calendars and books. Such a star must have a lot of partnerships, and here are some of these:

Larry the Cat (@Number10cat)

639,3K followers

Definitely the oldest member on the list, and a solemn one at that. Larry is a fifteen-year-old cat who fancies cracking jokes on political matters, especially about Conservatives. He has been a full-scale Chief Mouser at the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom at 10 Downing Street since 2011. Larry diligently performs duties of “greeting guests to the house, inspecting security defenses, and testing antique furniture for napping quality.”

After meeting the most famous and wealthy people in the UK, USA and other countries, he can be proud of his status. Very few have gained equal positions. Of course, his “collaborations” are different than standard ones (as they mainly cover the government). Still, it’s fair to say he has no less prestige than other influencers because his main cooperation is with the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom and its members.

Belarus The Cat (@my_boy_bela)

386K followers

Belarus’ life seems to be a “rags to riches” story. He was adopted and now has thousands of followers. He is highly intelligent and doesn’t let his wonky eyes slow him down. Belarus the cat partnered with Dr. Travis Strong to share more about strabismus, the medical term for his eye condition. It just means that the muscles holding his eyes in place have an abnormal position or may be damaged, causing the gaze to be displaced. He has donated thousands to charities, giving a helping paw to all animal friends who need one. This cat surely has a heart of gold, which is why he has connected with so many charities.

Some charities Belarus supports are Friends of SFACC, Cat Town of Oakland and Sonoma Community Animal Response Team. Here are some more of Belarus’ collaborations: