The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has turned to social media influencers to connect with younger generations. The military alliance invited 26 content creators from various countries to attend its summit in Washington on July 9-11, 2024.

As the Business Standard reports, 16 influencers from the UK, Germany, and France, along with ten from the U.S., participated in the program. With a combined audience of approximately 40 million across social media platforms, these creators had the opportunity to attend the NATO Public Forum and engage with experts and senior officials. NATO spokesperson Tom Peyre-Costa confirmed that the alliance covers travel expenses for the content creators but does not exert editorial control over their posts or pay them a fee.

The initiative reflects NATO’s efforts to bolster public support, particularly in light of discussions about U.S. defense spending in Europe. It also addresses the challenge of combating disinformation and misinformation that spread quickly on social media platforms.

Among the invited creators was Amanda Round, a 22-year-old with 161,700 TikTok followers. Round, who attended Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s speech at the summit, saw the invitation as an opportunity to help her audience understand NATO’s importance in addressing defense and climate change issues.

This is not NATO’s first foray into influencer marketing. Similar programs were organized in 2022 and earlier in 2024 to mark the alliance’s 75th anniversary. The organization has also produced explainer videos featuring young content creators, such as 25-year-old Anthony Polcari, to discuss NATO’s origins and mission.