Zac Efron's love for Kodiak Cakes is not an act: In the age of authentic brand partnerships, Efron goes from celebrity to C-suite.

• Author: Malan, Mekenna

IN A VIDEO ZAC EFRON POSTED to his Instagram account in June, he's lying on the grass with his head resting on a plaid pillow. "Maybe I do have commitment issues," he discloses to his co-star, an 800-pound grizzly bear named Tank. Later, he asks the bear, "Do you like flapjacks or waffles?"

Amid the creepily-obsessed comments below the video,

Efron's fans tried to guess what the promo was for. "Season 2 of Down to Earth?" they asked, adding armies of red heart emojis. When it was announced a week later that Efron was the new chief brand officer of Kodiak Cakes, none of those fans called out the partnership as forced. That's because, at its core, it isn't.

"Kodiak and I share a common philosophy when it comes to food and a genuine love for adventure and the great outdoors," Efron writes to me via email. "We want to inspire people to eat better, get outdoors more, and give back more. The impact we will have together through these projects is what makes this so different than just being a brand ambassador."

It's true. Since Michael Jordan struck his $1.3 billion deal with Nike in 1984, celebrity endorsements have become a massive component in the business strategies of our economy's behemoths--and celebrities are no longer treated as billboards in brand partnerships.

According to Statista, the influencer marketing industry has grown from $1.7 billion in 2016 to $13.8 billion in 2021. In the last year, Megan Thee Stallion worked closely with Popeyes to release an exclusive line of hot sauces and merchandise, with part of her contract including a multi-franchise ownership deal. Doja Cat has been given complete creative control of her brand ambassador partnership with JBL speakers, an agreement that would have been unheard of a short time ago. And while Ye (Kanye West)'s 10-year partnership with Gap might just save the past-its-prime retailer, he also gets to demand that the Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga clothing collection be sold from piles of trash bags.

Ryan Reynolds took an active role in the day-to-day business and creative direction of Aviation Gin after acquiring it. Actress Elizabeth Banks assumed the role of co-owner and chief creative officer upon partnering with Archer Roose, one of the country's top purveyors of canned wines. So, too, does the Zac Efron x Kodiak Cakes partnership run deeper than a run-of-the-mill celebrity endorsement. Efron is a bonafide member of the company's C-suite and is committed to collaborating on...