Cindy Kimberly: Teenager plucked from obscurity by Justin Bieber lands British fashion campaign

Kimberly's sudden ascent to fame highlights the influence social media now has over consumers and brands

Cindy Kimberly in Very's new campaign (Very.co.uk)

The power of social media was aptly demonstrated when Justin Bieber plucked a teenage girl from obscurity and threw her into the limelight simply by sharing her image on his Instagram page.

All it took was for Bieber to post a picture of Cindy Kimberly, 17, on Instagram with a caption asking: ‘Omg who is this??" for a frenzied search to be launched by his millions of followers desperate to identify the mystery girl.

At the time, Kimberly was a babysitter in Spain reportedly working for around £3 an hour. Then her name was suddenly trending internationally and her Instagram profile was quickly discovered. She now has almost one million followers on Instagram and has signed to the Spanish modelling agency UNO.

She has also landed her first British campaign with clothing retailer Very.co.uk, a decision that highlights the influence a strong social media presence has on both consumers and brands. Very said over half of its sales now come from people using mobile devices who are active on social media.

Kenyatte Nelson, Group Marketing Director at Shop Direct​ told The Independent: “At Very we’re focused on becoming a world class digital retailer, and we encourage an environment of innovation and ambition. Consumer behaviour and media consumption patterns are evolving. Fifty-nine per cent of our sales come from mobile devices, and our target audience is increasingly looking to social media for style inspiration and products. As a result, we are adjusting how we use social media to meet our customer’s new digital lifestyle.”