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Two of the most influential women in the world have used their powerful social media platforms to promote Kiwi alcohol-free drink brand AF, with Khloé Kardashian sharing the content with her millions of Instagram followers.

For AF, the partnership was strategic. “This campaign is to help us gain the brand awareness that we need to get AF to the next level of growth. With over 365 million followers between Khloé and Kris [Jenner], we’re confident it will help us generate that awareness,”  told the Herald.

“Since we launched in the US in April 2023, we quickly learnt that the use of celebrities and their influence is incredibly powerful – far more so than in New Zealand.”

Members of the Kardashian family are hugely impactful on social media, particularly Instagram, with fans and followers looking to them for lifestyle cues and buying products they wear or recommend.

Brands they endorse or are paid to promote see a huge boost in sales, and their appearance directly influences beauty trends.

AF worked with LA-based Kiwi Steven Fernandez from New Ground to bring the partnership to life. “Both Khloé and Kris were quick to sign off on the idea,” said King. “It was filmed a few weeks later in their studio in LA.”

The celebrity promotion comes after an “incredible year” for the brand.

AF, a colloquial acronym that stands for “as f***” and also represents the product’s “alcohol-free” nature,  after King (founder of shuttered social enterprise Eat My Lunch).

The concept is not to encourage abstinence, but rather offer an alternative for the and encourage healthier behaviour around alcohol.

New Zealand’s drinking habits have been shifting in recent years.  and many young Kiwis are .

Last year was telling; a study by ACC revealed , a Ministry of Health-commissioned report estimated the cost of alcohol harm at around $9.1 billion, and – the biggest drop in 15 years.

 have become increasingly available and popular; there are , , and booze-free RTDs like AF’s.

Its canned drinks are made with a 100% natural botanical extract the company calls Afterglow that “mimics the pleasant warmth of drinking alcohol without the alcohol”.

The company opened an alcohol-free bottle shop in Ponsonby in 2022, and in April 2023 the brand .

AF founder Lisa King at the company's Ponsonby store. Photo / Jed Bradley

“The goals for AF in the US haven’t changed since we launched,” said King. “Get AF everywhere and get AF famous.”

It’s now stocked in 3000 stores across 42 states, and King said it’s on track to triple its revenue in the market.

“We’ve seen huge consumer uptake of alcohol-free drinks and what was a trend just two years ago, is now a cultural and behavioural shift with the way people are drinking, or not. 2025 will be looking to continue the momentum and keep ahead of the slew of new brands launching in this space, with potential of another new overseas market for AF.”

It’s not the first time Khloé Kardashian or her relatives have partnered with a Kiwi company.

In 2020, she , founded by Libby Matthews, as an “equity partner and global spokesperson”,  it all happened after she was sent some of the range by umbrella company Zuru Edge.

Sister  in 2016, saying she’d used the products for years before being asked to represent the brand.

Kourtney Kardashian fronted a campaign for Manuka Doctor in 2016.

Levin-based Rebecca Cass’ Qula kombucha tablets were featured on Kourtney’s Poosh website in 2021.

In 2024, Kourtney also shared two products from ,  and nipple butter, on Poosh after they were recommended to her while pregnant. Pure Mama founder Lara Henderson told the Bay of Plenty Times that sales went “through the roof”.

 saw a similar lift in sales for her waist trainers after she paid Jenner almost $300,000 for an Instagram post in 2016. Liu sold $3.5 million of them in a year.