The Hidden Power of Influencers - Marketing CPG NY May 2019
For a long time, I always thought influencer marketing was a fad that was meant to go away and never come back.
The risk is in an influencer faking her persona to get fans. Controversy. See for example the case of Olivia Jade who is now connected to the College Admissions scandals. Did the brands she work with lost credibility when she did?
Let us not forget about that Fyre Festival and how it was sold on the back of Instagram pictures costing upwards of 250k per post. Or even the constant controversies and negative publicities from off the cuff comments such as Pewdiepie's who some may find borderline anti-semitic.
With that in mind, I can’t say I walked in with an open mind to the Marketing CPG Conference in New York, NY May 15. 2019, Presented by Randi Jachino, VP of Marketing for Weleda North America. Weleda is a multinational company that produces beauty products and naturopathic medicines. In this presentation, she is relating to us the experiences with marketing the Skin Food line of products leveraging influencer marketing.
In her presentation, Randi takes us through how at a much lower cost, influencer marketing was able to create value for her Weleda Skin Care brand. In this talk, Randi takes us to how you define the real value of influencers.
Some influencers, for example, have value in the way that they are connected to other media. For example, you have influencer A, with 15k followers. Works with few brands, and has strong credibility with his/her followers. Because they are a trusted source those same influencers have following from people who are in media who can be classified as amplifying the message.
There is also a danger of losing control of the conversation. Randi explains that if the influencer and their network do not provide brand value for the product, then they could easily have just wasted resources. To keep themselves in control they make sure that the influencer's content aligns with the brand values, and also the network of other influencers connected to them.
The other thing is to be conscious of the content that will add brand value, and really understand which topics are a fit. For example content in lifestyle and health seems like an absolute fit. But if you listen closely to the conversations, you can find opportunities in places you would not have thought about looking.
For example, the network of influencers was connected to other influencer's whose main topic was yoga. Randi showed us that a lot of Yoga content makers are crossing into the space of health and wellness as well. To illustrate the point she shows us clips of yoga instructors who are demonstrating how to use the products.
After this conference, I left feeling a bit more satisfied with having influencer marketing as part of my future communication plans. If you choose your content makers carefully, and their credibility is so strong that other influencers and media channels are following them. You can insert yourself into the conversation, without seeming like you tried. And in the end that is the best way to build brand value.
The risk is in an influencer faking her persona to get fans. Controversy. See for example the case of Olivia Jade who is now connected to the College Admissions scandals. Did the brands she work with lost credibility when she did?
Let us not forget about that Fyre Festival and how it was sold on the back of Instagram pictures costing upwards of 250k per post. Or even the constant controversies and negative publicities from off the cuff comments such as Pewdiepie's who some may find borderline anti-semitic.
With that in mind, I can’t say I walked in with an open mind to the Marketing CPG Conference in New York, NY May 15. 2019, Presented by Randi Jachino, VP of Marketing for Weleda North America. Weleda is a multinational company that produces beauty products and naturopathic medicines. In this presentation, she is relating to us the experiences with marketing the Skin Food line of products leveraging influencer marketing.
In her presentation, Randi takes us through how at a much lower cost, influencer marketing was able to create value for her Weleda Skin Care brand. In this talk, Randi takes us to how you define the real value of influencers.
Some influencers, for example, have value in the way that they are connected to other media. For example, you have influencer A, with 15k followers. Works with few brands, and has strong credibility with his/her followers. Because they are a trusted source those same influencers have following from people who are in media who can be classified as amplifying the message.
There is also a danger of losing control of the conversation. Randi explains that if the influencer and their network do not provide brand value for the product, then they could easily have just wasted resources. To keep themselves in control they make sure that the influencer's content aligns with the brand values, and also the network of other influencers connected to them.
The other thing is to be conscious of the content that will add brand value, and really understand which topics are a fit. For example content in lifestyle and health seems like an absolute fit. But if you listen closely to the conversations, you can find opportunities in places you would not have thought about looking.
After this conference, I left feeling a bit more satisfied with having influencer marketing as part of my future communication plans. If you choose your content makers carefully, and their credibility is so strong that other influencers and media channels are following them. You can insert yourself into the conversation, without seeming like you tried. And in the end that is the best way to build brand value.
