Influencers… The New Holy Grail In Marketing?

The concept of well-known, influential people being used as ambassadors to promote products began in 1940s America. Tobacco companies first realised the impact celebrities had on sales and marketing – the ‘I could be like him / her’ marketing effect had begun. Over the next 40 years, this marketing tool continued to grow and in the 1980s Cindy Crawford super-sized it by bringing her ‘Super Model’ prowess to the watch brand, Omega, revolutionising the brand, its sales and consumer’s perception. Fast-track another 40 years and the role of the ambassador is still a hot topic, only this time it’s about digital ambassadors or ‘influencers’.

The ways in which communications professionals reach consumers has changed dramatically over the past number of years. Working with influencers offers a new way to reach audiences, whether it is mass market working with celebrities and personalities with a global reach, or by being niche working with micro-influencers, who have less fans and followers but are admired for their expertise and opinion.

So how can brands work with influencers and do it successfully? Ketchum, the global public relations firm, recently wrote about The 7 Rs of Influencer Relations: reach, relevance, resonance, reception, relationship, realistic, and relinquishing control. As influencer relations begins to mature as a tool, Ketchum suggests that the mind-set should shift from front-loading short term campaigns to longer relationships that last.

Like any successful campaign, it is essential that the objectives and asks are clearly set out from the start for both the client and the influencer. So is it about reach over relevancy, or the new question we need to ask ourselves, reach over relationship? There is currently a ‘must have an influencer strategy’ focus on brand planning without a clear idea of what that strategy should be, who the relationship should be forged with, if it should be paid or unpaid and how the results should be measured. This panic approach, especially in a small market like Ireland, means the power is one-sided and rests with the influencer – several approaches each week to work with various different brands on events, product launches, or social media ad campaigns that might not be the right fit for anyone. It is an influencer market.

The other strategy questions we have to ask as part of an influencer approach are: how influential are a few Instagram posts going to be, if the same influencer posts about a competitor the next week? Is an Instagram post, a Tweet or a Snap as valuable if it is paid for? If it is paid for, does it fall in the advertising celebrity endorsement realm and lose its impact?

Earned media cannot be guaranteed and sponsored content should be clearly differentiated from editorial control, according to the PRII’s Guidelines on Engagement with Social Media Influencers. Currently, #ad and #spon are inconsistently used in Ireland and while regulation is still being discussed, paid for content will continue to remain under the radar for some consumers. However, savvy consumers can see through an Instagram post, Tweet or Snap – they know that the product was gifted in return for social media shout-outs, whether there is a #ad or #spon or not.

All in all, we need to simplify the task. Relationships that work are mutually respectful and beneficial from a business perspective, as well as from a communications point of view right through to the end message to the consumer.

In an ideal world, clever brands will seek out influencers who want to build a relationship with them and their followers. It is about becoming co-content creators, with both sides having realistic expectations and the brand having the confidence to relinquish control, as the influencer knows their audience best.

The influencer / brand fit will be right, their values will align, the co-created content will be relevant and interesting and the relationship momentum will be maintained (and not just focused on the arrival of a new desk drop each week!).

Posts, Tweets, clippings will be measured on an equal playing field, as clients understand that the target market rates influencer recommendations as highly as traditional media mentions. Brands will be convinced of its ROI as the measurability will be focused on the outcomes and not just reach – The 7 Rs of Influencer Relations will be the new Barcelona Principles for influencer relations.

Influencers play a very important role in outreach to consumers, but like any new relationship, the ways of working take some time to figure out.

Claire Feely
Director of Client Services
Elevate PR