Photo Credits: Elio Santos from Unsplash
With society constantly evolving, the way we market needs to as well. With the reliance shifting away from celebrities and brand ambassadors, where does that leave the market? Marketing specialist Rida Dar teaches us about the differences in Influencer Marketing and its more modern counterparts.
Influencer Marketing
The market has evolved from the heavy reliance on brand ambassadors and spokespersons to everyday people since more and more companies realize that it is more important for consumers to connect and relate with the influencer, rather than having a big name that they can identify with but not relate to. Influencer marketing is about inspiring and motivating consumers with faces that reach out to people. Clothing brand RW and Co did this with their new “Work from Anywear” line of clothes which featured community ambassadors instead of celebrities and other big names, using these influencers to showcase their semi-formal line of clothes to get consumers to dress more formally while working from home. This method was more impactful than having celebrity models because these influencers have been affected by the pandemic just like us, which creates an important connection between the model and consumer that can convert more sales. Their call to action to dress more formally despite working from home was more effective since we can look to these influencers as inspiration since they had to deal with the pandemic like us, rather than a celebrity who was more isolated to the negative effects.
Social Selling
Affiliate marketing, which is essentially when brands promote their affiliate services by offering bonuses, was joined with Influencer Marketing to create a new format called Social Selling. In essence, you talk to an audience that is interested in a product you also are interested in. This works in both positive and negative ways. For example, Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo moved some Coca Cola bottles out of the frame while suggesting people drink water instead in a post-game interview. This act cost Coca Cola $4 billion in market value over a couple days, showing the negative side of Social Selling as well as the influence celebrities can have on a product. On the other hand, K-pop group BTS (and Travis Scott before them) partnered with McDonalds to globally sell their favourite meals as a special. This partnership was interesting even if you didn’t know them, you would still be interested to see what they enjoy at McDonalds with both cases increasing sales dramatically.
Photo Credits: JJ Ying from Unsplash
Celebrities & Brand Ambassadors
Here are some examples of brand ambassadors that I have found:
Dog Instagram – There are a lot of pet accounts on Instagram, but I found an interesting account that I cannot remember the name of that makes the dog run its own account. Weird, right? But who can be better to tell you about dog toys and treats than the dog itself with how engaged it is with the product!
Hello Bello – Co-founded by Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard, Hello Bello is a premium diaper brand that creates affordable, eco-friendly, and unique baby products. They target babies by including features they will feel like the removal of latex and the super-absorbency needed for their messes, while targeting the parents with an affordable product that doesn’t compromise on quality.
Superfan Nav Bhatia – All eyes were on us in Toronto in 2019 when the Raptors won the NBA championship, not just the players. As a result, the world got to meet our amazing community and the wonderful characters in it like Superfan Nav Bhatia. Since the Raptors’ foundation in 1995, Nav has never missed a home game Raptors game and always sat right in the front. Being a businessman himself, his role as a brand ambassador for the Raptors gives him the opportunity to acquire similar brand deals as the team would since he represents them.
Speaker's Specifics
Rida is a PR & Digital Marketing teacher by day, Social Content Marketing specialist by night.
After realizing people wanted authentic connections with real voices and stories that compelled them, she understood the new digital marketing strategies that humanize businesses & brands. She now promotes small and local businesses, in addition to connecting brands and businesses to other content creators and influencers!
Connect with Rida on her LinkedIn or Instagram to collaborate with brands and influencers around the GTA, Canada and (now) America!
