In the past, a company’s brand image was a lot easier to craft. Brands were more isolated and could count on consumers to buy their products even if they maintained their distance. With the world becoming more connected, brands have had to shift their focus. Today’s consumers, especially the younger ones, are more drawn to brands they can personally identify with.
With social distancing protocols and shelter in place orders part of life these days, businesses have had to become more creative in engaging their audience. Livestreaming sites offer these companies the perfect chance to do so. The sector has seen massive growth between March and April of 2020 because of how many businesses are trying it out as a means of marketing outreach.
The novel coronavirus. National and state lockdowns. Black Lives Matter. Police protests. Corporate diversity (or more often, the lack thereof) landing in the spotlight. Suffice to say that 2020 has been through no shortage of major historic events so far, including a growing demand for brands to do more than offer lip service when it comes to their stance on some of the major issues confronting consumers today.
Social influencers must pass “Go” through the office of Sway, led by Danielle Wiley. She’s brilliant, funny and tough. No one has a lock on social influence like Danielle Wiley. This is a must LISTEN.
It’s not exactly an easy time to be in the business of looking ahead as a marketer, as the ever-changing Covid-19 situation continues to impact consumers and businesses. Challenging as it may be, however, this is when retailers need to start thinking about holiday plans — and preparing for what is likely to be an unusual shopping season.
It’s no secret that influencer marketing has taken the industry by storm. Most brands that want to make a name for themselves on social media have partnered with an influencer that appeals to their goals.
Nine years ago business consultant Jeremiah Owyang was standing at the front of a meeting room on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées in Paris. “You’ve spent millions of dollars on your corporate websites,” he said to the Publicis Groupe advertising executives. “Why are you sending all your customers to Facebook?”
Many marketers across the world are having to reevaluate plans for 2020 while consumer needs and interests shift during the Covid-19 pandemic. The concept of a “new normal” is fluid: state regulations are changing at different rates and, of course, even in a shared experience, each family and individual is affected in vastly different ways.
With influencer marketing predicted to become a $15 billion industry, more and more marketers are joining the bandwagon. To meet this increasing demand, there are now more influencer marketing agencies.
Marketing strategies require input from both the company doing the campaign and the ad agency itself. Clients need to be kept “in the loop” for them to have a chance of doing their part in a campaign. Sadly, many agencies lack a defined strategy for informing clients, while many customers tend to leave the reins of the campaign fully in the hands of the agency and don’t offer their input even when required.
The Facebook boycott needs to be focused on the financial pressure caused by halting ad dollars, not the potentially devastating effects of pausing influencer content, says Sway Group chief executive officer Danielle Wiley
Brand cutbacks add salt to the wounds of influencers already reeling from COVID-19.