Most consumers trust people over brands when it comes to product recommendations, so it’s no surprise that strategies like influencer marketing are on the rise. Designed to tap into an existing community of highly engaged followers on social media, Business Insider claims that influencer marketing ad spend is projected to reach between US$5 billion and US$10 billion by 2022.
Far from being buzzwords, influencers are quickly becoming one of the most profitable ways to advertise. According to Forbes, influencer marketing is growing even faster than digital ads.With an endless stream of overarching benefits including increased follower engagement, heightened brand awareness, improved credibility and higher website traffic, influencer marketing remains a viable tactic for companies of all sizes.
Join Wordsmith as we take look at 5 successful brands that have hit the nail on the head when it comes to influencer marketing.
1. Motorola
When Motorola released their new Moto Zand Moto Mods that allowed users to swap snap-on smartphone modules such as high-tech cameras, speakers, projectors and gaming packs, they primarily reached out to millennials through YouTube influencers.
Working with Weber Shandwick, Motorola developed a YouTube influencer program to drive brand awareness for their new range of Moto Z products. Using 13 different influencers to reach multiple target audiences, the campaign was able to successfully cover a wide group of millennials. With each influencer asked to create partnership announcement social posts and one “hero” YouTube video that featured them testing out Motorola’s unique use-case for Moto Mods, the campaign quickly gained traction.
From wacky stunts like Jonathan Thompson, “King of Random” YouTube star strapping a Motorola to a rocket launcher, to fashion and beauty blogger Meredith Foster showing how to survive a haunted high school using the gaming Moto pod – these videos grabbed audiences’ attention while educating them about the product.
Jan Huckfeldt, Chief Marketing Officer at Motorola, was quick to say that the Moto mods campaign, "sets the brand apart – we’re not copying anyone else. We’re highly determined to develop our distinctive brand, with as much of the brand’s DNA (intact).” Since its initial launch, Motorola’s “hero” YouTube videos generated 11.6 million views and more than 38 million social impressions. The videos generated 122,000 clickthroughs to their main homepage, motomods.com, with 80,000 of them being unique first-time visitors.
2. Boxed Water
Influencer marketing has come under fire in the past for being disingenuous and simply another digital form of celebrity endorsement, but when done right, influencers can act as a positive driver of social change.
Partnering with the National Forest Foundation (NFF), sustainable water company Boxed Water collaborated with a number of high-profile influencers with the aim of planting one million trees by 2020 through their #ReTree project. With each #ReTree hashtag posted, Boxed Water has committed to plant two trees in areas affected by wildfires and deforestation. Cooperating with American dancer and actress Julianne Hough and actor Aidan Alexander, Box Water was able to truly connect with millennials and has since planted more than 790,000 trees.
Appealing to millennial influencers allowed Box Water to achieve record-level engagement with a consumer group that prioritises sustainable brands above others, and with an audience that is most likely to use their social connections to promote social change. Daryn Kuipers, CEO of Boxed Water, agrees, stating, "Through #ReTree, Boxed Water's consumers make a direct and positive impact on the planet. Collaboratively, this becomes a powerful way for a social community to make a statement that sustainability is important."
Building on the momentum of their successful 3-year #ReTree influencer campaign, Box Water has now rebranded their original hashtag to #Betterplanet, tying it in with their new sustainability project that aims to clean 3,000 miles of beaches across the United States in an effort to fight against plastic pollution.
3. American Express
For years, American Express have utilised high-profile influencers to increase brand awareness with their #AmexAmbassador campaign. But Lauren Dineer Duarte, Director of Public Affairs & Communications for American Express Canada, wanted to take a new twist on an old story and effectively break through the influencer noise.
With this, AmEx launched a new Travel Hacks series involving TSN personality Cabbie Richards, Vancouver influencer Monika Hibbs and Toronto Blue Jay centre fielder Kevin Pillar. “It’s crucial to understand what’s important to them as people and as a business and truly see what their life moments are,”says Duarte. “What’s more, there must be an appreciation for how your brand can fit into their story and enhance their content in a meaningful and authentic way.”
Working with notable athletes, bloggers, and recognizable Canadian personalities, the campaign added a more personable element to the brand, allowing them to reach bigger audiences, while developing more authentic content. The Director commented, “In the last year, we have seen tremendous success as a result of our video campaigns, and have been able to directly tie video content to business results.”
To date, the campaign has received over 1.3 million video views. Their success was heightened by targeting prospective customers with multiple messages across different social channels, including product education and acquisition messaging after they showed initial interest. With Facebook acquisition rates increasing by 400% alone compared to the previous quarter, the search for authenticity through Travel Hacks Influencer Amex campaign paid off for American Express.
4. Mercedes Benz
One of Mercedes Benz’s biggest challenges is appealing to the millennial demographic without loosening the luxury feel of the brand.
To overcome this, they collaborated with production company MSP to create their first VR, 360-degree video experience in an effort to appeal to younger audiences across Instagram stories, Facebook and Twitter. Featuring the all-new Mercedes-Benz 2017 GLS sport-utility vehicle, the 2-minute video follows Instagram-famous wolf dog Loki and owner Lund, on their journey through the spectacular snowy mountains of Crested Butte, Colorado.
Mark Aikman, General Marketing Manager for Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) said, “Influencers can help us tell stories that we cannot do by ourselves. In the campaign with Loki, for example, we like the connection between him and Kelly and we don’t need to tell the specifications of the new model because the film shows how great it is.” With nearly 3 million Instagram followers combined, the campaign numbers speak for themselves. During the Loki campaign, MBUSA's 2D and 3D videos have earned over 4 million video views with nearly 80,000 social media engagements. Loki helped to create a contemporary, adventure-driven image for the brand, encouraging MBUSA’s Instagram following to grow by 57,000. As a result of targeted influencer campaigns, over 40% of visitors to MBUSA’s site are now in the millennial bracket between ages 18 and 34.
5. Youfoodz
Australian fresh meal company, Youfoodz shows us that influencer marketing isn’t just reserved for mega-brands with big advertising spends. Promoting the launch of their new winter menu, Youfoodz carefully selected micro influencers who are strong advocators of a healthy fitness lifestyle that emulates the brands core values.
One benefit of using micro-influencers is that it’s a more cost-effective strategy and the partnership itself can be implemented seamlessly, without compromising the reach of the campaign. Once you find micro-influencers whose values and audiences align well with your brand, the results can be astounding.
By leveraging 81 micro influencers like Jess.xv.v, Youfoodz quarterly winter campaign took off across their social media channels. Posting 167 times on Instagram with the hashtag #mealtimereimagined, they received over 507,909 impressions and nearly 70,000 direct engagements as a result of the campaign.
Marketers may find it’s hard to veer away from the gimmick-led, celebrity endorsed image that usually comes with influencer marketing, but when they do, the results can be spectacular. Far from a marketing tactic that only benefits both brand and influencer, influencer marketing can be an instigator of social change, positively contributing to a healthier environment and stronger community through shared experiences. With increasing demand for brands to create authentic and credible content, marketers must find the right influencer that not only aligns with their target audiences, but also to find a person that truly believes in your brand values. Only then will your influencer marketing campaign really hit home with your consumers and maintain longevity in the ever-evolving social content sphere.