tHe Pros aNd CoNs or WorkiNg WitH iNflueNCers
( contInUEd FRom PAgE 54)
Campaigns are structured around a single person or multiple people who have a large following online and who have direct influence over their following.
Brands use influencer marketing to reach Gens X, Y and Z because these generations live online and trust influencers over traditional advertising. Most brands’ influencer campaigns involve one or a few of the following: l Sponsored social posts that include hashtags and the required Federal Trade Commission( FTC) paid partnership tag. l Experiential marketing, like free trips, experiences or products l Sponsored blog content or articles
The Pros to Working with Influencers It’ s all about the buzz and awareness, baby! Influencers can shift a brand from obscurity into the spotlight. By working with an influencer, brands can grow their following, engagement, and connection with a demographic that may have been previously out-of-reach.
Big brands work with influencers to shift brand perception, target new consumer groups, change the conversation and provide engaging content for their consumers. 89.6 percent of fashion, luxury and cosmetics professionals confirmed that the activities they carried out with influencers effectively generated brand awareness; 73 percent said that influencers were effective in building customer loyalty. So, there’ s a trust factor to working with influencers— selling products and services to consumers is more effective when done by a trusted figure.
Fashion, beauty and luxury have also claimed boosted sales after sponsoring influencers— 69 percent of that same group of professionals said influencer marketing was effective at driving sales. These brands use product gifting and sampling as their main tactic when engaging influencers— 98.5 percent of these brands use this method because product launches are the leading scenario for which they implement influencer campaigns.
The travel, tourism and hospitality industries have been using this tactic with journalists for years. When it comes to travel, there’ s nothing like a great photo or video to instantly draw in a potential guest. Influencers who post about experiences can have an immediate impact on brand awareness, purchase interest and, ultimately, sales.
Airbnb has used social media since its inception and claims that it has driven its success. Influencers are now a huge part of its social marketing and advertising strategy.
“ Influencers are used in marketing generally to endorse and legitimize a brand,” Airbnb’ s CMO Jonathan Mildenhall says. Airbnb’ s latest major influencer campaign featured Lady Gaga and garnered over 500,000 likes and 4,000 comments.“ The impact is phenomenal, because people are interested in the lifestyle of these influencers,” says Mildenhall.
Travel and hospitality brands and destination marketing organizations
56 PULSE ■ August 2018