1. Introduction Powerful technological forces are impacting the marketing profession and the companies and industries where marketers work. Econsultancy identifies, analyses and writes about many of these forces; ubiquitous connectivity[1], artificial intelligence[2] and the Internet of Things[3] to name a few. The same technologies are also enabling new and agile innovators to launch digitally enabled […]
Webinar Recording
Influencer marketing exists in a fuzzy space as a creative and media asset, but also a public relations activity. If you were to draw a Venn Diagram of the three marketing sectors, influencer marketing would sit neatly in the overlapping middle.
This ambiguity is the biggest roadblock to the maturation of influencer marketing. How do you make clear decisions about who’s responsible — let alone budget allocation and strategic value — when you’re not even sure where influencer marketing fits in?
2018 is proving to be the year that influencer marketing is forced to go through a necessary but somewhat painful maturation phase.
Regulators are eyeing action to enforce rules that require influencers to disclose when they are being compensated by brands to promote their wares. And brands themselves are grappling with fake followers and brand safety concerns.
Social media is proving to be a double-edged sword for fashion retailers.
While content posted by consumers and influencers to popular social platforms like Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube has been proven to drive sales, a “snap and send back” trend driven by social media could be costing retailers in the UK billions of pounds in sales annually.
Last week, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced that it has launched an investigation into influencers who fail to disclose that they were compensated to post content on behalf of brands.
“Social media stars can have a big influence on what their followers do and buy. If people see clothes, cosmetics, a car, or a holiday being plugged by someone they admire, they might be swayed into buying it,” George Lusty, the CMA’s Senior Director for Consumer Protection, stated. “So, it’s really important they are clearly told whether a celebrity is promoting a product because they have bought it themselves, or because they have been paid or thanked in some way by the brand.”
Twenty one year-old Kylie Jenner made the news again last month after being ranked number 27 in the Forbes list of America’s 60 Richest Self-Made Women.
Her company Kylie Cosmetics has accrued an estimated $900 million since it was founded in November 2015, setting her on course to be the youngest self-made billionaire after a mere three years of business.
Have we reached peak influencer marketing?
With major brands like Unilever increasingly scrutinizing influencers over fake followers, and platforms like Twitter getting more aggressive about removing bot accounts, the answer to that question just might be yes. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that we have reached peak influencer.
Here’s the week’s best stats from the world of digital marketing, including news about VR, influencer marketing, flexible payment and much more.
Get them while they’re hot…
Dear reader, I invite you to enjoy this week’s stats roundup with an ice-cold glass of anything refreshing. Or, maybe just go stand next to an open freezer for five minutes and have a little read… You’ve earned it.
We’ve got news about Amazon earnings, influencer bots, customer service preferences and lots more. Don’t forget to give the Internet Statistics Compendium a look-see too.
The beauty industry used to be ruled by large cosmetics companies like L’Oréal and Estee Lauder.
These days, while they’re still generating success, major brands are increasingly feeling the heat from a number of new brands intent on shaking up the industry.
Independent banking group CYBG finds a brand new audience following a display and social campaign that resonated strongly with millennials.
In an increasingly competitive sector, Six develops and delivers a campaign aimed at convincing prospective students to make Bristol their home.
Takumi extends the reach of SOMNOS Kickstarter campaign with an influencer-led strategy, raising more than $170,000 and boosting Instagram followers by 430%.
Run quarterly, our experts focus on distilling the key developments that are really going to affect how markets are operating, what tools are used, and how digital marketing and ecommerce practices are changing.
Next Digital Shift: October 18th, 2018.
Using social media is second nature for Generation Z. This demographic (born after 1994) have grown up with smartphones glued to their fingertips, and see every moment through a social lens.
Social media is all about communities. Understanding what fuels the connections within these groups is key to creating effective campaigns, especially for original programming, which often creates passionate and invested audiences.
Despite all of the headlines and the immense scrutiny Facebook has faced in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the social network seems to have escaped its biggest PR challenge to date largely unscathed.
But is that really the case?
China is proving an attractive proposition to many UK businesses.
Not only are tremendous success stories like Alibaba emphasising to British companies the opportunities and commercial success which is resident in the region, but as Brexit looms, seeking firmer footing and audiences overseas, especially those with strong economies, is an enticing prospect.
