Here's How These Brands Used Influencer Marketing Successfully
November 8, 2018
Influencer marketing is pretty common these days. Actually, influencer marking is so common that the ANA discovered that 75 percent of member companies currently utilize the tactic, and 43 percent planned to increase spending on it within the year. Influencer marketing is especially common on social media platforms, with Facebook (86 percent) and Instagram (84 percent) being the most popular social media channels for influencer marketing. Respondents to the survey also identified Instagram as the most important channel at 36 percent, followed by Facebook at 20 percent.
Influencers come in all shapes and sizes, whether they are celebrities, social media stars, bloggers, activists, academics, journalists, or industry experts. Being a successful influencer means reaching the right target audience by segmenting products and messages to the people who want and need them. Many influencer and talent deals are becoming shorter-term and less expensive than before, ranging from product placements to entertaining video campaigns. This means that any company, regardless of size and budget, can utilize influencers to help grow reach and brand awareness.
For companies, the challenge is in leveraging influencers the right way to engage with consumers personally and authentically. Tide PODS, Old Spice, Pampers, and OMO (a division of Unilever) are examples of brands that merged influencer marketing with personal storytelling effectively. Here's how they made it work.
Old Spice
Old Spice created a video in which different influencers, such as a parkour runner, showcased the product. The influencers explained how anyone could join the Old Spice Dream Runner experience just by running or walking in the shape of the prize they wanted (like a mug) using an app created for the challenge. Consumers became part of the experience while also relating to the influencers in the video in a more authentic way than they would to a celebrity.
Pampers
Every parent wants to get a good night's sleep — for once. Pampers created an entire commercial centered on sleepless nights called "The Wet Test." The video featured the YouTube mommy vlogger duo What's Up Moms, telling a story all moms can relate to while grabbing the consumer's attention. The duo visited different homes across the U.S. where they poured water onto sleeping moms to see if they would wake up, finding nine out of 10 moms did. The video then explained how Pampers diapers hold enough liquid to last the night, appealing to new parents who want to get a little shut-eye.
Tide PODS
Earlier this year, a viral meme took over social media in which people created fake videos about the "Tide POD Challenge," pretending they had been dared to eat the detergent pods, which are toxic. The company provided safety information to the public in a compelling way by using influencers to make a short, funny video warning consumers not to eat Tide PODS. While it seems like common sense, it became a helpful way to educate consumers in a way that caught their attention.
OMO
OMO, a detergent brand owned by Unilever, created a campaign focused on celebrating Chinese millennial moms called "Embrace the Extraordinary with OMO." The company partnered with news channel NetEase to create a series of TED Talks and sharable stories called "New Woman" as a way for consumers to identify with the brand on a personal level. The talks featured women who were also mothers juggling many identities (such as being moms, partners, and colleagues).