Influencer Marketing

NETWORKING BREAKFAST (9:00am – 9:45am CT)

I. How Lexus Drives Influencer Marketing (9:45am - 10:30am CT)
The explosion in influencer marketing has made it a ubiquitous part of the marketing toolkit. So much so, that it can be tempting to start utilizing influencers just for the sake of doing so. Sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone. Most of us have probably been there.

At Lexus, the influencer strategy is always evolving, but what is constant is the importance of always laddering back to the marketing objectives to accomplish. The Lexus approach to influencers generally falls into one or more of these three objectives: Reach, Content Creation, and Talent. This discussion will cover examples of work in each area, the results, and candid learnings.

Speaker: Gabe Munch, Social Media Manager, Lexus

II. Pizza Hut & RQ Go Beyond Pizza Night (10:30am - 11:15am CT)
Despite a deep-rooted brand heritage and significant global recognition, Pizza Hut struggled to remain relevant without a distinctive digital or social cache among its competitors. There is no denying the nostalgia of ‘pizza night,’ a cultural phenomenon that brings families and friends together using pizza as a connective tissue. But to remain relevant with up-and-coming generations and trend arbiters, Pizza Hut needed to establish credibility within culture, and fast.

Pizza Hut and relationship marketing agency RQ leaned into strategic insights to identify, nurture and activate the most important voices to re-insert the brand back into pop culture. In this conversation, they will explain how they reinvigorated the brand within entertainment, including building relationships with Jimmy Fallon and Joe Zee and activating at cultural moments like Sundance, SXSW and San Diego Comic Con.

Speakers:
Kari Kowalski, Senior Media Manager, Pizza Hut
Brian Salzman, Founder, RQ

BREAK (11:15am - 11:30am CT)

III. Measuring the other ROI: Return on Influencer (11:30am - 12:15pm CT)
The meteoric rise of influencer marketing has quickly evolved into a data and AI-driven business that will top $8B this year, with shows no signs of slowing down. What was once an industry that could merely report back basic impression metrics, has now come full circle with the ability to tie influencer campaigns to in-store foot traffic, sales, TV tune-in, and more. This fireside chat with Influential CEO, Ryan Detert, and Spark Foundry’s Director of Content, Allison Zilbershatz, will delve into the pioneering of this new attribution model for influencer marketing and will discuss a successful Campbell's V8 campaign, led by Influential and Spark Foundry.

Speakers:
Ryan Detert, CEO, Influential
Allison Zilbershatz, Director of Content, Spark Foundry

LUNCH (12:15pm - 1:15pm CT)