Marketers are looking to reduce the potential risks of influencer marketing by working with more brand ambassadors this year.
Some see this as a lingering effect of the Bud Light scandal. Just over a year after the backlash against beer brands reached its height, marketers remain concerned about the potential damage boycotts on influencer partnerships could do to their brands. At the same time, this is a politically volatile election year, and brand safety concerns may be even more of a consideration for marketers considering influencers.
By working with brand ambassadors, who are typically more vetted and often have long-term contracts, marketers can alleviate many of the concerns they have when considering influencer marketing. Influencer His Marketing Shop has seen a spike in requests for relationships with brand ambassadors in recent months, with marketers citing brand safety and concerns as the main reasons for the increased interest. I'm talking about exclusivity.
“There's a lot of anxiety around influencer marketing right now,” Daniel Wiley, founder of influencer marketing specialist Sway Group, said in an email, noting Bud Light's backlash. quoted As a remaining concern for some. “By working with brand ambassadors, you can (perhaps) reduce the risks of influencer marketing by working with a much smaller group of influencers who can be vetted more thoroughly.”
Mae Karwowski, CEO and founder of influencer marketing shop Obviously, said there has been an “additional layer of scrutiny” on influencer marketing over the past year, and marketers are increasingly concerned about how influencers are proactive about news. I added that I want to know if they're posting, what they're saying and how they're talking about it. As the election cycle approaches, marketers want to feel confident that they're working with a “trusted partner,” Karwowski explained, adding that shops are reaching out to creators about what brands are looking for when it comes to brand safety. He also said he would explain. Concerns.
The shop tells creators: [work with] For this kind of brand, here's what they're looking for. It’s so they pay attention,” Karwowski said. “Obviously they can post whatever they want, but we want them to be free to post. [We just want them] to find out if they want to work together [that] If you're a financial services brand, it's important to know what XYZ is looking for and what they value in terms of content. That way, you can make informed decisions about what you post. ”
While not all marketers are trying to place strict limits on what influencers can and can't do, those concerns are influencing some brands' decisions.
“What is considered 'brand safe' is changing, but some brands are still more vulnerable than others,” Grace Murray Vasquez, vice president of strategy at influencer marketing shop Fohr, said in an email. It's conservative.” “Brands want to appeal to Gen Z and younger audiences who are more socially conscious, outspoken and politically active than previous generations. And morals clauses prohibiting 'overtly political' posts are increasingly rare. It has become to.”
Murray Vasquez continued: “Gen Z is also becoming more comfortable with their bodies and sexuality, and paradigms of professionalism and reputation are evolving as they enter the workplace. It means we need to more precisely and transparently define what is OK and what is not when working with influencers.”
Brand safety concerns are just one reason marketers have become increasingly interested in brand ambassador relationships in recent months. As influencer marketing continues to mature, marketers increase spending on channels to reach the people they spend their time with, and marketers continue to lose control of their brand's narrative, marketers don't want to break out of their shells. , there are also growing concerns about exclusivity with influencers. Despite spending a lot of money on an influencer, a few months later that same influencer ends up selling to a competitor.
Of course, the potential savings of brand ambassador relationships are also attractive to marketers. “The big appeal of ambassador programs is that they cost less and generate more revenue than paid advertising due to economies of scale,” Pete Southey, client lead at influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy, said in an email. ” he said. “Ambassadors also help improve brand image, as they regularly interact directly with viewers, replying to comments, and frequently posting about positive brand experiences.”
Whether marketers choose to work with brand ambassadors long-term or not, marketers will continue to look for ways to work with influencers that reduce potential risks as they continue to lose control of their brand narratives. It seems that.
“Big media is losing its power and brands are losing control of their own narratives, which means they need to rely on effective casting and partnerships more than ever,” said Murray Vazquez. That may be true, but the shop pointed out that it is not. This approach makes sense, as requests for brand ambassadors have increased this year. “Consumers are now more able than ever to ignore or swipe away from brand messages. Brands are now more likely than ever to ignore or swipe through brand messages. , we are becoming more reliant on implicit messages. If a picture can convey a thousand words, an ambassador can convey two thousand.”
Edward Jones' Growth Marketing Principles, 3 Questions with Richard Yang
How does Edward Jones navigate today's turbulent marketing environment?
The best way to answer this is that we are wherever our customers are. Our strategy is not about what we want to say or where we want to push, but like a brand, it's “How do our clients want to engage with us?” . where are they? Like other industries, we've evolved and moved away from linear and toward CTV. It supports almost every channel available, both digital and non-digital. Everything you can think of is optimized on a daily basis, and addressable channels are optimized on a minute-by-minute basis. Non-addressable channels are optimized at a higher level, so to speak.
More brands are investing in brand marketing as it becomes harder to stand out online. What do you think about that?
We're probably going to focus more on performance because of the branch network and the connectivity of what we're doing digitally, what we're doing in our home offices, and what our branches are doing connecting with their customers every day. It will probably focus on performance, but its influence is undeniable. We measure brands from all over the country. It's no surprise that in areas where we have a stronger brand, our performance is much more efficient.
Measurement is also a challenge for marketers in this fragmented market. How does Edward Jones operate?
Traditionally, audio has been difficult to measure. For example, let's say your podcast has 2 million downloads. How many people actually called a branch because they downloaded a podcast? We'll never know. That's why analysis – ROI analysis -[and] It is very important to consider your media mix. Channel-based measurement has become very advanced and has become quite commoditized. From a marketing strategy perspective, we believe in playing offense, not defense. We don't leave things too often. We measure across hundreds of assets at any given time, and we pay close attention to our results. — Kimeco McCoy
In terms of numbers
Advertisers are still exploring use cases for generative AI. This means that the conversation about AI is less about its current capabilities and more about its potential. However, the industry is unlikely to end the AI hype cycle in the near future. In fact, Grammarly and The Harris Poll's third annual State of Business Communications report reports that marketers and sales professionals want their organizations to be more open to using AI. See the breakdown of the report below.
- Marketing and sales professionals want their organizations to be more open to using AI (57%) Agree that AI will enhance, not replace, their jobs. (64%).
- Using generative AI for communications saves you a day of productivity a week.Is the end 46 working days or $16,455 per worker per year — or even potentially $1.6 trillion in annual productivity savings across the U.S. knowledge workforce.
- Most employees still don’t know how to use AI effectively (52%) — and in between 89% of leaders use generative AI for professional purposes only 53% of workers do so. — Kimeco McCoy
Quote of the week
“We don't have enough funding to make this sustainable. Beyond a certain point, what's on offer starts to blur and questions arise. [major players, like Amazon, Walmart, Target and Kroger]”
— Ethan Goodman, executive vice president of digital commerce at Mars Agency, when asked about the continued growth of the retail media landscape and how marketers view that growth.
