Influencer Marketing. I have opinions. Yes, it is an important part of today’s marketing mix, particularly in highly visual categories such as beauty and fashion. Yes, it is more cost effective than traditional media advertising. Yes, ROI can often be calculated more easily when partnering with influencers. HOWEVER, I think these things only ring true when marketers set out with the right expectations for influencer marketing. First off, we need to understand the role influencers have with most consumers. It is just one of many many inputs they are constantly assessing as they move through the three stages of the buying process - becoming aware, forming and opinion and deciding to purchase. Influencers have their greatest impact in the first stage - in building awareness. Opinion formation is secondary and decision to purchase is a distant third. I repeat. Influencers’ greatest influence is in generating awareness. When marketers understand this and build partnerships and campaigns centered around an understanding of this principle, influencer marketing will be the most successful. That said, the tricky thing about influencer marketing is how it is NOT purely a numbers game. Generally when seeking to build awareness, it’s all about reach (which is why TV spots have always historically been the way to do that for mass-targeted products); but such is not the case for the most successful influencer marketing. Sure high follower numbers can mean more exposure for your product and brand, but the best exposure comes from high engagement between the influencer and her/his followers - and that doesn’t always correlate with the highest number of followers. Your best chance of hoping to extend the influence of an influencer beyond building awareness to forming opinions and perhaps deciding to purchase is seeking influencers with brands similar to your own with highly engaged followers. Just like with traditional celebrity marketing, the chemistry between the brand and the influencer must be just right. 📸 credit @mintarrow stories 4.30.18

Promoting the good a company does is an important part of your overall marketing mix. In an increasingly cluttered marketplace, not to mention the many challenges of an omnichannel world, the smallest things can differentiate brands in the eyes of consumers. In my research I see time after time that even among Millennials, price and quality are always the most important factors when determining what to buy; however, when those things are equal/similar, what a brand stands for can often be the difference between being something a consumer buys on occasion and something he/she buys always, without question. It can help build not just brand loyalists, but brand ambassadors. The tricky part for a brand is how to brandish its good efforts authentically, meaningfully and respectfully, without appearing to only be in it for the publicity or pat on the back. This starts with choosing causes that align with your brand and your consumers. This is one of the reasons I really like Lancome's #writeherfuture campaign and its partnership with the global organization CARE to combat illiteracy among women across the globe and to give voice to a relatively overlooked problem. A brand for women should care about and do something for women's issues. In addition to announcing the partnership and pledge to commit significant funds for the cause, Lancome also launched #writeherfuture, a social media campaign, to bring attention to the issue and cleverly used their celebrity ambassadors as the first examples/Instagram reposts. Will this pledge and effort to share what Lancome as a corporation is doing ultimately cause a huge spike in sales or create a distinct ROI? Probably not. But, what it absolutely WILL do is make current customers happy to know at least some of their hard-earned money goes to something worthwhile when they purchase Lancome products, encourage them to spend more of their dollars with Lancome for that reason and ultimately give them a reason to be proud to have Lancome products in her makeup bag. That is an excellent foundation for building long-term brand loyalty. #marketing #branding #marketingdigital #marketingstrategy #brand #brandstrategy #brandstrategist

I've been thinking a lot about the online shopping experience lately. There are very few points of differentiation among the large-scale shopping sites - almost always white background, images in blocks and black text - with red for reduced prices. It feels stale and does very little replicate the excitement of the sensory in-store experience. This is why I think @ebay's recent redesign incorporating lots of color (dare I say life) into the online shopping experience sets an exciting precedent as retailers think about omnichannel. When shopping is purely convenience driven (think of acquiring basics through Amazon Prime) the aesthetics aren't much of a factor in the consumer's evaluation of the experience, but when the shopping isn't driven by convenience, the aesthetics are going to be increasingly important as brand differentiators. Design elements such as color scheme and layout are going to become as stark of an experience driver as the difference in the dressing rooms between Nordstrom and JCPenney - and that's just the beginning of what we as marketers need to figure out for a true "omnichannel" retail experience. #marketing #branding #advertising #ads #brandstrategy #retail #shopping #consumer #consumerbehavior #marketers

I'm continually and increasingly befuddled by the entire series of ads for the @toyotausa CH-R. Each ad is a twist on a classic fairy tale (such as Cinderella and Rapunzel). The lighting is always dark and the attempts to showcase the car and its features are weak at best. I'm all for creativity and fun, whimsical storytelling...WHEN it makes sense to do so. This is a case where it does not. I'm not sure if it's attempting to reflect a "crossover vehicle" through these modern takes on fairy tales or if I'm reading too much it and they're just stories. Regardless, I don't see how this narrative will hook potential consumers to look into the CH-R. To Toyota's credit, the ad was well-placed - - a huge digital ad buy, especially on Hulu, which is probably the right placement (I imagine crossover vehicles skew towards younger drivers) but I just don't see this ad actually doing it's job. #branding #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingstrategy #brandstrategy #advertising #advertisingcampaign

THIS is how an influencer collaboration is done! Well done, @morphebrushes and @jaclynhill! Everything about the #jaclynhillxmorphe collaboration is textbook. The brand stories align in the most authentic way, the product is impeccable, the release was highly anticipated and it's been phenomenally successful. I attribute the last three to the first and most important element - which is completely within a brand's control btw - a collaboration with the RIGHT influencer that is an authentic extension of your own. Anyone who has followed Jaclyn for a period of time knows she was a makeup artist struggling to make rent for years before she became a YouTube sensation. She talks about not being able to afford prestige products back then. Partnering with a growing indie brand known for extremely high quality at a very affordable price point (and one that is also focused on artistry) was perfectly authentic. Big label brands can take a few lessons from this. #retail #branding #advertising #influencermarketing #beauty #beautyblogger #beautyblog #morphebrushes #morphexjaclynhill #morphepalette #jaclynhill #jaclynhillpalette #jaclynhillmorphepalette #collaboration #marketing #marketingdigital #marketingstrategy

Nordstrom gets it. As traditional department stores suffer and many are closing stores, Nordstrom continues to innovate - delighting its customers. I particularly like the creative brand partnerships Nordstrom has been spearheading. Goop and Draper James are completely on brand for them and will pull in excited devotees (and ones who can afford Nordstrom price points). Furthermore, these limited engagement, in-store pop-up shops foster excitement and give regular shoppers a reason to come to the store. For quite some time Nordstrom has been applauded for its digital marketing efforts and social integrations with the in-store experience, but I love seeing that their focus isn't singular. More often than not, the great digital or social ideas get lots of attention by the press but are seen by consumers as little more than a gimmick. As marketers we have to focus our innovation on bringing value to the consumer, not just novelty or doing something because we can. Rotating partnerships with hot online brands is a fantastic way to marry the online and offline experience while being consumer-focused, which of course is what Nordstrom is most known for. #branding #branding101 #marketing #marketingdigital #ads #advertising #advertisingagency #brandmarketing #marketers #adcampaigns #brandstrategy #brandstrategist #influencermarketing #beauty #cosmetics #strategy #fashion #retail

I love when a brand makes an obvious play for older consumers - specifically Gen Xers. I see many brands sacrifice their base or lose sight of the most powerful consumers (i.e. ones with money to spend and who tend to more brand loyal) to pursue the elusive Millennials. It's no secret that Elizabeth Arden has been a dying brand so it's new partnership with Reese Witherspoon may be just what the once iconic brand needs. I know I've said celebrity endorsements are generally not worthwhile - but that's when IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE. This does. Reese is decidedly Gen X and beloved by the masses. She likely is battling the same skin concerns of Elizabeth Arden's target consumer. That kind of logical partnership resonates with women when shopping for personal care items, especially anti-aging regimens. I'm happy to see Elizabeth Arden exhibiting a realistic understanding of what its brand is, who its products are for and where it's opportunities for growth really are. It would have been easy (and ultimately cliche) to lay low and come back rebranded as a Millennial-targeted brand with a young celebrity ambassadress. This is a much much better strategic move. Don't be seduced by the size of Millennials or the constant hype about them. Generation X and Baby Boomers are still very powerful consumer groups - ones that are increasingly overlooked, still respond to some traditional marketing tactics and just may respond to a brand's focus on them primarily, not tangentially. This is a plan that could prove most fruitful for Elizabeth Arden and I'm very excited to see what unfolds.

Becca has the important notion of "interim Influencers" down pat. Digital Influencers are still supremely important in the world of beauty and carefully constructed collaborations can be a boon for business - as Becca certainly learned from its hugely successful partnership with Jaclyn Hill. What I love though is how @beccacosmetics effortlessly switched from a beauty blogger to a more traditional celebrity. @chrissyteigen is a perfect partner for the fun, youthful brand known for glowing skin and sparkly personality. While there will probably always be a place for long-standing ambassadresses in beauty (e.g. Kate Winslet for Lancome), today's rapidly changing market also needs a refreshing mix of partnerships. It's also worth noting these are genuine partnerships, not celebrity endorsements. Chrissy and Jaclyn were involved in the creation of the product - which is readily apparent. And while both palettes include blush and highlighter, the effects are different and reflect the style of the respective influencer (deliberate and bold highlighting from Jaclyn and more soft and glowy highlighting from Chrissy). I'm looking forward to seeing what other partnerships Becca has in the works.

So many lessons to learn from the #suave "Evaus" influencer test. If you aren't familiar, the brand repackaged Suave shampoo and conditioner products in sleek, modern minimalist containers and labeled them "Evaus." These were then sent to a number of beauty influencers (including the one pictured) to test. The influencers raved about the product and then were later shown that Evaus did not exist, that it was in fact Suave. The shock from the influencers was genuine and encouraging. I like this unconventional approach of working with Influencers. The results reinforce they are just people with opinions (who market themselves well) and in most cases are only an expert in what they like. This was part of an overall Suave campaign #tryingisbelieving and Trust the Proof, Not the Pricetag. It's the perfect fit. Brands should think about how to make influencer partnerships more authentic - starting by being more selective on who to partner with (hint high number of followers doesn't always equal a good partnership). I also love this reminder that even women with high-end taste can appreciate mass beauty products. There is room in every woman's bathroom for prestige and mass products - and this is even more likely among younger consumers. This spells opportunity, dare I say EQUAL OPPORTUNITY, for all brands when the products are great and the message is compelling. #brands #branding #brandingtips #advertising #ads #advertisingagency #marketing #marketer #marketingdigital #influencer #influencermarketing #influencerdigital #brandstrategy #brandstrategist

Latest installment of celebrity endorsements that don't make sense? Tide. Why on earth would P&G pony up the cash to have Jeffrey Tambor be in their ads? I don't see any value in that. He's not really playing himself or any of his famous characters - he's just a familiar face playing a role anyone could have played. Does anyone associate Jeffrey Tambor with laundry, immaculate clothing or even household chores? If consumers did, then this could have had some potential to be an effective ad. But no one does, so it makes little sense and was a completely unnecessary drain on a budget. Generally speaking, I think a celebrity endorsement is lazy marketing. Invest that money in developing really great creative or doing exciting consumer research to uncover narratives that resonate. In 2017, consumers don't listen just because a celebrity said so - brands have to work a lot harder. Brands can do so much better and absolutely SHOULD do so much better. Tide can do so much better. #marketing #branding #advertising #ads #adcampaigns #tide #adagency #marketingdigital #brands #celebrities