Page 20 - Journal of Strategic Marketing Magazine - January 2019
P. 20
INFLUENCERS
by you. It’s a bit like the dating game, doesn’t have the same cred as a best In contrast, Vodacom won the
except the inluencer has to make the friend’s recommendation. authenticity race by iniltrating and
irst move. Looking speciically at university activating at every touchpoint of a
A brand that got inluencers to students (Fig 1), we see that peer student’s world, thanks to inluencers
make the irst move was Vodacom, groups have more inluence on each taking the brand to social events,
which tapped into the power of other. Not only that, but as the sphere showcasing it on campus, and boosting
South Africa’s hottest young student of inluence expands outwards, the the offering on their social media
inluencers to drive their youth degree of trust drops and scrutiny rises. platforms. The tight proximity of their
package, NXT LVL. Thousands of We have discovered that Afrillennials inluencers to the student market
students applied to be an inluencer (African Millennials) are natural-born meant more authentic engagement.
for the mobile operator and go through
rigorous interviews on campus to Fig 1 Proximity of inluence Final point
qualify. Passion for the brand was the Friends & family Inluencer
primary metric for selection. marketing is
Students here to stay.
2. Investment Effectiveness
This factor wears three hats – Time. Opinion leaders takes time and
Training. Financial. Celebrities effort and a
The Vodacom brand team knew process of steady
that investing in inluencers wasn’t a • Sphere of inluence accretion. Brands
once-off exercise and committed to decreased who succeed
a year-long inluencer programme. • Trust drops in bringing
• Scrutiny increases
A longer time frame meant that the inluencers into
service provider could take a constant their circle of
barometer of the team’s progress and sceptics about celebrities endorsing trust do so by walking the journey
make adjustments as the campaign multiple brands. together, as opposed to seeing them as
grew. And the results speak for Authenticity is a big factor, and the just another billboard.
themselves: Vodacom exceeded its youth, who have their eyes trained like
original target of NXT LVL customers. a hawk for the inauthentic, will make Check out the Vodacom case study
Training was another crucial sure to let everyone know when it’s HERE.
element and Vodacom understood absent. Just look at the global outrage
that they were investing in inluencers over the Pepsi commercial in which Other resources:
as if they were extensions of their celebrity Kendall Jenner brought a The Youth Inluencer handbook is
own marketing team. The time spent political march to a standstill. It was available for free DOWNLOAD.
training inluencers on the brand’s slap-in-the-face inauthentic. She’s a
vision, objectives, and products was supermodel and a reality TV celebrity,
crucial. This meant bringing inluencers not an activist or social change maker.
into its inner circle. But it went viral. It got engagement.
3. Proximity Marc Kornberger is founder
and director of youth marketing
The Schlesinger Associates report specialists, Student Village, now
alludes to the power of proximity, a Smollan company. Kornberger
stating that 92% of consumers trust is has applied his passion across all
earned media such as word of mouth areas of the business including new
products, business development,
and recommendations from friends media, inancial management,
and family. In other words, the closer research, digital and social media.
the proximity of a trusted group, the He has worked on major brands
higher the sphere of inluence. Having including Vodacom, Microsoft,
Standard Bank, Nestle, Unilever,
a favourite celebrity or supermodel Estée Lauder, MTN, and Converse to
recommend switching cellular networks name but a few.
p18 - Strategic Marketing
by you. It’s a bit like the dating game, doesn’t have the same cred as a best In contrast, Vodacom won the
except the inluencer has to make the friend’s recommendation. authenticity race by iniltrating and
irst move. Looking speciically at university activating at every touchpoint of a
A brand that got inluencers to students (Fig 1), we see that peer student’s world, thanks to inluencers
make the irst move was Vodacom, groups have more inluence on each taking the brand to social events,
which tapped into the power of other. Not only that, but as the sphere showcasing it on campus, and boosting
South Africa’s hottest young student of inluence expands outwards, the the offering on their social media
inluencers to drive their youth degree of trust drops and scrutiny rises. platforms. The tight proximity of their
package, NXT LVL. Thousands of We have discovered that Afrillennials inluencers to the student market
students applied to be an inluencer (African Millennials) are natural-born meant more authentic engagement.
for the mobile operator and go through
rigorous interviews on campus to Fig 1 Proximity of inluence Final point
qualify. Passion for the brand was the Friends & family Inluencer
primary metric for selection. marketing is
Students here to stay.
2. Investment Effectiveness
This factor wears three hats – Time. Opinion leaders takes time and
Training. Financial. Celebrities effort and a
The Vodacom brand team knew process of steady
that investing in inluencers wasn’t a • Sphere of inluence accretion. Brands
once-off exercise and committed to decreased who succeed
a year-long inluencer programme. • Trust drops in bringing
• Scrutiny increases
A longer time frame meant that the inluencers into
service provider could take a constant their circle of
barometer of the team’s progress and sceptics about celebrities endorsing trust do so by walking the journey
make adjustments as the campaign multiple brands. together, as opposed to seeing them as
grew. And the results speak for Authenticity is a big factor, and the just another billboard.
themselves: Vodacom exceeded its youth, who have their eyes trained like
original target of NXT LVL customers. a hawk for the inauthentic, will make Check out the Vodacom case study
Training was another crucial sure to let everyone know when it’s HERE.
element and Vodacom understood absent. Just look at the global outrage
that they were investing in inluencers over the Pepsi commercial in which Other resources:
as if they were extensions of their celebrity Kendall Jenner brought a The Youth Inluencer handbook is
own marketing team. The time spent political march to a standstill. It was available for free DOWNLOAD.
training inluencers on the brand’s slap-in-the-face inauthentic. She’s a
vision, objectives, and products was supermodel and a reality TV celebrity,
crucial. This meant bringing inluencers not an activist or social change maker.
into its inner circle. But it went viral. It got engagement.
3. Proximity Marc Kornberger is founder
and director of youth marketing
The Schlesinger Associates report specialists, Student Village, now
alludes to the power of proximity, a Smollan company. Kornberger
stating that 92% of consumers trust is has applied his passion across all
earned media such as word of mouth areas of the business including new
products, business development,
and recommendations from friends media, inancial management,
and family. In other words, the closer research, digital and social media.
the proximity of a trusted group, the He has worked on major brands
higher the sphere of inluence. Having including Vodacom, Microsoft,
Standard Bank, Nestle, Unilever,
a favourite celebrity or supermodel Estée Lauder, MTN, and Converse to
recommend switching cellular networks name but a few.
p18 - Strategic Marketing
