Total Licensing

NEWS
By Giles Harris, founder
of leading influencer
marketing agency
Come Round and
formerly Head of
Business Affairs at
EMI Music.
about.comeround.com.
TOTAL LICENSING
INFLUENCER MARKETING 101
REAL WORLD MARKETING IN A DIGITAL AGE
WHAT will they do?
Many companies fall into the trap of
sampling products to their target demographic
and stopping there. I believe
it’s important to shape the whole
product engagement experience by
bolstering your campaign with activities
that evidence product claims or
generating social media content. Incentivise
deeper engagement by rewarding
interaction in order to maximise
reach and gather insight.
As a relatively new phenomenon, few
companies are able to harness the
power of influencer marketing based
on business experience as opposed to
speculation and supposition. At Come
Round, on the other hand, we have so
far put brands in the hands of over
100,000 influencers for a wide range
of clients from Lady Gaga and Doctor
Who to Dyson, Birds Eye and Lego.
Nielsen notes that 92% of consumers
trust word of mouth above all
other forms of advertising, while the
Word of Mouth Marketing Association
claims that word of mouth recommendations
are five times more effective
than advertising. So
how can brands best activate
real world influencer
marketing campaigns in
the digital age? Trust the
old faithful - who, what,
where, when and why.
WHO is your audience?
Whether marketing on or
offline, it’s vital to clearly
define your target audience.
Without recruiting
the right demographic
for your product, you
are effectively shouting
into the ether. Encourage
your marketing team to
identify your brand’s ideal
consumer. Giving this
character a name, age, job
and personality is a helpful
way to get started.
WHERE will they do it?
Marketing to consumers at home or
work by sending them sample products
and activity ideas to enjoy in familiar
surroundings can be a lower
cost entry to an ideal audience. This
option also allows you to maintain
control of timings and more carefully
manage the online reach of real world
activity by personally briefing each
consumer with clear instructions included
with samples.
WHEN should this happen?
If launching a new product, remember
that timing really is everything.
It’s helpful to make your samplers feel
special by offering them a chance to
try the product before anyone else,
but be careful not to run it so far in
advance that the buzz has dwindled by
the time it is available to the public.
WHY did it work?
At every stage of the planning process,
consider how you will measure success.
Measurable elements include both the
reach of the advocacy campaign, its
impact on the consumers directly engaged
with and the extended word of
mouth generated both on and offline.
By integrating market research questions
and incentivising responses, you
can gain an understanding of how the
activity has shaped opinion with consumers
and then tailor your next campaign
accordingly.
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