Current Global - Leveraging Social Media Influencers to Tell Compelling Brand Stories.

Leveraging Social Media Influencers to Tell Compelling Brand Stories.

Social media influencers are seen as authentic, inspire trust and credibility, and have a great deal of sway over young shoppers, who make up 40% of all consumers.

The global social media influencer market is currently valued at $13 billion and is expected to reach $16.2 billion by end 2022. It is no wonder taxmen are showing great interest as well – a sign that the trend has gone mainstream. In India, for example, social media influencers are now taxed on freebies and perks from businesses. Similar steps have been taken in China.

Influencers are recognized around the world for their ability to control retail brand conversations and impact purchase decisions. A growing number of brands are choosing to work with influencers over celebrities because audiences connect and relate to them much more. Celebrities have the star quality no doubt. But influencers are more believable as their opinion is seen as unbiased.

It was this authenticity and sense of a lived experience that our client LinkedIn wanted to convey in #Flexiblels, its global, integrated campaign highlighting the importance of flexibility in creating a fairer world of work and keeping women in employment. To connect with audiences in urban and rural India, the Current Global team portrayed the journeys of four Indian women who shared their stories about how flexible working played a critical role in enabling them to build meaningful careers and rich personal lives. The campaign aimed to foster conversations and generate awareness among employers about the benefits of flexible working. Bringing genuine, lived experiences to life through our local market real-life influencers helped build that connection.

As a result of this authenticity, consumers perceive influencers as genuine brand advocates and, to some degree, their friends. They also enable global brands to localize appeal by tapping into local sensibilities, trends, festivals, and events. The IPL, India’s biggest cricketing event, draws huge crowds every year – a growing number of whom are women. Our team tapped into this trend by reaching out to prominent sports broadcaster Mayanti Langer to highlight Fossil’s watches during the IPL 2022 season. Langer is not only well-informed about the sport, but she also has a distinctive fashion style, qualities that resonate with the brand value Fossil stands for.

What this goes to show is that choosing the right influencer is about more than just metrics. Considerable thought and strategy are needed to ensure a partnership can achieve the stated marketing goals, whether the influencer resonates with the target audience, that the platforms used are appropriate, and whether the influencer understands what the brand represents and effectively communicates it.

Telling a compelling story remains fundamental to authentic brand marketing. Given the vast amount of time consumers spend online, influencers offer a powerful and immediate connection with audiences. When the right strategy, influencer, and platform come together, brands can drive significant business impact.