Brand Marketing & the Evolution of Individual Influence

The rise of personal branding by individuals, including traditional celebrities and modern creators of every kind, will only continue to force brands to stretch the ways they communicate, interact, and collaborate. It’s also blurring the lines between individuals and product, service and media brands.

Deciding on a breakfast cereal in 2018 is a totally different process than what it looked like in the 1950s, 80s or 90s. Walk inside any local grocery store and you’ll be sure to find an entire aisle filled with subcategories: Kid-friendly, low-cholesterol, high-fiber, low-sugar, paleo, gluten-free, overnight oats, steel-cut oats, frostings and flavors of all kinds - and a handful of those “classic” brands that have survived the ongoing food revolution. This is just one example, but with such an overwhelming number of options in almost every aspect of our lives, consumers have been forced to look for ways to ease the decision-making process so they don’t accidentally spend twenty minutes wandering down aisle four (or worse, going down a rabbit hole online….we’ve all been there).

Sure, traditional advertising still plays a role. There are still plenty of brands leveraging television, print and outdoor advertising to a degree of success (Cheerios is a great example in keeping with the cereal theme - their recent “Good Goes Around” ad was undeniably catchy). However, many brands - especially those with a social mission - are turning to individuals with a strong presence on social media to serve as the drivers they need to grab attention and stand out from all the rest. As we all know, and probably hear at some point in every marketing meeting, these individuals have now been dubbed influencers, and influence they certainly do.

Today’s retail environment as a whole is notably geared towards the individual: Everything is personalized, whether to you, your family, or your tribe of like-minded friends and followers. Add to this the fact that peer influence is more important and far more visible than it was fifty years ago (thanks to social media). Even when people buy from brands using technology, their purchase decisions are often impacted along the way by individuals. This is why tapping into personal brands has become a popular way to introduce or reinforce a brand narrative, bring personality to companies in every industry and impact the way brands are perceived.

Even brands that have historically relied on a mascot or spokesperson must now supplement this approach with a distinct human voice they can use to interact. Do you want to talk about ingredient sourcing or a product recall with the Pillsbury Dough Boy, the Keebler Elf or Kim Kardashian? The latter might actually be fun, but her brand partnerships would be a lot more costly if she was periodically taking customer service calls. And while every modern brand needs to develop a thoughtful approach to online interactions, this doesn’t diminish the opportunity to also align with a spokesperson or a group of individuals for marketing purposes.

In fact, the media trends forcing product- and service-based brands to rethink their marketing strategies are also empowering individuals to create media platforms and strong personal brands. This is because the same tools that enable more efficient communication between consumers and brands have armed individuals with the tools they need to produce and distribute content. In the battle for attention, some voices are losing reach and relevance, including many media outlets that dominated for decades, while others are rising to the top and wielding their influence in a variety of new ways.

What’s important to note from a collaboration standpoint is the blurring line between product and service brands, personal brands, and what we traditionally think of as media brands.

Personal Branding Evolves

Brands have developed partnerships with famous athletes, artists and actors since the early days of advertising. At first, most brands simply negotiated the use of “name and likeness” so they could feature images or quotes from these individuals in radio, print and TV ads. These deals were dubbed “endorsements,” as brands often tapped into the implied expertise of these individuals to gain credibility. But like any successful collaboration, endorsements work best when they are based on genuine fit, meaning the expertise of the endorser makes them uniquely qualified to evaluate the merits of a product or service, and in turn reveal something truthful about the brand.

An early example of this functional endorsement came when PF Flyers, a popular sneaker brand and precursor to Converse, hired pro-basketball superstar Bob Cousy. Bob, aka Mr. Basketball, aka the Houdini of the Hardwood, was known for his ball handling and passing skills, which made his claims about the shoe’s support and comfort more credible. This first-of-its-kind collaboration set off a huge trend and an intense competition between brands for deals with top athletes.

However, in the example above, the impact of the collaboration was limited by the fact that Bob’s personal brand, and his reach, were in many ways out of his control. Bob’s exposure was primarily contained to the media coverage of his on-court performance and the advertisements in which he appeared. If he wanted to reach fans, he relied on the traditional media and the brands he endorsed. There were no options for individuals to build their own media, making personal branding more predictable and limiting the risk of an endorsement for a brand.

In the more than 50 years since the PF and Cousy collaboration, endorsements have become much more nuanced, and in many ways the evolution of these deals ran parallel to changes in media. The likes of MJ, Bo Jackson, Agassi, Kobe, Danica, Beckham, Serena and many other athletes evolved the endorsement game quite a bit, but now a new breed of celebs, and empowered athletes, are recognizing the opportunity to take control over their interactions with fans and followers, sharing their lives, lesser-known hobbies and causes that they’re passionate about on the back of digital media. All of this gives known personalities a way to connect with their fans on a human level, in some ways decreasing the disparity between “regular person” and celebrity, while in others leaning more heavily into aspiration.

If you don’t follow her closely, you may be surprised to hear that Gwyneth Paltrow was a pioneer in terms of the opportunity for celebrities to expand their influence when she created a branded platform that mixed content, commerce and collaboration. Years ago, my friend Brett showed me Gwyneth’s email newsletter and the blog she calls goop. He keenly pointed out why this was different from anything we had seen before and the lessons marketers could learn from her example.

At the time, Gwyneth was essentially sending a weekly email about her life, with tips and links related to her personal travel, food, fashion, music, arts and cultural experiences. What made it so unique was the first-person narrative and what seemed to be unfiltered access into the life of a globetrotting celeb. While most fans seek out tabloids, TMZ, Twitter or Instagram to find out what their favorite actor, athlete or musician had for dinner, those curious about Gwyneth can find out where she shops, where she eats, and where she stays when visiting Nashville, for instance, through goop. She regularly shares her favorite recipes (often crafted by famous chefs who she introduces to her audience), books, boutiques and bands in a way that makes readers feel like trusted insiders. This all taps into some of the same emotional drivers that build the kind of reverence people have for the mavens, to steal a term from Gladwell, they actually know in real life. It also balances the aspirational nature of celebrity with accessibility.

After consistently posting these updates over a number of years, Gwyneth built a media platform that rivaled many boutique publishers and bloggers. In addition to the weekly updates, she began launching a series of paid mobile apps that organized her travel-related content by city (NYC, London, LA), a very clever way to monetize all the existing content.

Her platform continued evolving, and instead of simply talking about certain products and services she began featuring curated product collections—most likely receiving a commission for her ability to drive sales for these brands. However, the most impressive and bold phase of the platform is based on weekly collaborations between her original brand, goop, and other brands. For example, she offered a limited run of jeans from rag & bone, wingtips from Esquivel, greeting cards from Sugar Paper and a personally curated box of goodies from Birchbox. These are now offered through pop-up shops, summits, podcasts and a print publication. Her ability to marry content, great storytelling, and commerce while creatively merchandising with unique collaborations has become a powerful formula that brands would be smart to engage with, mimic, or remix in their own way.

To goop followers, Gwyneth isn’t just a talented actress and fashion icon. She’s a caring mother, a chef, a curator, a philanthropist, and an artist - all of these qualities that, if it weren’t for her digital presence, would likely have remained hidden from the public. Her brand has profited enormously from this personal touch that’s evident on her platform, whether in written, visual, or multimedia format. This growth and success hasn't been void of controversy and criticism, but these things come with the territory and a brand with this much influence is rightfully open to challengers and scrutiny.

While Gwyneth represents a modern example of the expanded influence of mainstream celebrity, and many others have used social media to build their brands, there are now an endless number of nontraditional celebrities who have built personal brands solely through new media. Yes, reality TV persists, but that’s not what we’re talking about. A new path to notoriety has emerged and it’s driven by creativity, talent and expertise. These creators are gaining influence by taking advantage of the democratization of content creation tools—like the cameras we all carry on our phones—and the distribution platforms that enable connection at scale. Audiences tune in, or follow and subscribe, to see, or hear, what will be published next from their friends, family and from creators at every level.

This emerging class of creators is defining completely new rules for content creation, promotion and marketing from which brands can learn and benefit. As opposed to the traditional entertainment industry, which has been thriving on exclusivity and scarcity of talent and media, there are millions of successful creators and even more channels. These individuals and small teams also produce content at a pace that’s difficult for brands and traditional media to keep up with - not to mention the way they embrace audience interaction, collaboration and community building.

Playing In The Gray

“Future marketing will be more about technology and sociology, and less about reach and communication. Strategy will shift from directly influencing consumers to mediating the influence consumers will have on each other.”

–Arun Sundararajan, NYU Stern professor and author of The Sharing Economy: The End of Employment and the Rise of Crowd-Based Capitalism

Last year I was visiting my parents and, as I always do when I’m at their house, I flipped through the local newspaper during breakfast. It was Sunday, so there was a huge pile of brand circulars and coupons. I don’t have a newspaper subscription, and I rarely purchase the newspaper, so when I have one in front of me I dive in. It’s fascinating to see who is advertising and how they are positioning themselves. I also like to think about how retailers feature and promote the products and services they offer from other brands.

Somewhere in the pile, there’s always a copy of Parade magazine. The target demo seems to be a bit older, which makes sense given the trajectory of the newspaper business. Safe to say, Parade is not the type of magazine that prides itself on being hyper-targeted or cutting-edge. They typically feature mainstream celebrities on the cover, so when I finally dug up Parade on this particular fall Sunday in 2017, I was surprised to find a podcast host on the cover.

Although they are still consumed by less than half the U.S. population, podcasts have recently been experiencing significant growth. They are in many ways a bridge between old and new media (the “father of podcasting” is the famous MTV VJ Adam Curry), which makes them a great place for brands to play. As you probably know, podcasts resemble radio broadcasts (interviews, stories and even music), but they are downloaded or streamed by the listener. The on-demand access makes it a perfect audio complement to the way our video consumption habits are changing—watching when we want and how we want.

Once again, it’s easy to forget that binge-viewing, or, in this case, listening, is still a relatively new phenomenon. Perhaps it’s fitting then that Serial, a long-form narrative podcast that debuted in 2014, was considered the breakthrough moment for the medium. In the years since, the number of listeners and amount of content has increased steadily.

The cover of Parade magazine I found at my parents house that day featured podcaster Marc Maron, a journeyman comedian and host of the podcast WTF. Marc has turned the interview show he records in the garage of his home in LA into a massive hit. His podcast is downloaded over six million times a month, and listeners tune in to hear Marc interview A-list celebrities, musicians and even President Obama, who made a visit to his garage to appear on the show in 2016.

Influential voices like Marc’s are emerging in every corner of the podcast world and they present a powerful opportunity for brands. Because of the way people listen, often through earphones in a solitary state, podcasts tend to feel more personal than other forms of media. This makes the ads even more impactful and memorable, especially when they are more than just traditional radio spots.

The most successful podcast advertising gives hosts creative leeway. Brands send them the product or provide access to the service that’s being marketed and encourage them to test it out. Assuming the host likes it, the resulting advertisement becomes more of a story where the host shares their personal experience with the offering. The ad then resembles more of a collaboration than an interruption.

These “live reads” are not new but they are part of an increasing shift to more native advertising. For example, when author and podcast host Tim Ferriss tells his audience about cricket flour protein bars, they sell. That’s because Tim is known for his experimentation with nutrition and body hacking, thus making the association and collaboration a perfect fit. His loyal listeners and fans trust his opinion and are there to learn about ways in which they, too, can experiment --so when Tim says it’s a good idea to eat bugs, people chow down.

According to Kurt Kaufer, Partner and CMO of Ads Results Media, a firm that claims to place more than ? of all paid podcast advertising, “endorsed” ads in podcasts are an average of 3.73 times more efficient than dynamically inserted pre-recorded ads from a cost per acquisition (CPA) standpoint.

While podcast advertising continues to grow in popularity, a number of brands are making a different kind of investment in the medium by publishing branded podcasts. Just like the wave of branded video content, branded audio aims to deliver value to audiences in the form of entertainment, inspiration and education. By developing content that reinforces and complements brand values, audiences are introduced to brands in a favorable way.

But what happens when you combine the impact of podcasting with branded content and influencer marketing?

That’s exactly what Dell achieved when they launched Trailblazers, a podcast dedicated to telling stories of innovation and technology. In a brilliant move, they enlisted author and influencer Walter Isaacson to host the show. By collaborating with Walter they benefit from his brand and his role as the author Steve Jobs personally selected to write his biography. When most people think of Walter they think of Steve and Apple. This association with him enables Dell to co-opt a little of that Cupertino magic.

Healthy Influence

It’s important to note that you don’t need Walter or a traditional celebrity of any kind to make this new influence equation work. There are experts and creators in every category, in every city and town around the globe, willing to collaborate and put your brand in front of their audiences. Just remember to use your values, goals and audience as a filter to align with someone who has a complementary personal brand. Then consider ways to truly collaborate with that individual, or group, to influence your audience by delivering value.

Let’s think about just how far we’ve come in terms of individual influence and then use an everyday example to put the new media reality in perspective. Take food: When my grandmother wanted to try a new recipe she either pulled a cookbook off the shelf or called her friend who was known as an exceptional cook. She may have also referred to a recipe she found in a magazine or a small collection of recipes she received in the mail from a brand. Those were really the only options.

Let’s fast-forward again: Today, when I’m looking for a new recipe, I start on Instagram. There are a few go-to individuals whose taste, literally and figuratively, I trust. One is Melissa Rifkin, who creates content under the moniker Confession of a Dietitian. She’s always posting photos of great culinary creations and sharing recipes, short-cuts for meal planning and other food related tips.

Melissa made a deliberate choice to leverage her passion and professional expertise to build a personal brand that commands the attention of audiences across a variety of mediums. She could have continued practicing her craft by only working one-on-one with individuals at her day job, but instead she decided to share her expertise, interests, ideas and recommendations with the world through social media. It started slow, but her following grew and at the time of this writing she has over 301,000 followers on Instagram.

When Melissa posts ideas for meals, she regularly features brands that she has partnered with. She uses her own criteria to determine which brands are a fit for her personal brand and her audience, and then she weaves them into the content. People look to Melissa for advice and trust her opinion, so when she collaborates with a brand, it makes a favorable impression for both parties involved.

There’s no shortage of brands creating and sharing recipes, but many of the ones that seem to resonate are created in collaboration with individuals like Melissa. If this seems simple and intuitive, it’s meant to. That’s why it’s so powerful.

I connected with Melissa to get her take on all of this:

What made you decide to focus on building your personal brand and sharing your expertise?

After years of being on Instagram, I realized that large accounts did not have credentials to back them up if they were posting about nutrition or health. Therefore, with my credentials, I felt that it was my time to share my wealth of knowledge with an engaging audience that needed to be led by someone who had years of education, experience and 12 years of practicing nutrition.

What makes collaborating with influencers a smart move for brands?

More than 70% of consumers are more likely to make a purchase after a social recommendation. 74% of consumers use social media to make purchasing decisions.

How should a brand identify the right individuals to partner with?

Seek out an individual that boasts qualities that your company represents or is striving to be. For example, a new company with a protein bar would reach out to an individual in the health industry whose Instagram handle speaks health, balance, nutrition and overall wellbeing. That influencer is representing a brand, therefore choosing the right voice, so to speak, is imperative in order to drive a positive message to the consumer and to represent a brand in a positive light.

How can a brand empower you to do your best work and make the biggest impact on their behalf?

Speaking from personal experience, when I am given an assignment, I am not only representing my page, I am representing a company as a whole. Therefore it is my duty to come up with not only a creative post, but a post that is meaningful and has impact, catches my followers eyes and engages.

Do you think influencer marketing will continue to be effective for a long time?

I know it will. We live in a fast paced world. If I can hold my phone, scroll, find a product I love and order it all from my palm of my hand, easy! I saved time and stress, and trust that this product is going to be great because an influencer I find to be a role model marketed it. Marketing has taken on a whole new meaning, Instagram is one giant shopping mall.

Any new trends in the space that brands should be aware of?

Choose the individual you want to market your product carefully. You want someone who represents your company. Just because an individual has a large following does not mean that they're someone you should choose. Today, Instagram stories are a great way to market a product, as they run for 24 hours and can have a smaller price tag than a hard post on Instagram.

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Portions of the above were adapted from the book Collaboration is King: How Game-Changers Create Marketing Partnerships That Build Brands and Grow Businesses, now available for purchase on Amazon, Audible, and Barnes & Noble. Read the first chapter and download a free Collaboration Playbook to help map out your strategy at CollaborationIsKing.com. And don’t forget to follow Melissa at @confessionofadietitian on Instagram.