Heroes and Idols and Influencers and Followers

A while back, one of my sales people was telling me how much Barry Bonds was his hero.  When I asked him why, he told me he was impressed with his play, and that nobody would ever be able to accomplish what Bonds had done. But, I thought to myself, isn't he more of an idol?  

A hero, by definition, is " a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. 2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal."  An idol, by definition, is "a person or thing that is greatly admired, loved, or revered."  The big difference is that heroes have a more long term effect on society, and what we eat, how we dress, in some cases, how we vote, and much more!  They are our influencers.

In the continually evolving digital media space, words like programmatic, native, contextual, and influential have become the go to marketing for those company's looking to drive their brand.  With each of these strategies, a company is finding the best company to meet these specific needs they wish to fulfill.  But who are the influencers?

Paris Hilton put Von Dutch on the map when she wore their trucker hats many years ago.  While it can be looked upon as more of a placement marketing effort, it certainly had the feel of influential marketing feel-albeit offline. If Neil Armstrong was to endorse Von Dutch, I am pretty certain it would not have the same results.  And while many know who Ricky Dillon is (He makes videos online, has almost 3,000,000 followers), most would not be able to tell us who Candy Lightner is (She is President of MADD).  Guess which one endorses brands on Instagram. And while this may be disappointing, the concern becomes more magnified with the extent of the endorsement, paid or not paid.  If a certain influencer were to endorse a certain politician, it could effect the outcome of things much more important than soda, jeans, or other.

Why would brands go this route? What value do they bring? Will their followers follow them to this brand? It seemed like just yesterday that we used to say the world was made up of leaders and followers. If the leaders are leading the followers to a brand, how much is each follower worth? And is there really a true way to measure the success of this leader?

Influential Marketing (IM) works because it is a low cost option to getting the word out about a brand. Many of these influencers are recognizable for what they do exclusively online. And, there are no ad blockers to worry about.  If an A celebrity were to be used for an endorsement the cost would obviously be significantly higher.  As they say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  But is it about to break?

If many brands starts going IM route then the message will be blurred by the commercial. Yep, that's what it is.  And when consumers start seeing commercial after commercial, on Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, etc., then the effectiveness of the message is lost completely. And while the message may be lost, the "promotee" is still getting paid on the eyeballs. So, how cost cost effective is the influencer? In addition, how relevant is the influencer to the brand in the first place?

To their credit, many influencers have become more particular on which brands they endorse.  The more followers they have the more selective they can be.  The downside with that, though, is that the price then goes up. So, again, how are brands able to manage IN so it is most effective?

Influential Marketing will continue to grow at a nice clip year over year.  Consumers will embrace the message of their idols and buy many of the products that they are promoting. At some time, though, that blurriness will become clear, so to speak, and the effectiveness will decline. Here are my thoughts:

-There has to be a way to measure the success of a campaign. Whoever you speak with has to provide some kind of analytics and/or dashboard to make sure the message is being delivered.  If not, it is time to change.

-Relevancy is the key. Make sure you have a say on who is endorsing your brand. If a company tells you they have 10000 influencers, and that you will get many eyeballs, delve a little deeper.  Find out exactly who they are (Not their demo, what they are famous for), and dip your toe in the water before proceeding.

-Turn the heroes into influencers.  Brands should, what I call, Flip The Focus. Brands should tweet about the Candy Lightner's and Charles Ramseys (He rescued kidnapped women) of the world.  Build them up, get them followers, and present something your followers are proud to read about.

Influential Marketing is on the upswing, and there will be growth for many years to come.  If it is done right it should be a staple in your marketing efforts for many years to come. It all begins, though, with making sure it is right for you.  Anticipate greatness only after you are comfortable going to market!