Jumping on the Fyre Bandwagon Post ??

Hey Guys

Welcome back to my channel ??

I wanted to write a nice new article letting people know what I thought Fyre Festival was doing to the state of Influencer Marketing, but i've been too busy working with Influencers to write one. I've finally managed to free up a little time, and so here goes....

Fyre Festival was a brilliant idea which was managed horrendously. I think if it was done properly and they actually pulled it off, it would have been one of the greatest events in the world, and would have become a mainstay within every socialite's calendar (Think Coachella on steroids).

Now there's been a lot of talk about Influencers and their key involvement in Fyre Festival. A lot of Industry commentators speaking about the role influencers played, and a BBC article written on the matter.... BBC loves an Influencer article where they get to question how good Influencers actually are...... (yet they're internally hiring for someone to build and manage their influencer strategy ??). A lot has been played on Influencer authenticity, the right brand fit, doing due diligence etc etc. I'd like to outline a few of my thoughts on this below.

I"M KENDALL JENNER!!!!

Our lovely Kendall was apparently paid $250,000 to post (LOL She charges wayyyy more than that) and because Kendall was involved, this has sent the media in to a storm regarding influencers and how they are paid to promote brands.

Now a lot has been spoken about regarding influencers posting about things that aren't the right fit for them, and I think Fyre Festival fits that mould perfectly, as it was 100% the right fit for all of the influencers involved. Fyre Festival wanted to be the hottest party in the world, with the hottest models, the hottest musicians, the hottest location and the most exclusive guest list of A-Listers attending. How is Kendall Jenner not an authentic fit? She operates in all of the same circles as the models involved in the shoots, she's associated with A-list parties, and she's one of the top models on the planet.

Do you know what she isn't? One of the top lawyers on the planet, but apparently the critics expected her to do all the due-diligence on Fyre Festivals claims and finances before posting. I mean she was posting an image on instagram, not buying their company. Did they pay her? Probably, because people like that are paid in advance, and if they paid her, and she got what was contractually agreed between her agency and the Fyre team, then she's done enough due diligence for herself.

But wait... doesn't she had a duty of care to her audience? Yes, she does. But with every brand deal that comes along, you would expect a whole host of agencies to have done their reporting on the claims, before it comes to her doorstep.

Let's take the beauty industry as an example, a new anti ageing cream comes to market, and promises to get rid of wrinkles with the use of certain vitamins and ingredients. It also claims to be cruelty free, vegan and give the user rejuvenated and cleansed skin. Now.... would we expect dear Kendall to pop down to the factory, check no animals are there, watch the whole manufacturing process and count every vitamin going into the product.... you know... just to be safe? NO!

But you would expect say for example in the UK, that the CMA, ASA and other government bodies have done their investigations into the claims, to which if the labelling passes their standards, well then you're good to go.

Fyre Festival proved one thing..... that if you use social media to create a buzz with the right influencers who are the right brand fit, you will reach a lot of people, sell a lot of product, and get media coverage around the world. What it also proved, was that if you're a scam artist.. you will also get found out.

Influencers are stronger than ever, and the vast majority of influencers are very very picky about the brands they work with. But let's be honest, if a company approached you and offered you the festival experience of a lifetime, was backed by the likes of Ja Rule financially and offered you $250k upfront to post about the best party of the year along with a free ticket..... would you do it? Or would you catch a flight to the Bahamas to check the plumbing was intact first?

Fyre Festival was the best party that never was, and famous people have been hit with the bad publicity for something they genuinely believed was achievable based on the claims made by investors, management, events teams etc.

The state of Influencer Marketing is stronger than ever, and Fyre festival proves that if you have the right people, your message will go very far and very fast. What it also proves, is that if your product doesn't live up to your claims, your reputation will also go very fast into the bin.

Good Day x

If you've enjoyed this article, or your interested in more insights around Influencer Marketing, drop me an email at [email protected]

We love this stuff ??