Talent Agents & Influencer Clients

Remaining Authentic for their Followers During Challenging Times

Last week, Influence Central collaborated with ten top PR and Marketing executives across the U.S. to generate insights on executing campaigns and maintaining relationships through the Covid-19 crisis. The experiment was so successful and thought provoking that we decided to expand our pool of experts, adding another layer of perspective within the influencer industry. 

I-C reached out to three premier talent agents in the business today. Brands and marketing agencies have a lot to digest as they pivot and plan for the next wave of consumer marketing during a time that is both financially unstable and emotionally fragile. In turn, the influencers themselves are wading the muddy waters, attempting to align with brands they can trust and campaigns that are authentic to their core values.

A month into what is arguably the biggest disruption to U.S. daily life of our generation, we had a chance to chat with the representation for some of the biggest names in celebrity influencer, and a couple of their star clients.   

Beca Alexander, Founder and President of Socialyte

Socialyte is an award-winning creative agency and content production studio led by blogging pioneer, Beca Alexander. Beca took the time to give Influence Central a glimpse of her advice and strategy for her celebrity influencer clients.

An interesting thing about working with celebrity talent is that most are artists by trade that have found another voice via their social media platforms. When asked for a trend she believes will emerge in the aftermath of the current crisis, she had a unique perspective

“Now more than ever, influencers will need to pick a defined route: they’ll either have to go the authentic and relatable route or go the complete artist route. These have been the only routes that have worked through these times. Those that hover anywhere in-between will fade and fall behind their peers. Influencers will also need to pay more attention to their audiences as the pandemic has most likely drastically changed the lives of many followers. What was once relatable before may no longer be relatable due to socioeconomic changes and reduced spending power.”

Beca is encouraging her clients to channel their creativity toward cause-related efforts and content that will keep audiences mentally stimulated. 

“Generally speaking, we’ve seen success in campaigns that allow for the influencer to speak candidly about their personal experiences; but we’ve also seen great success in those that have a charity component or those that have strong entertainment value. In terms of charity, we’ve seen success in conversion-based campaigns where both the brand and the influencer benefit the organization in need. For instance, a percentage of an influencer’s fee for a sponsored post will benefit the same charity that the brand will donate a percentage of its proceeds to from that sponsored post. It’s a win-win-win scenario. For entertainment value, there’s been no better time for short-form creative video and TikTok is filling that void, not to mention getting astronomical viewership and engagement compared to Instagram. Again, a win-win-win scenario for the influencer, brand, and the audience at-large.”

Some believe that high-end influencers’ success comes from their accessibility to the best equipment and the teams behind them. Like any industry, those with broader connections and access can thrive, but it’s important to remember that these celebrity influencers gained their following via hard work and legitimate talent. When asked if the lack of camera operators, make-up artists and studio production due to isolation practices have impacted her clients, her response proves they aren’t that different from any other influencer.

“Not necessarily. Despite the editorial quality and nature of their content, most high-end influencers run a tight ship by doing much of the work themselves inclusive of make-up and post-production. When it comes to capturing content, significant others have come into play; but there is no doubt that influencers who had to rely upon hiring photographers in the past have been struggling. As a result, they have either put a pause on their content and simply focusing on Instagram Stories, or they’re shifting gears with their normal track of high-end content by using smartphones or DSLR cameras on tripods with remotes.”

Jake Rosen, CEO of Jake Rosen Entertainment

Jake Rosen, CEO of Jake Rosen Entertainment, is dedicated to helping digital talents reach their full potential. He also joined the conversation with Influence Central on advising clients during a time of disruption.

Jake is advising brands not to hit the marketing pause button right now, which is a sentiment shared by the PR and Marketing agencies we spoke with last week.

“There is a light at the end of the tunnel. While it is clear that spending habits have changed, I am seeing some brands have some of their best months ever during this time. Shows you people are still spending money just in different ways and we have to navigate what is the new normal.”

When asked about the campaigns he is finding most successful at this time, he added that he is seeing a lot of success with direct to consumer products, especially in the food space. “Food delivery services are at an all-time high. In fact, some of the brands I work with are doing so well with organic traffic they have passed their influencer partnerships or pushed them back a month.” 

Here at I-C we like to refer to this time as our “temporary normal” and decisions have to be made bearing that in mind. Weighing what is indeed temporary and what could be forever altered in consumer behavior is no easy task. Jake’s clients, along with the teams he employs, are embracing the obstacles presented by quickly changing norms.

“I think we are all finding a new normal. I had one of my influencers have a photoshoot from home. With the company sending her a white light and director directing her over zoom. We are finding ways to make it work!”

Chris Longo, Marketing Manager at Athlete’s First

From record-breaking contracts to strategic brand building, Athlete's First marketing manager Chris Longo works with some of the top athletes on social media right now. Longo has noticed some setbacks for celebrity influencers in regard to access to their usual production equipment. 

“Capturing high quality content has become much more difficult. Any campaign that had a contracted production day has been put on hold for the time being. However, many athletes have taken advantage of the down-time and realized the importance of capturing their own quality content. The more down time they have, the more time they have to put towards content.”

However, his team and clients have found routes for successful campaigns during this time.

“Social media and streaming campaigns have been extremely successful. There are more eyes than ever on influencers’ social media accounts and people are looking for quality content. Successful campaigns have been able to take advantage of consumers desire for content while also remaining sensitive to the situation that we are all in. It’s all about adapting to the world around us and changing the execution of the campaign if need be. For example, a Zoom call has replaced an in-person appearance, or consumers have been offered one-on-one experiences with influencers through streaming services or social media.”

His thought on a potential trend we’ll see moving forward in marketing will make his services even more crucial to the future of marketing.

“On the other end of all of this I think that we will see everyone continuing to trend towards digital/social media marketing. Experiential marketing will likely take a hit, but brands will continue to focus on social media digital content.”

Socialyte Clients Weigh in

Two of Socialyte’s top celebrity clients have joined in this conversation to provide an insider look at how they are approaching their followers today.

With 1.9 million followers of her Instagram account @Kramergirl, the singer/actress/podcast host Jana Kramer says she most wants to participate in campaigns with any brand that can benefit her followers during this time, particularly if it will save them some money. “We all need a bit of a break!” she said.

The mom of two, who is notoriously open with her followers about her day-to-day life, added in response to whether she’s seen a spike in engagement across her platform, that story swipe ups have been almost doubled and her views are well above average – including on the weekends, which have long been a downtime for her content. “Overall more eyes and more swipe ups as more people are on their phone more. I’m also making sure I’m continuing being authentic and honest where I’m at right now too with my anxiety, or fears, or even the silver lining. Just putting out authentic content only helps connect with my audience to know they aren’t alone.” 

@dillonbrandt, the Instagram handle of actor Dillon Brandt – best known for his starring role on Netflix’s hit show Cheer, has continued to roll out content his fans can find enjoyment in during these trying times. We asked Brandt what types of campaigns he’d join right now. 

“During this time, I would like to promote my favorite fashion brands that bring joy during dark times, lifestyle boosts like vitamins that make you healthier and radiant your skin and hair, medical needs that will help people stay out of hospitals.” 

When asked what kinds of changes he is making to content right now, Brandt recognized the need for authenticity in the space.

“I wouldn’t say too many changes because depending on what you're actually sharing to the world of who follows you, it should always be organic and something you believe in that also has a big interest for yourself. “

We’re all in this Together

In the early days of the Covid-19 crisis, I-C reached out to nearly 400 influencers in our community. At that time, it was fairly divided - within the mid-tier influencers surveyed - in what they believed their followers wanted to see. 50% felt they needed to tailor their content to be more sensitive or connected to the everyday tribulations of their followers. 41% felt that their followers were seeking normalcy and wanted the content they have become accustomed to during their relationship with said influencer. This split is reflective of the uncertainty and internal debates the average person – brand, influencer and consumer alike - is experiencing. Whether you have one million followers or one thousand followers, there are challenging choices to be made in presenting authentic and sensitive content, while providing the reprieve and entertainment your audience craves.