By Diamond Robinson
Seeing your favorite influencer or celebrity in a brand campaign might make you more likely to stay and watch the full video, click the ‘link in bio’, use their affiliate code, or drive traffic to their site even if just to browse. On the opposite end of the spectrum, choosing an influencer or celebrity that has a controversial past or doesn’t align with the brand or campaign image can change the public’s opinion on the overall brand negatively. This potentially double edged sword makes choosing the right influencer for a brand campaign crucial.
A successful campaign can launch the brand and influencer into new spaces while still building relationships with their current customers or audience.
A great example of successful influencer campaigns comes from Gymshark, the athletic wear brand has 7.2 Million followers on Instagram, and offers both affiliate codes and capsule collections with their ‘Gymshark Athletes’ that sell out quickly. Long time Gymshark Athlete and one of the OG fitness influencers, Whitney Simmons, was recently announced as the creative director of the Adapt Seamless collection which was received well amongst her fellow Gymshark athletes and the community.
One of the most controversial influencer campaigns from 2023 was the Shein factory tour. Shein, who was already under fire with the public for allegations of human rights violations and concerns about their environmental practices, invited influencers to tour their factory in China as a way to improve public perceptions. However, for many online this had the opposite effect with accusations of staging, undisclosed payment from the brand and a lack of real transparency on both sides.
Making the choice to include influencers in a campaign is one that should be made with care for the best chance of a successful partnership.
For more blogs like this check out Meeman 901 Strategies
Comments