"Buy the Way…" Insights on Integrated Marketing Communication

A recent article in Forbes titled 5 Steps To Take Before Starting An Influencer Marketing Campaign On Social Media highlights the benefits as well as cautions and advises brands on utilizing influencer marketing it their campaigns. “Influencer marketing can give your content a huge boost, and you can’t afford to ignore it,” says Andrey Slivka of Forbes. The article summarizes advice from Forbes’ social media editor Natasha Lewka with tips for including influencers as finding influencers with the greatest leverage on whichever platform (or platforms) your targeted audience is found. Then you target the right influencers, which don’t have to be huge celebrities to be successful, but can be “micro-influencers” defined by the article as someone with between 10,000 and 100,000 followers.

There are innumerable “micro-influencers” as well as many larger-reached influencers within the fitness industry. These fitspo models do everything from preach body positivity, share weight-loss and weightlifting transformations and more. Additionally, they align with specific workout programs and workout related brands, from active-wear companies to supplement companies and crossover brands. This industry has really seemed to capitalize on this area of marketing. Take U.K. based company Gym Shark for instance. They have an international roster of Gym Shark athletes who rep their clothing, attend conference meet ups and events, pop-up shops and other publicity efforts that have helped not only fuel the brand, but in turn, fuel the celebrity status of the influencers. It seems to be a win-win situation. As a result, many followers look to these influencers, most of which are not certified personal trainers, as being experts on fitness. And while there’s no denying they have mastered their own fitness and no doubt learned a lot about exercise and nutrition, they have to be careful to stipulate they are not experts with the information of certified personal trainers and nutritionists. And though many do become certified and make money offering their own personal training, many simply make their own work out guides and even products and sell them to followers. Sometimes there is flack for content these influencers create when talking about correct form for exercise or when they don’t talk about it. There is risk for someone to follow what they say to do and get hurt. Should these influencers be held more accountable for their health-related advice and influence? And what does that mean for the responsibility of the brands like Gym Shark to ensure the influencers they collaborate with are not ill-prepared to have followers immolate their fitness routines? Beyond that, what sort of protections should be in place for these brands AND these influencers. It seems only a matter of time before lawsuits increase.

References:

Slivka, A. (2018). 5 Steps to take before starting an influencer marketing campaign on     social media. Forbes. Retrieved from        https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescontentmarketing/2018/02/08/5-steps-to-take-before-   starting-an-influencer-marketing-campaign-on-social-media/2/#481e04633fac

Sponsorship. Gymshark. http://support.gymshark.com/hc/en-us/articles/207495946-Sponsorship

I recently saw a video by a sassy and hilarious little girl sharing her feelings about about her mother signing her up for pre-school:

The girl, Mila Stauffer, is one of the newest child “stars” taking social media by storm.  With 3.4 million followers on Instagram account run by her mother Katie Stauffer, and more than 3 million views of the above video on Youtube, she is certifiably a viral star.  With Internet fame inevitably comes paid sponsorships and endorsement deals and Mila is no exception, doing paid partnerships with brands like Amazon, Thule Strollers and Volvo.  Mila’s mother acts as Mila’s manager and is the driving force behind Mila’s fame.  She has been so successful that she recently was able to quit her job and is now receiving a salary from the work Mila does (she says she puts the money in a trust for Mila, her twin sister Emma and her three older children).  

Mila’s mom is just one of a growing number of “sharents” on the Internet, defined as “a term to describe parents who actively share their kids’ digital identities online” (Stadmiller, 2017).  While it usually starts harmlessly — the mom of Ava Ryan posted a clip on Vine of her as a baby saying “I smell like beef” — once families start to realize monetary benefits, that can change.  Brands looking to tap into family friendly markets have begun to offer huge sums of money for sponsored videos, posts and experiences and now being the parent of an Internet star is a legitimate profession.

All this attention has led some to question the ethics of this model that thrusts children into the spotlight while advertisers reap the benefits, sometimes to their psychological detriment.  For example, YouTuber DaddyOFive recently lost custody of two of his children after people started taking issue with his cruel pranks often aimed at his 9 year old and 12 year old that involved him yelling in their faces or purposely making them cry.  According to UNICEF, one in four kids indicated that their parents’ online sharing made them feel anxious, sad, embarrassed or worried and nearly fifty percent of all images shared on pedophile sites are taken from social media sites.  Not to mention that unlike traditional third party child star situations where there are rules about what must be done with the money and limits on how much children can work, the waters are murkier when their parents are running the show.  Additionally, the Internet can be a cruel place and putting kids out in such a fashion can invite extreme criticism, pedophiles or unsavory characters could be putting their mental health or even their physical health at risk.  This unfettered child labor has made some parenting groups and psychologists nervous about the longterm effects of being a viral video start.  Unfortunately, it’s just too early to tell.

So, given these statistics, what does that mean for advertisers looking to take advantage of this new wealth of kid influencers?  Working with Internet stars is enticing for brands because they usually have well-defined personalities, built in established audiences and are guaranteed to draw views.  However, there is clearly a seedy underbelly to this world where it’s not always clear that this is in the best interests of the children. As the New York Times put it, it is now a common question to ask “Why isn’t your toddler paying the mortgage?”

What do you all think? Do you think there should be laws or limits on these types of sponsored postings? Do you think this is much ado about nothing? Share your thoughts in the comments!

References

Luscombe, B. (2017, May 18). The YouTube Parents Who are Turning Family Moments into Big Bucks. Time. Retrieved from www.time.com

Rosman, K. (2017, September 27). Why Isn’t Your Toddler Paying the Mortgage? New York Times. Retrieved from www.nytimes.com

Smidt, R. (2018, January 25). Heres What Its Like To Have A Toddler Who Is Famous On Instagram. Retrieved from https://www.buzzfeed.com/remysmidt/mila-emma-katie-stauffer?utm_term=.mvBDZx6VD#.blxQmz7DQ

Stadtmiller, M. (2017, December 24). Kids Don’t Have Parents Anymore-They Have ‘Sharents’. Retrieved from https://www.thedailybeast.com/kids-dont-have-parents-anymorethey-have-sharents

No one can argue that football has become a religious Sunday holiday for many households in America. When the Super Bowl is underway this coming Sunday, many audiences will tune in to the game even though their favorite team or athlete(s) is not playing. For those who aren’t interested in the game, the commercials are exciting to watch and for some, it may be even more fun to watch than the actual game itself. Millions of people anticipate what brand will stand out and what company will have the best and funniest commercials for the water cooler talk at work on Monday. Some of the known brands for viewers to anticipate are ads from Budweiser and Coca-Cola, while other brands such as Doritos and Pepsi are looking to make a comeback for 2018 (Michaels, 2018). There will be many brands fighting for the attention of over 100 (110 est.) million viewers (Orszag, 2018).

The price of advertisement on Super Bowl Sunday is ridiculously high at a minimum of $5 million for a 30-second spot (Spross, 2018). That’s a jump from $2 million just in 2002, and at $4.5 million in 2015 (Spross, 2018). The cost continues to climb and it makes one think as a brand, is it really worth it? At what cost will the investment of the Super Bowl ad will be reciprocated? One of the reasons for the uphill in cost is that the Super Bowl is a social event and in a digital era, it is a live event that can’t be fast forward or viewers skipping through the commercials (Spross, 2018). However, if this cost continues to go up, will the value of ad be profitable for the 30-second spot? At this point, I don’t believe that it’s not worth the money, but that’s not what the NFL wants advertisers to think. I have to give it to the NFL for believing that they are worth it. 

Fifth Harmony, Worth It ft. Kid Ink, Reflection

Economists did conduct a study of ads for films that aired during the Super Bowl between 2004 and 2014 (Orszag, 2018). In their research of 70 films, the results were an $8.4 million increase in revenue from ticket sales that does not include sales from the opening week (Orszag, 2018). The success is due to Studios expectation of commercial box office success (Orszag, 2018). Thus, only movies that studios knew would generate a high volume of ticket sales are aired during Super Bowl slot such as summer blockbuster. Measuring the effectiveness of ads on brands, on the other hand, is extremely difficult. According to marketing experts on a recent survey, ads during Super Bowl cost is less effective because the ads don’t translate directly into increased sales or consumers intent to purchase (Orszag, 2018). However, economists argue that ads do pay for themselves and are more effective than what marketing experts claimed. Ads that run in the cities of the team has a 20 percent more viewership than other cities (Orszag, 2018). Of course, no one knows what team or cities will be in the Super Bowl because ad spot is purchased in advance (Bloomberg). Another reason ads work because beer and sodas have high consumption rate during the game (Orszag, 2018).

So based on the research done, it still seems that the benefit still does not outweigh the cost. It only works for specific circumstances such as beer since many people drink during the game. There are no overwhelming results that the cost for an ad will translate into dollars for a brand. The game has already decreased by 10 percent viewership this year alone (Spross, 2018). So why do the cost of ads still going up? The ticket sales are already steep enough and the NFL is making money in merchandise and concession. So why do advertisers still want the spot when they know that the likelihood of investment may not be worth air time. Do they still believe that the more exposure the brand gets, the greater the chances of profitability?

References:

Michaels, M. (2018, January 25). The price of a 30-second Super Bowl ad has exploded – but it may be worth it for companies. Retrieved February 04, 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/super-bowl-commercials-cost-more-than-eagles-quarterback-earns-2018-1

Orszag, P. R. (2018, January 31). Some Super Bowl Ads Are Worth the Price. Retrieved February 04, 2018, from https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-31/some-super-bowl-ads-are-worth-the-price

Spross, J. (2018, February 02). Are Super Bowl ads really worth $5 million? Retrieved February 04, 2018, from http://theweek.com/articles/752440/are-super-bowl-ads-really-worth-5-million

In 2018, marketers are faced with the continual challenge to make their campaigns innovative and effective. Our world today is filled with so many different options to consume content, that the biggest challenge in marketing is no longer what your campaign will consist of, but where it will be seen. Since more and more people have moved away from traditional methods of advertising (newspaper ads, radio spots, or TV commercials), marketers have had to discover new ways of engaging their users while still exposing their content (Ward, 2017).

To solve this issue, the first thing marketers must do is find out where their users spend a majority of their time. In recents years, the amount of time customers spend on social media versus TV or radio has increased drastically (Molla, 2017). Since this is the new normal, companies are now left to do one thing: bring their content directly to users on their social sites.

Within the last year, it has been seen that one of the most effective ways for brands to expose their content on social media is through social media influencers (Jackson, 2018). The term “social media influencer” is a relatively new phrase, however it is highly effective for describing this type of marketing. Essentially it works like this:

1. Company determines that their brand will do well with the specific influencer’s following
2. Brand partners with a social media personality (usually one with a large following)`
3. Brand gives the influencer the product to demonstrate or compensation to post about the item
4. Brand receives more business due to the ad (GroupHigh, 2017)

This method of advertising has proven to be very effective for a multitude of reasons, but perhaps the most prominent is that the followers trust who they are following. If someone is already actively following an influencer’s post, they obviously have some sort of interest in their content. If that influencer then tells their followers about a great new product they are using (even if they were paid to do so), their followers will likely trust their opinion and be more inclined to purchase the product (Lee, 2018). Additionally, this method of advertising is often much more cost efficient than traditional methods such as TV commercials (Lee, 2018). While a commercial may run a company millions of dollars to produce and distribute, an influencer ad can be as little as sending the influencer free product, to a few thousand dollars for a post. The rates at which influencers are compensated varies greatly on their following or the product being offered. However in any case, it is much cheaper than the traditional methods of marketing.

While this method is becoming more widely accepted amongst brands, it still has mixed reviews amongst social media users. Many people feel that the ads they consistently see by their favorite instagrammers is disturbing their content. Personally, I don’t mind influencer ads because it gives me a chance to see the product in use and hear from someone who has used it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this though! How do you feel about social media influencers? Do you find their ads to be effective? Have you ever purchased something because someone you follow posted an ad for it? Let me know!

References:

G. (n.d.). Social Media Influencers – Find and build relationships. Retrieved February 03, 2018, from https://www.grouphigh.com/social-media-influencers/

Jackson, D. (2018, January 31). Top 8 Influencer Marketing Trends for 2018. Retrieved February 03, 2018, from https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing/

Lee, K. (2018, January 12). 2018: Year of the Influencer or year of the influencer      marketing implosion? Retrieved February 03, 2018, from https://marketingland.com/2018-year-influencer-year-influencer-marketing-implosion-231617

Molla, R. (2017, October 09). Americans are spending more time on media thanks to multitasking. Retrieved February 03, 2018, from https://www.recode.net/2017/10/9/16447820/americans-time-spent-media-multitasking-emarketer

Ward, T. (2017, December 02). The Influencer Marketing Trends That Will Dominate 2018. Retrieved February 03, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomward/2017/12/01/the-influencer-marketing-trends-that-will-dominate-2018/#4ada36a25398

Shiney Hiney Song YouTube – Charmin

Listen. Do you hear that?

My hiney so Charmin shiny.

Yes, it’s the newest product jingle that pops into your head at the most inappropriate times or we sing the catchy chorus while people look at us with a puzzled face. Unless they too, have been consumed by the “earworm.”

Brands are challenged to cut through a lot of clutter these days and to break through, brands want the power of a jingle. According to a recent Forbes article, it’s getting harder and harder to make an impression on a consumers within a 30-second time slot. If your brand has a catchy jingle that sticks, the consumer will share it the for the rest of the day. Thus, delivering far more reach and frequency than the original spot.

Jingles are so powerful people can recall a phone number or slogan, years after the commercial has aired. While talking to a coworker about jingles, he smiled.

“I remember a jingle from my childhood,” he said, then breaking into a jingle about a local heating and air company even recited the phone number.

Some of the most memorable jingles have come from  Kit Kat, Folger’s, and Bandaid. Jingles in advertisements were widely used between 1998 and 2011, but started to fade in use for a couple of reasons. The first reason was due to the rising trend of licensing popular music for ads. And the second reason was the negative stigma associated with them due to many consumers seeing them as “cheesy.”

Where jingles have the most leverage, however, is on radio. An Ad Age article gives story after story on how jingles deliver the brand a personality and a vibe through words and music.

Do I have you interested? Want to make an earworm for a campaign you are working on? Here are some of the key components to making a successful jingle.

• Research your target audience to determine what will appeal to them
• Choose the mediums you plan to advertise on (radio, television, Website, social media, and etc.)
• Determine the topic you want to discuss in the jingle (2-3 main points)
• From those points start creative writing that involves rhyming with a compelling story
• Choose music you want to mess with the rhyme to give the product the personality you want to achieve
• Create your commercial :60 radio spot, :30 television spot or even :10-:15 bookend for radio and television

Hope you find success in your jingle journey, or at least now know “My Hiney so Charmin Shiny.”

References

Passman, J. (2017, May 30). Why advertising jingles will make a comeback.  Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanpassman/2017/05/30/why-advertising-jingles-will-make-a-comeback/#7ed53d511b2e

AdAge Staff (2017, February 8). The power of the jingle. Retrieved from http://adage.com/article/iheart-media/power-jingle/307801/

Rongione, D. (ND). How to make a commercial jingle for a school project. Retrieved from http://classroom.synonym.com/make-commercial-jingle-school-project-8527836.html

I’ve been having a hard time sleeping lately. After graduation in May I will be leaving for one year on a backpacking trip around the world. I’m worried about securing places to sleep at an affordable price while not sacrificing too much around quality, service, and safety. You’d think that I would be making the most of the time I have left in my own bed and in my own home, but I’ve been struggling to lay my head down to rest without knowing where I’ll rest for the next year. Thankfully, hostels and hostel services have started to take notice of this concern that I and many other travelers on a budget have and they’ve begun to take action.

Hostels often have negative perceptions associated with them. Recent stories worldwide include travelers staying in hostels being attacked by other travelers, discrimination against travelers from hostel managers, and drug fueled parties ending in hospital stays. While interpersonal disputes and things out of the control of travelers often cause much of these issues, hostels and services that help travelers find hostels have been charged with projecting a positive image in order to drive business.

Hostelworld, a travel brand that allows travelers to search for a place to stay based on destination, is leading the way. The company reevaluated its priorities in 2017 and made the customer the center of all decisions. Hostelworld knows that marketing towards travelers is increasingly moving towards mobile devices and it is staying ahead of the curve. This included upgrading its mobile app to include a notice board where travelers can interact with hostels prior to their stay. In addition to this, intercultural barriers like language have been broken down by the addition of a translation feature to the Hostelworld app that allows guests to communicate with other guests from around the world. These features undoubtedly would make any traveler, including myself, feel a little more comfortable with staying in hostels. The company even replaced its chief marketing officer role with a chief customer officer position so that any marketing communications are made with travelers in mind. And the changes seem to have helped. Hostelworld saw a 6% increase in total bookings in 2017 and it predicts continued success in the coming year.

While the safety of a traveler staying at a hostel ultimately comes down to how the dwelling is managed, travel sites like Hostelworld can do a lot to inform an individual prior to a trip. With a customer centric approach to marketing, I certainly feel more confident in where I’ll stay over the next year. I know that this is a company that cares about those that use its service and is willing to help make the best living situation decisions possible. That’s all anybody can ask for when finding a home away from home.

Now I want to know what you prefer!

If you use travel services, what are you drawn to in using one company over another?

What do those company’s do to create a connection with you and build enough trust up to make trip plans?

References:

Erwin, A. (2018, January 3). Belfast woman accused of throwing knife and pizza at fellow hostel resident. Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved from https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/belfast-woman-accused-of-throwing-knife-and-pizza-at-fellow-hostel-resident-36455934.html

Gwynn, S. (2018, January 11). Kristof Fahy joins Hostelworld as customer chief. Campaign. Retrieved from https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/kristof-fahy-joins-hostelworld-customer-chief/1454157

Hadar, S. (2018, January 14). Uruguayan hostel sued over refusal to admit Israeli couple. Ynet. Retrieved from https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-5071035,00.html

Hobbs, T. (2017, November 6). Hostelworld: Young marketers must play a bigger role in shaping brand purpose. Marketing Week. Retrieved from https://www.marketingweek.com/2017/11/06/generation-exchange-hostelworld/

Percival, G. (2018, January 25). Hostel group sees bookings rise 6%. Irish Examiner. Retrieved from https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/hostel-group-sees-bookings-rise-6-824656.html

Powell, G. & Carmody, J. (2018, January 3). Nine hospitalized in suspected mass overdose at backpacker house in Perth; two critical. ABC News. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-01-03/nine-rushed-to-hospital-for-suspected-drug-overdose/9300448

Rogers, C. (2018, January 11). Hostelworld ramps up customer focus as it appoints Kristof Fahy as CCO. Marketing Week. Retrieved from https://www.marketingweek.com/2018/01/11/hostelworld-ramps-up-customer-focus/