5 Surprise brands that conquered Influencer Marketing
November 5, 2015 1:05 pm Editor's note: This post was originally shared on Wallblog to showcase some unexpected brands that are getting Influencer Marketing right.Word-of-mouth recommendations are the holy grail of marketing, promoting brand recognition, reputation and sales in one consumer-friendly bundle. Revamped for the digital age, personal recommendations have given way to Influencer Marketing platforms. Allowing every brand the opportunity to talk directly to thousands of receptive customers, this innovative channel uses established online influencers to drive sales, increase brand recognition and appeal to new demographics. With Influencer Marketing revolutionising the field, we thought it was high time we got to know a few of the more surprising brands emerging as champions.
1. Downy work with influencers to create engaging content
A household name in fabric softeners from P&G, with more than a few competitors, Downy’s marketing strategies are constantly evolving. Taking a chance with Influencer Marketing, this home-based brand used influencer content to “Bring out the SoftSide” of hard situations and icons encountered in everyday life – such as alarm clocks, high heels and even politics. Downy created fabric sculptures accompanied by the tag #softside and witty lines promoting its signature fabric softener. The brands newly enlisted influencers were set to work posting images of these sculptures across social media. One of the best examples was from the Vine influencer, Meagan Cignoli, of how Downy can help solve the Rubik’s cube. It became one of the most popular pieces of the campaign with close to 500 shares and more than 8,000 likes on Facebook. [video width="480" height="480" mp4="http://blog.webfluential.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/D5C038586B994998507096117248_1900fb688f7.3.1_ctDm_qJck2AOObm4Un6MCGPsCAfYPwtqp1XZOKJP78E0UBtP.VyHGPWkxfwjLqSa.mp4" loop="true" autoplay="true"][/video]Meagan Cignoli's interpretation of the Downy brief
Designed to initiate conversations between influencers and their followers, the #SoftSide campaign helped consumers to define what the soft side means to them, increasing brand recognition for Downy and marking it out as an influencer marketing champion to keep an eye on.2. Cooper Tire target a new market working with Mom bloggers
They’re not going to feature highly in any wedding gift registry, Christmas hints or birthday list, but for the average family, tires are a must-have. They’re just not sexy, or something many consumers shop around for, and they’re definitely not a product most women covet. Until now. Having identified a demographic its competitors had left untouched, Cooper Tire decided it was high time they utilised the untapped purchasing power of the female population. And to do that, it needed ‘Mom bloggers’ — women who had successfully built up reputable blogs with dedicated followings.
Macaroni Mum putting Cooper Tires through their paces
Inviting these bloggers out to its test track in Texas gave Cooper Tire the opportunity to demonstrate the performance of its tires on multiple tracks and conditions. A few adrenaline fuelled laps later and the brand had provided each of its guest influencers with a fun-filled day that no one was likely to forget in a hurry — and more than a few would blog about later.3. Vodacom Deezer achieve brand awareness with nearly 4 million music lovers
When Africa’s biggest mobile communications company met the music streaming service Deezer, it was a match made in heaven. They wanted the whole world to know about it -so they turned to Webfluential for advice on relevant influencers. Our team recommended ten key influencers with the likes of Live Magazine, Texx and the City and StephanieBe helping get the word out. These music-centric bloggers were charged with getting the conversation started, creating original content that introduced Vodacom Deezer and recommended its streaming services to their musically minded followers. To sweeten the deal, Vodacom worked with the influencer Da L.E.S, timing its campaign to coincide with the launch of the rapper’s new single, available exclusively on Deezer.
Da LES shares the availability of his new single on Deezer
This two-pronged attack certainly did the job. Influencers’ posts on social media helped Vodacom reach nearly 4 million music lovers and engaged with over 11,200 people, substantially increasing brand awareness and online talkability with one influencer campaign.4. Boxed Water’s ‘Retree Project’ highlight charity campaign
It bills itself as ‘part water company, part sustainable water project, part philanthropic project and part completely curious’, so it was no surprise that Boxed Water chose to think outside the box when it came to creating a buzz around its latest charity campaign, the Retree Project. A partnership with the National Forest Foundation, the Retree Project aims to plant one million trees within the next five years. Loathed to plant them quietly, Boxed Water turned to influencer marketing to spread awareness, ensuring its latest venture went off with a (digital) bang. The campaign was launched by social media influencing gurus Jaime King and Aiden Alexander. Each posted their own pictures of Boxed Water products to get the ball rolling, tagging them #Retree and informing their followers that, for every tagged product picture posted, Boxed Water would plant two trees.
Jaime King shares her thoughts on why she likes the Boxed Tree project
It was certainly a creative way to put a digital spin on a real-world project. It also worked wonders for promoting both Boxed Water’s partnership with the National Forest Foundation and its products, successfully highlighting the brand’s philanthropic activities at the same time.5. Better Sleep Council target a niche demographic of diabetes patients
Proving that every brand stands to benefit from influencer marketing, non-profit Better Sleep Council used this innovative channel to promote their annual campaign, ‘May is Better Sleep Month’. Entering into a partnership with the Diabetes Influencers Network, Better Sleep Council found the perfect platform from which to launch its campaign. This community of health, wellness and fitness professionals (and the odd celebrity) all suffer from diabetes and have a diverse array of followers motivated to live healthier lifestyles. By hosting a Twitter Chat Party with Dr. Amy Peterson Campbell, a diabetes educator, Better Sleep Council succeeded in generating more than 11 million Twitter impressions. Its success demonstrates just how useful influencer marketing can be when targeting a niche demographic.
Some Tweets shared around the Better Sleep Council campaign
With the ability to take campaigns in any creative direction, make relevant and engaging content, successfully target niche demographics or new markets and increase brand awareness, this multifunctional channel is increasing in popularity as more and more ‘surprise’ brands continue to achieve impressive results.
