Zero likes given: Kahlua’s latest campaign was true to its roots – but portrayed a serious message

Last month, a curious exhibition took place in New York. The photographs showcased would have, by conventional standards, led to the exhibition being a complete dud.

Yet this pop-up showcase, put together by liqueur brand Kahlua and actress Jackie Cruz, proffered to showcase a different form of creativity. The pictures (below) had been uploaded to the ether of Instagram but had not received a single like between them.

For Kahlua, which has long portrayed itself as an...

2 August 2019 | Branding

How can marketing experts overcome social media censorship?

Like cigarette smoking, social media use has proven to be addictive. Yet it’s much easier to say “no” to nicotine than to eschew all online chatter. The world runs not just on designer juices and caffeinated everything but on real-time news, analysis, and opinions. Ducking out from under social media’s umbrella takes deliberate energy; most people stay dry under its cover.

Marketers know that the majority of consumers live online. So we push products,...

10 June 2019 | Content Marketing

Learning social best practices from industry experts: Find your voice and make ‘clever’ use of data

If you manage your company’s social media accounts today, it is no longer sufficient to send a fun tweet here or a cheeky Facebook post there. Social has become a key benchmark of customer experience; a treasure trove of data ready to be mined. Yet it can also be a living nightmare if you get on the wrong side of Random Internet Strangers.

So what’s a marketing manager to do in the spare time they have from juggling a zillion other plates? An engaging panel at the...

29 May 2019 | Best Practice

How Sage is using employee advocacy to create a strong voice on social

Last week, Kim Kardashian West - perhaps the ultimate influencer - put digital ink to silicon and tweeted forth. Yet this wasn't quite a case of affirmation-brought-to-you-by-X. The socialite had visited Jack in the Box and wished for a discussion about the experience "pronto." Underneath, rival fast food brands, from Burger King, to Wendy's, to Steak-umm, were queuing up to throw shade.

For some, this may be seen as light relief on the increasingly divisive social...

24 May 2019 | Campaigns

How to achieve the best ROI when working with influencers

The majority of marketers (84%) have agreed that demonstrating the ROI from working with influencers is the foremost priority for brands. However, marketers are still finding it a challenge, with 22% saying that proving the ROI of influencers has been their toughest challenge.

As influencer marketing grows and becomes embedded into the marketing strategy of brands, understanding how to achieve the best ROI is crucial to justify budget spending to stakeholders.

Choosing the...

20 May 2019 | Advertising

Get the parameters right and influencers could become the saviours of advertising

Opinion The cult of fame has moved from the broadcast world of movies and soap stars to the digital world of social media personalities in no time at all. Instead of films grossing millions at the boxoffice because of a sought after star, now it’s influencers making megabucks in promotional fees based on their follower numbers. Especially for the under 30s.

These changes go far beyond the social media scene though. Brands and advertising are finding tactics to target people...

14 May 2019 | Advertising

Philip Morris’ influencer campaign goes up in smoke following investigation

The influencer marketing ecosystem is one where a fine line needs to be trodden – as Philip Morris has found out to its cost.

The tobacconist announced earlier this week that it was suspending its social media campaigns after a Reuters investigation found one of the key influencers engaged for a new ‘heated tobacco’ device campaign did not fulfil the company’s internal standards and regulations.

While Moscow-based Alina Tapilina, who according to her...

13 May 2019 | Advertising

Everything marketers need to know about Gen Z: Authenticity with individuality

After years of reading about the woes of marketing to millennials, it’s time for a new group of headlines. We’ve already seen articles that exhort the challenges of connecting with the first generation of consumers who have practically grown up online: Gen Z.

But Gen Z, for all the ways they seem to be changing the world around us, aren’t a mystery. We know exactly what these consumers want and, even better, we know exactly how to connect with them.

This is...

1 May 2019 | Best Practice

FMCG goes direct-to-consumer – but don’t expect a Tony the Tiger Facebook page any time soon

Opinion Last month Kellogg’s – joining a host of established FMCG brands – launched a new foray into the direct-to-consumer (DTC) market as it hired a new director of eCommerce platforms.

I would be surprised if this news made any jaws drop (except maybe Tony’s). From Warby Parker to Kylie Cosmetics, the line that launched Kylie Jenner to become the youngest self-made billionaire ever, DTC brands have made huge waves in the retail space for disrupting a...

3 April 2019 | Attribution

Instagram beats YouTube as top influencer platform as brands see rewards for better disclosure

Instagram has topped YouTube as the number one platform for influencer content – with brands heeding consumer interest and moving towards ‘honest disclosure’ of partnerships.

That’s according to new research from Rakuten Marketing. The company, in its 2019 Influencer Marketing Global Survey which polled 3500 consumers and 700 marketers globally, saw Instagram cited by 65% of those polled as where they most follow influencers, beating YouTube (62%) and...

14 March 2019 | Branding