Influencer endorsement makes consumer engagement far more likely

A camera and bottle of perfume next to a smartphone.

As influencer marketing budgets across social media continue to grow to the tune of billions of dollars – with Instagram leading the way, and TikTok rapidly growing – it is clear that influencers and digitally native content creators now form a cornerstone of many consumers’ lives.

From Love Island winners getting major brand deals to a former factory worker becoming the most followed TikTok account, the content creator’s influence spreads far and wide.

And...

30 August 2022 | Customer Experience

Serena Williams’ venture fund invests seven figures In British martech platform

Serena Williams at a press conference.

OpenSponsorship (OS), a sports marketing tech start-up founded in New York by British entrepreneur Ishveen Jolly, has secured a seven-figure investment from Serena Ventures to help the business expand into the UK.

OpenSponsorship has partnered athletes with campaigns from brands such as Walmart, Foot Locker and Levi’s, was launched in the USA in 2015 after Ishveen – who was then a sports agent – realised and then grew frustrated with the obtuse and restrictive way in which...

20 April 2022 | Branding

More than half of social media influencers participate in the metaverse

A man wearing a virtual reality headset.

As many as 56% of social media influencers are working in the metaverse with 60% of influencers viewing themselves as creators in virtual worlds.

This is according to a study by IZEA Worldwide, a provider of influencer marketing technology, data, and services for brands. The study, which polled 1,034 US internet users ages 18 to 60-plus examined how social media influencers are leading the way into virtual worlds.

The report is the first in a series of research studies...

17 January 2022 | Influencer Marketing

Majority of marketers more likely to use influencers in campaigns since pandemic

An influencer's photos on Instagram app.

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, seven out of 10 marketers (70%) are now more likely to use creators in brand campaigns, while a similar figure (69%) agree that influencer marketing budgets represent a larger proportion of their overall marketing budget.

This is according to research from global influencer marketing agency, TAKUMI. The firm recently published its annual industry trends analysis, ‘Influencer marketing in the pandemic era’, comparing the viewpoints of more than...

16 December 2021 | Influencer Marketing

Just 6% of consumers believe they are swayed by influencers

Artwork depciting a social media influencer.

Despite influencer marketing continuing to dominate across both online and increasingly offline channels, only 6% of consumers globally are swayed by influencers or celebrity endorsements when choosing which retail channel to use when making a purchase.

This is according the latest OpSec Security Consumer Barometer trust index, which found that even among 18- to 24-year-olds, the so-called ‘digital generation,’ influencers only make their mark on 12% of consumers, with the...

22 November 2021 | Influencer Marketing

76% of Instagram influencers hide advertisement disclosure in their posts

Someone using Instagram on their smartphone.

More than three quarters of influencer adverts on Instagram have the disclosure hidden somewhere in the post, whether that be in the middle, at the end or in a comment.

This is according to research undertaken by the team behind global affiliate network Awin.com as part of a wider look into disclosure in affiliate marketing.

For the study, the top 100 posts for each disclosure hashtag were analysed to see whether the hashtag was visible in the original post, or needed...

4 October 2021 | Influencer Marketing

ISBA launches Code of Conduct for influencer marketing

A camera and bottle of perfume next to a smartphone.

The Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) has launched a Code of Conduct for influencer marketing, aimed at raising standards, smoothing relationships between industry participants, and delivering transparency for consumers.

The Code has been driven by ISBA members who wanted to address the negative issues surrounding influencer marketing. It was designed in collaboration with representatives from talent agencies and a group of influencers – and the aim is that it...

27 September 2021 | Best Practice

How important are influencers to our marketing strategies?

Artwork depciting a social media influencer.

Alongside staples such as content, social media and email marketing, influencers have become an integral part of brands’ marketing mix.

Our recent research revealed that 71% of companies currently use influencer marketing or have used it in the past. What’s more, 42% of companies cite influencer marketing as one of their primary channels. This demonstrates that influencer marketing has become a mainstay in the vast majority of companies across virtually every...

30 August 2021 | Influencer Marketing

Everyday social media influencers grow in popularity

A man and woman covered in paint and holding paint brushes.

The everyday social media user has become the preferred influencer to follow for more than half of consumers (56%). 

Whether it is friends, family, peers, or wider networks, those that share day-to-day content, products, and places that they find a genuine interest in, without an agenda to promote, are now the most trusted source for authentic and genuine content for two in five consumers (38%).

The findings come from a study by Bazaarvoice, a provider of product...

17 August 2021 | Influencer Marketing

How influencer marketing is creating the new shop window – and how retailers must react

Bricks-and-mortar retail has had a horrid 12 months. Although restrictions are now being lifted and we’re starting to see a glimmer of the much-vaunted economic bounce back, there is still a lot of uncertainty. Big questions remain around whether we will ever see a return to how things were before the pandemic in terms of consumer behaviour, and just how the high street – which has been under threat for years – will fare.

Retail brands have had to face many challenges on...

6 May 2021 | Commerce