'Influencer marketing in 2018 will become an integral part of a brand’s marketing mission': Panasonic
With the rise of ad blockers and decline in traditional media consumption, influencer marketing isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Influencer marketing was the “buzz” word of 2017 as marketers took note of the power yielded by influencers to advocate on their behalf.
Weight Watchers welcomed in 2018 by announcing superstar entertainer DJ Khaled — with over four million followers on Twitter, almost nine million on Instagram — as a brand ambassador.
But influencers can also be used wrongly and as we enter 2018, how will brands be using them and what trends will dominate?
Speaking to The Drum, in the first of a four-part video series exploring how top companies will be using social media to shape their marketing agendas in 2018, Anand Narayanan, head of digital at Panasonic UK, kicks off the series by discussing his insights and predictions for influencer marketing for the future.
Narayanan foresees influencer marketing becoming an integral part of the brand’s marketing mission. “Influencer marketing will change to become more of an intrinsic part of the marketing strategy. This could mean taking quotes from an influencer and using it in advertising or using their photos and videos in some form of paid media,” he said.
He also talked about authenticity and relevancy becoming a fundamental part of influencer marketing. “Are influencers really using the product? Is everything that they are talking about based on an experience they’ve had with the product? It’s about building a continuous, long-term engagement with a particular individual.”
Watch his full interview above to get more insights on defining business metrics and how brands should be using data to derive the insights they want.
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