Influencer talent agency Gleam Futures launches brand consultancy
Gleam Futures – the online talent agency that launched Zoella to fame – is opening its own brand consultancy to provide brands with a "single route" to creating and delivering influencer campaigns.
Zoe Sugg (or Zoella) is one of Gleam Futures longest-serving talents / YouTube
Dubbed Gleam Solutions, the new arm is a full-scale agency that will give brands access to to a team that can help with strategy, creative, talent selection, influencer vetting, campaign delivery, distribution and reporting, giving access to its roster of influencer talent where appropriate.
Having opened its doors in 2010, the business believes it is well placed to help marketers navigate the increasingly complex influencer landscape, delivering "authentic" campaigns at scale across online and traditional channels.
Gleam highlighted measurement as a key service, saying it would go beyond so-called "vanity" metrics like followers and likes to also look at KPIs like awareness, consideration and purchase intent.
Gleam Futures has already been working with brands to create campaigns in the UK and internationally. Its website reveals that the likes of Honda, Jaguar Land Rower and Philips are already on its client list. As is Kellogg's, for which the recently produced a fully-integrated Special K campaign around its #PoweringYou message, in partnership with British athlete and blogger, Sophie .
Dominic Smales, chief executive and founder of Gleam Futures, said Gleam Solutions would deliver effective creative campaigns "through a talent-first lens".
“It will do so in a way that focuses on strategic, quality partnerships, delivering great collaborations that engage people and deliver results that matter," he added.
“With the launch of Gleam Solutions we’re also setting out to challenge perceptions of digital-first talent and expand people’s view of what is possible, paving the way for the next phase of marketing.”
The Drum has asked for more information on how the team will be structured.
The launch of the consultancy comes as the advertisers are increasingly funnelling spend into influencer campaigns.
However, the growing space has been plagued by transparency issues – with brands putting pressure on influencers and platforms to tackle problems like follower fraud and a lack of transparency when it comes to disclosing sponsored content online.
Earlier this month, a study from media agency UM found that just 4% of people globally trusted what influencers said online.
As well as facing off these challenges, Gleam Solutions will also be competing in a space that more traditional ad agencies have already muscled into, including Havas and M&C Saatchi - which have both launched their own influencer arms in recent years.