In an ever-changing world, brands must acclimate to new realities. However, the fundamental notion of brand building remains the same: brands need to create and build trust with consumers and be authentic in their messaging and in what they stand for.
Negli ultimi anni abbiamo assistito a una crescita della popolarità dell'influencer marketing. Mentre i marchi cercano di stabilire connessioni più profonde e personalizzate con i consumatori, molti si rivolgono agli influencer dei social media e al significativo coinvolgimento che molti di loro vantano su canali come YouTube, Instagram e TikTok.
WARC estimates that brands in Ireland will increase their social media ad spend by 24% this year, which is a stark reversal from the drop of 2.4% in 2020. The trends in Ireland are consistent with those across Europe. Research from IAB Europe found that creator marketing (influencer marketing) investment in Europe increased 14% to €1.3 billion, noting further growth expected for 2021. In addition to increased interest from advertisers, the pool of influences continues to rise. According to Nielsen InfluenceScope, there were 93,437 Irish influencer accounts with more than 1,000 followers on social media platforms in August 2021, a 58% increase from 2020.
Perché i marchi considerano sempre più spesso gli influencer come parte del loro marketing mix?
Il regno degli influencer è vasto e non è esclusivo delle grandi celebrità. Anche se le sponsorizzazioni delle celebrità possono essere potenti, gli influencer sui social media rappresentano un'opportunità crescente per i marchi, in quanto hanno una passione per i loro argomenti specifici, creano contenuti propri e si relazionano da vicino con la vita quotidiana dei loro follower. Le persone che li seguono hanno scelto attivamente di farlo e per questo motivo possono essere potenti sostenitori del marchio e contribuire a stimolare l'intenzione di acquisto. L'utilizzo di argomenti di nicchia per entrare in risonanza con i loro follower offre ai marchi la possibilità di raggiungere un pubblico specifico e, se ben eseguito, l'influencer marketing può dare risultati di grande impatto.
Cosa spinge una campagna influencer di successo?
Like any marketing or advertising campaign, the success of an influencer campaign ultimately rests on its execution, and influencer marketing comes with its own unique set of challenges, most notably around transparency and authenticity. According to research conducted by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) in October 2020, over half (51%) of Irish consumers are concerned by a lack of transparency, and 59% consider influencers who do not seem authentic to be “annoying.” Across the influencer campaigns measured by Nielsen Brand Effect in Europe, one-third of those exposed stated that the content was “irritating,” suggesting that brands need to improve the strategies they employ in their influencer marketing efforts.
Un buon contenuto è e sarà sempre il fondamento di qualsiasi campagna efficace, e l'influencer marketing non è da meno. Un contenuto scadente porterà a un'incongruenza nella messaggistica che, nel migliore dei casi, i consumatori non ricorderanno e, nel peggiore, li porterà a risentire della commercializzazione dei contenuti del loro influencer preferito.
Negli ultimi tre anni, Nielsen ha effettuato la misurazione dell'Influencer Brand Effect sulle campagne di influencer in Europa per aiutare gli inserzionisti e le agenzie a capire il loro impatto sull'immagine del marchio e sulla propensione all'acquisto del brand. Le metriche chiave misurate sono la consapevolezza del marchio, il gradimento e la considerazione. Dalla nostra ricerca è emerso che le seguenti linee guida sulle best practice sono valide: I contenuti devono essere relazionabili e autentici.
I contenuti attinenti contribuiscono a stimolare l'intenzione di acquisto. Tra le campagne di influencer marketing che abbiamo misurato, poco più della metà degli intervistati ha ritenuto che i contenuti a cui sono stati esposti fossero rilevanti per loro. La nostra analisi ha indicato che il 65% delle persone ricordava i contenuti delle campagne che hanno portato a un elevato gradimento del marchio e quasi il 60% delle persone esposte all'influencer marketing ha dichiarato di voler provare o acquistare il prodotto.
Regardless of category, brands need to navigate the growing pool of influencers to partner with to ensure the authenticity of your brand and message. Once you’ve identified the right influencer for your brand—by analysing their posts, follower comments and the products and services they enjoy—work with them to create authentic content. Even when the ultimate goal is to sell a product or service, marketers are increasingly seeking ways to be perceived as authentic and real. This is where influencers can assuredly help. Consumers are more likely to align themselves with brands that share their beliefs and values. If followers trust an influencer and their recommendations, they’re more likely to follow the brand and stay loyal.
In 2020, influencer Holly Carpenter became an ambassador of Dogs Trust Ireland. As Holly suffers from mental health issues, she was keen to promote her belief that “man’s best friend” could help people cope with and possibly overcome similar issues. As ambassador, she created a campaign for her vision, which was well received by her followers. According to Nielsen InfluenceScope, Dogs Trust Ireland’s Instagram account gained 30% new followers.
We believe the momentum behind influencer marketing will continue, particularly as the pandemic has inspired higher traffic on social media platforms. Social media and influencer marketing have become useful marketing options for brands looking to expand their online presence. To be successful, influencer campaigns need to be carefully planned, executed and measured to ensure they deliver on key objectives. When used well as part of the marketing mix, they can be successful in achieving key objectives, help build positive brand associations and ultimately drive purchase intent.
Metodologia
Le informazioni contenute in questo articolo sono state ricavate da Nielsen InfluenceScope e Influencer Brand Effect.
InfluenceScope is Nielsen’s data-driven solution to support marketers throughout the entire Influencer Marketing Lifecycle. We assess the social media users with over 1,000 followers or subscribers exercising influence, on digital platforms, over digital users and audiences. We select the personalities to suit the specific objectives within a desired time frame, pre-evaluate the mix of contents, platforms, personalities and measure the media value and ROI.
Influencer Brand Effect measures the extent to which an influencer marketing campaign has driven uplift in brand KPIs and perceptual changes among the target audience, utilising a test and control approach. Our solution can split out results by platforms and specific influencers post campaign (sample permitting), identifying the factors which were successful at driving brand KPIs and identifying effective creative elements, providing crucial insights and recommendations for future campaigns.
