Break Through the "Noise" of Integrated Marketing Communications
Influencing the Influencers
A Case Study on Creating a Holiday Campaign
If you follow ANYONE on social media (i.e. Instagram, YouTube…you know, the biggies), then you’ve heard the words Social Media Influencer. According to Merriam-Webster online dictionary (2022), the definition of influencer is “one who exerts influence: a person who inspires or guides the actions of others.” It further elucidates the word as “a person who is able to generate interest in something (such as a consumer product) by posting about it on social media.“
Let’s talk briefly about the Kardashians. Why the Kardashians? Because they’re some of the BIGGEST social media influencers on the planet. According to CNBC, Kylie Jenner reportedly makes $1 million per Instagram post (CNBC online, 2018). In 2018, that made her the highest paid celebrity influencer. Social media influencers shill products and services for everything from travel to makeup.
An Orlando based wine importer desired to expand marketing efforts by using influencers. Since Gen Z and Millennials were key targets they needed to reach them where they go for information - social media. They want the information fast, on demand, and many follow social media influencers on Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube. The exorbitant cost for influencers with a lot of followers (500,000 and up) was out of the budget. So how do you work with influencers without paying them to write a post when their livelihood counts on paid sponsorships?
Unlike U.S. wines from California, Oregon, or countries such as France and Germany, the client company featured only Georgian products, the wine was unique. Georgia is the oldest wine producing country in the world by over 8,000 years. It’s a great angle, and yes, as a PR practitioner we use that word, but it’s not just an angle, it’s history that goes back before Christianity began. The client had the product – wine, but what would the presentation look like? Influencers get lots of free STUFF, and half the battle of a successful campaign is the presentation. A certain jewelry company with the ubiquitous blue boxes once sent a package that looked like one of their stores, and of course, who doesn’t want to open that box? We settled on a gold box with a magnetic clasp that came with LED rice lights, crinkle paper packing, ribbon, and even a card . The lights featured a small button that when the receiver opened the package, the lights would spring on. As far as content – a bottle of wine, a branded bottle opener, a branded wine glass, and a small ballotin of Godiva chocolates. Using Prowly Dr. McBride looked for influencers in both Florida and Texas (where the company distributed wines), with 3,000 – 80,000 followers, and wrote about food, wine, spirits, and travel. Dr. K discovered 20 influencers that fit the definition, and since none of them had mailing addresses (nor did she know if they would even want to try the wine), she wrote a unique “pitch” (another PR word) – with a subject line of 8,000+ year old wine!!! The first line on the inside was: “It’s not really 8,000 years old, but it comes from a country that is the oldest wine making country in the world – Georgia.” Dr. K. briefly explained the company, and that she wanted to send them a holiday box with their choice of wine. She attached press fact sheets on both the company and the wines. Nine of the 20 responded, and Santa (AKA a nation-wide delivery service) flew off in his sleigh to deliver our boxes.
The holiday marketing campaign was deemed a success. There were several wonderful blogs written about the wines as well as countless Instagram posts, and the development of ongoing relationships. While they may not have as many followers as Kylie Jenner, the influencers she used attracted real followers (not paid bots) who enjoyed wine.
Client's holiday influencer campaign box.