Incredible Journey Back to Authentic Storytelling: Part One

Social media platforms donamp8217t just provide brands with a direct link to a massive online audience They also provide a large pool of collaborators to work with and a trove of independently produced creative material whatamp8217s known as usergenerated content UGC amp160UGC could be a photo or video on social media a blog post a review or anything else produced by an independent content creator and used by a brand to promote or validate its products and servicesA huge amount of this content is generated by microinfluencers amp8211 social media users who may not have colossal followings but whose collective influence is substantial amp160According to a survey conducted by the Keller Fay Group and Jonah Berger a professor at the University of Pennsylvaniaamp8217s Wharton School of Business consumers regard microinfluencers as amp8220more credible and believableamp8221 amp8220more knowledgeableamp8221 and amp8220better at explaining how the product works or could be usedamp8221 than the average person amp160Moreover microinfluencers amp8220have up to 222 times more amp8216buying conversationsamp8217 that include product recommendations each week than an average consumeramp8221With the rise of UGC created by microinfluencers brands are figuring out how to make their advertising strategies leaner and more costeffective amp160Victor Pineiro is Senior Vice President at Big Spaceship recently named amp8220Agency of the Yearamp8221 by MediaPost and he explains that for the most part amp8220having a big creative team doesnamp8217t really make senseamp8221 in the social media eraThis is because many advertising agencies are becoming conduits between brands and the producers of content on social media who are much more affordable than traditional production teams amp160As Pineiro puts it amp8220They can pay a 20yearold with an iPhoneamp8221 instead of a big expensive production crew amp160This is why agencies are amp8220becoming middle men like they werenamp8217t beforeamp8221 he saysamp160 amp8220With one of our clients we went from being creative partner to influencer brokeramp8221 amp160Thatamp8217s exactly the sort of transition that many other agencies will continue to go through in the near futureWorking with microinfluencers is more affordable than traditional advertising amp160While brands often work with independent artists and influencers or purchase individual pieces of content some forms of UGC rely on material that consumers provide for free just look at Starbucksamp8217 White Cup Contest or the LEGO Ideas siteAnd when those consumers share their work on sites like Instagram which Pineiro cites as one of the most important platforms for UGC many of them become microinfluencers that brands can work with amp160As the number of social media users increases and technology continues to make it easier for brands to find and source UGC the cost will likely be even lower in the coming years amp160This is critical to agencies that are moving from retainerbased to projectbased revenue models a distinction Pineiro stressesWhile there are plenty of traditional influencers with hundreds of thousands or millions of followers and booming megaphones they donamp8217t make up the majority of people on social media Brands and advertisers also have to look to the accounts with 1000plus followers taken together they affect the purchasing decisions of hundreds of millions of consumers amp160Cultivating trust and a close relationship with an audience is critical to influence purchasing decisions something microinfluencers do wellWith more people creating and consuming content faster than ever the impact of a single piece of content will become more valuable than the personality or celebrity status of one single influenceramp8220Our platform doesnamp8217t filter content by the number of amp8216likesamp8217 a piece of content receivedamp8221 says CatchampampRelease Founder and CEO Analisa Goodinamp160 amp8220Itamp8217s filtered based on what our users brands and their agencies need to make their creative visions come to life amp160In a world of increasingly democratized content it wonamp8217t matter how many followers you have if youamp8217re not making content that brands want to buyamp8221Key Takeaway amp160Microinfluencers produce a vast amount of authentic content every day and brands have never had more tools to help them source and license it amp160Not only do consumers trust UGC much more than traditional forms of advertising but they also regard microinfluencers as being more personally invested in the content they are creating so therefore trust them as authoritative resources when theyamp8217re deciding whether to buy a product amp160These are just a few of the reasons why influencerdriven campaigns offer an affordable way to increase brand trust and engagement Read the Introduction to this seriesComing nextamp160 Trend Two Found Content as a Creative MediumNote amp160The full reportamp160titled CatchampampRelease 2019 Trends in Advertising The Incredible Journey Back to Authentic Storytelling is available via a downloadable pdf belowPhoto creditamp160 CatchampampReleaseClick the social buttons above or below to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Incredible Journey Back to Authentic Storytelling: Part One

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Jim Lecinski | Clinical Marketing Professor | The Insomnia Cookies Case - The GOST Model Taught at Northwestern - By Mike Linton

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