Lyft's Bette Ann Schlossberg: Influencer Marketing Is Not One Size Fits All

Philip McKenzieamp160 Given your experience in both advertising and influencer marketing first at Google and now at Lyft why do think that an influencer marketing strategy should be included in overall brand strategyBette Ann Schlossbergamp160 Influencer marketing shouldn39t be your only strategy but it should be a part of your strategyamp160 Many marketers get this wrongamp160 In my experience effective influencer marketing requires a tiered approach and understanding that one size does not fit allamp160 You have to activate throughout the influencer ecosystem from smallmicroinfluencers to those with large followingsamp160 When you combine that with an integrated approach to the rest of your marketing strategy you begin to build something that is very powerfulMcKenzieamp160 It39s interesting that you mention different types of influencersamp160 Does one type of influencer add more value than anotherSchlossbergamp160 Microinfluencers don39t have the household name but they have a highly engaged audienceamp160 I work with microinfluencers to get access to that engagementamp160 Household celebritiestier one influencers can provide valuable media and PR opportunities but the engagement could be loweramp160 We recently did an Earth Day campaign at Lyft that focused on microinfluencers and we found the content and comments really resonated and were Lyftcentricamp160 Conversely we also included Jared Leto and the comments were more about how hot he isamp160 So there are impressions which are valuable but it is different from the engagement generated by those with less followersMcKenzieamp160 I recently interviewed Douglas Rushkoff and we spent time discussing engagement it39s relevance and how it is measuredamp160 How do you make the argument that engagement from a microinfluencer is more relevant than numbers you might get from a celebritySchlossbergamp160 I think you need bothamp160 You need a strategy that provides the opportunity for high engagement as well as press inclusion and high impressionsamp160 Microinfluencers are important to us to ensure high engagement ratesamp160 Lyft has a highly manual process for usamp160 We are reading all the comments and getting a sense of our audience sentimentamp160 So we are really using the entire landscape to determine what is effective and what our audience is responding toMcKenzieamp160 Recent reports have indicated that trust in influencers is decreasingamp160 Is that something you think aboutSchlossbergamp160 Authenticity is the only thing that will keep a high level of trustamp160 Lyft has a process that highly vets influencersamp160 I am not interested in influencers that are just slinging productamp160 I am looking for someone who is a culture creator who is a maverick who has hisheramp160own verticalamp160 We need people who are pushing boundariesamp160 Authenticity means fewer challenges with building trustamp160 Consumers can see through brands working with influencers when there isn39t a fitamp160 We avoid that by making deliberate choices with our influencersamp160 Consumers are smart and we respect thatMcKenzieamp160 Given the financial intellectual and brand resources for an influencer strategy what type of argument do you make to justify a particular engagementSchlossbergamp160 Influencers provide a steady drumbeat of engagement that is very scalableamp160 Ideally you want to create a brandowned influencer event that is a true partnershipamp160 It is very easy to justify the resources because the results speak for themselvesamp160 I had success with this at Google and do the same here at Lyftamp160 We host events around specific campaigns onamp160topics that are brand relevantamp160 Influencers want to attend these events because they are oneofakind experiencesamp160 In essence we are creating a community and they naturally become advocates for your brandMcKenzieamp160 What are some highlights you can share in your influencer programs that have been particularly effectiveSchlossbergamp160 Working with Google I was focused on hardware and the Pixel 2 launch was a priorityamp160 We created a murder mystery dinner that could only be solved using the features of the Pixel 2amp160 We got the phone in the hands of influencersamp160they would have to use it and it would be interactiveamp160 Essentially we created an event that would go on living as it was shared on socialamp160 Attendees had to work together during the dinner so they made relationshipsamp160 It39s a strong example of a winwin for the brand and the influencers involvedamp160 I have done activations with John Legend Skrillex and Jeff Koons where we created original use cases for the product that were impressive and made it all come aliveamp160 Recently for Lyft we were the official rideshare for Sundance Film Festival and we created a whiskey tasting and dinner event for key influencersamp160 Again the rationale being we need to bring these people together and entertain teach and ensure it is a rich environmentamp160 Also at Lyftamp160we understand the power of advocacy for the values and concerns of our consumersamp160 Our participation in the Pride parade and teaming up with Queer Eye39s Bobby Berk is another highlightMcKenzieamp160 What do you think is the next phase of influencer marketingamp160 Are you optimistic aboutamp160the futureSchlossbergamp160 The next phase of influencer marketing is connected to measurementamp160 Instagram has announced they might be doing away with quotlikesquot which is a game changeramp160 Instagram stories will likely become even more important as a source of original contentamp160 It means the way in which we measure engagement will changeamp160 As a result we will have to work more closely with our influencers to provide more information about their followersamp160 Influencers as content creators will be the new normalamp160 All of this makes me incredibly optimisticamp160 This is an extension of media that is here to stay and there is incredible power to be harnessed in connecting your brand to influencersClick the social buttons above or below to share this story 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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Lyft's Bette Ann Schlossberg: Influencer Marketing Is Not One Size Fits All

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Philip McKenzie

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Lyft's Bette Ann Schlossberg: Influencer Marketing Is Not One Size Fits All

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