Fashion icon Chiara Ferragni named the latest Global Brand Ambassador of Pantene

by Mangal Karnad | Jan 5, 2017 | Influencer Marketing, Marketing

Pantene has recruited top digital fashion icon and international trendsetter Chiara Ferragni as its new global brand ambassador.

Chiara’s partnership with Pantene marks her exciting venture into the world of beauty and she has written about it on her blog TheBlondSalad

Chiara says of the partnership: “I’m obsessed with my hair! I’ve always felt that when I have beautiful hair, I look and feel more beautiful – and stronger. When I was a teenager, I was fascinated by Pantene’s gorgeous ads and when I started travelling frequently I trusted it to look after my hair. So I’m thrilled to be Pantene’s latest ambassador because healthy hair helps me look and feel stronger and more beautiful.”

While she’s made her name in fashion, the Italian-born, LA based entrepreneur believes that hair elevates her overall look, stating: “It’s so much more than an accessory – hair inspires my look and completes it. The fact it can be so transformative gives me confidence – and now I can actually transform the health of my hair to keep it looking beautiful.”

Not only is Chiara’s the founder of the iconic fashion blog TheBlondSalad, she has a massive following of 5.4 million on Instagram and 266 thousand followers on Twitter (@ChiaraFerragni). She is an ideal influencer for a fashion brand with her presence and followers on multiple platforms. She definitely meets all 3 R’s essential for Influencers: Relevance, Reach & Resonance.

You can follow Chiara on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/chiaraferragni and her blog http://www.theblondesalad.com

SOURCE :PR Newswire / Pantene

Influencer Marketing Deciphered

by Mangal Karnad | Jan 5, 2017 | Influencer Marketing, Marketing

The term ‘influencer marketing‘ is gaining popularity in India. Organisations both big & small are pursuing it with gusto. Every entrepreneur wants to practice it and every marketer has his/her take on the subject.

Let us look at the term Influence – dictionary.com defines it as ’ the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behaviour, opinions, etc., of others’. Taking this concept further, we can deduce ‘influencer marketing’ to be the power of a person to influence the buying decision of others…

Assuming that an organisation wants to practice influencer marketing, they need to have access to these influencers.

So how can an organisation find these ‘influential’ people?

- She can be an influential customer with a social media following and recommends your product or service when asked for one.
- He can be a blogger, analyst or a media person who writes about your industry. Introducing your product to such a person can lead to them write about your product or services.
- He can be an academician who educates, speaks with authority to your target audience. Will you be able to get his buy in? Will you be able to show the value of your product and induce the passion into him?
- She can be a social reformer, a TV anchor who talks about your product or service on national television.
- He can even be the jury of an award committee!

It could even be an erstwhile competitor who has failed to replicate the success and has grudgingly turned into an admirer of your product!
A loyal employee who refers his friends to the company as prospective employees.
She could be a dynamic channel partner who eats, sleeps and dreams about her business

Yes, these are brand advocates and promoters of your brand. Can they drive action? Sure, some of them can, and do.

Someone who has a loyal base of followers and is an authority due to their expertise or social standing can spread a good word about your business.

Why will these influencers talk about the organisation?

“Character is like a tree and reputation its shadow. The shadow is what we think it is and the tree is the real thing.” ― Abraham Lincoln

Without the tree, how can there be a shadow? So it is essential to establish character and the shadow, in this case ― reputation will follow suit. So whether it is a product or a service, the organisation needs to strive at perfecting it and keep delivering on the promise. Once the customer is satisfied with the product, he or she will invariably refer it to friends and family. The reputation will naturally start building.

Continuously providing the right kind of information to the influencers will keep them updated about the progress or advancement the product or service is doing. It will also help them to share it with their followers. Once the influencer is convinced and also has sufficient information, the next natural step is to speak, write, tweet about the organisation.

And voila! The network effect kicks in!

The World Runs on Word of Mouth

by admin | Jan 5, 2017 | Influencer Marketing, Marketing

About 3 years ago my friend started telling me about this new motorcycle (KTM Duke) that was coming into our country pretty soon. At first I didn’t read much into it, but after a little while I was curious so I started checking it out and took it for a test ride and the next thing I know I was walking out of the showroom with the keys to my new bike. I know for a fact that I have done more than my fair share of Word of Mouth marketing for my motorcycle’s manufacturer without them even prompting me to do so or even knowing about it.

Word of mouth is one of the oldest, simplest and most effective means of marketing communication – Tweet that. It requires little more than the physical presence of two or more like-minded people.

Why is word of mouth important?

Word of mouth is an easy way for your customers to be positive about your product or service. If you think about how the majority of people make their purchases it’s usually because of a recommendation from a friend or family member.

Is word of mouth effective?

Any customer who is satisfied with your services or products is going to tell their friends and family members about it. They are likely to try it out for themselves and if they are pleased will, in turn, tell other people about it. It’s a little like a chain reaction.

My company and its products/services might simply not come up in conversations between people, what then?

Word of mouth marketing is not restricted to solely oral communication. As all good things do it has evolved to be used across various platforms and modes of communication and mass media. There are, for example, entire channels on video streaming platforms dedicated to trying out products and reviewing them. In some cases even blatantly promoting said product/s.

Alright, I’m convinced that it’s viable, but how do I get into the domain of word of mouth marketing?

To begin with, make sure that you are giving your customers a quality experience/product. Consumers that are happy with their purchases and or experiences are almost certain to want to tell people about it. The promotion aspect takes care of itself in a few ways. Think back to when you were a kid and you bought a toy and you really enjoyed it. The first thing you wanted to do was tell your friends about it.

Will it help my company get the recognition that big ad campaigns offer?

Word of mouth has a way of being very cost effective, in that you don’t have to pay people to do it – Tweet that. Big ad campaigns take a large amount of capital and are not always effective and in some rare cases can even backfire. The only immediate downside to word of mouth marketing is that one customer or a user may have a bad experience and may offer bad reviews or negative word of mouth. This is fixed if the issue or problem that customer faced is addressed in earnest.

“A customer talking about their experience with you is worth ten times that which you write or say about yourself.” ― David J. Greer

How Influence works in the real world!

by Mangal Karnad | Jan 5, 2017 | Influencer Marketing

Seeding of the Need

Reduce clutter at home! Every bookshelf in the house is overflowing! Where do you intend keeping them? asked the husband.

My younger son quipped Amma alone might have destroyed a whole forest!

I paused from my online search for a book by Jung Chang – Empress Dowager Cixi and looked warily at them.

The husband hurriedly said, Buy a Kindle, he continued, You will be able to store many books in a small device and no one will complain of clutter.

I am the kind who loved the feel of the book in my hand and was not too sure I will like the hand-held electronic device for reading books.

Reinforcement of the Need

The next morning during my walk, the topic about books came up and I narrated the incident. My walking partner nodded understandingly and said, No Mangal, initially I too thought I won’t enjoy a Kindle, but I find it very convenient now. Why don’t you take a look at mine?

After the walk, we went over to her house and over a hot cup of Tea, I looked at her kindle and explored the features. She was someone with similar tastes

Some subjects have a strange tendency to keep coming up and the same week during an official trip back from Delhi, I noticed a kiosk which was featuring Kindle. My boss noticed the kiosk at the same time and to my astonishment walked over to it, to inquire if they have a cover. I looked at him accusingly and exclaimed Don’t tell me you bought one!

He sheepishly smiled and said, Yes, I bought one recently. My wife has been complaining about an overflowing bookshelf. I find it useful, I have this habit of reading 2-3 books at a time and during my travel. With a Kindle, I don’t have the dilemma of deciding which one to carry.

Influencer with Similar Needs

Now here was a person who was so much like me, I thought! I too had the same issue of reading multiple books and always struggled with which one to carry during my numerous travels.

Over the long wait at Terminal 3, I discussed the pros and cons of books versus an electronic reader with him. It was not as if he was thrilled with the product, but it suited most of his needs and that helped me make up my mind. I had been influenced without Amazon even knowing about it!

Like minded people are potential #Influencers – Tweet that

I had been influenced to buy a Kindle without Amazon even knowing about it!

The first thing I did that day after reaching home was to ask my husband to buy me a Kindle Paperwhite…

If we look closely at our customers we will surely be able to find some micro and macro influencers. Servicing them continuously and enabling them with shareable content will make the marketing effort of the company that much more scalable.

Call us for more information on Influencer Marketing.

Marketing Media Effect – How to use Paid, Owned and Earned Media

by Mangal Karnad | Jan 5, 2017 | Influencer Marketing, Marketing

Frequently used terms in marketing with regard to media – Paid, Owned & Earned. While each kind is required to create brand awareness, a combination of the 3 works best.

Paid Media

A straightforward explanation is where the media is paid for by the brand, whether traditional or digital advertisements, a sponsorship for an event, hoardings etc. These tools while expensive are in the control of the brand in terms of frequency, content and tone are concerned. The brand can decide to air the TV advertisement as many times as it sees fit, based on the budget.

Owned media

These are tools which are created and maintained by the brand. Some of the examples are brochure, website, email campaigns and social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter. The cost of creating and maintaining these tools are moderate and the control is with the Brand. The Brand can be at its creative best to reach its targeted audiences through these.

Earned Media

This is probably the kind which needs most concerted effort and consistency while it is not very predictable. The best example of Earned media is customer speak, media mentions and WoM. Though it is referred to as ‘earned’ there is a cost involved, which is in terms of:

Careful identification of the various influencers viz. media, bloggers, analysts, customers etc.
The time & effort invested to build relations with them
The effort invested to educate them by creating and seeding relevant and meaningful content
Customer service to fulfil the promise made in the paid and owned media and also during the sales pitch.
Ensuring consistent brand experiences across customer touch points

While earned media is the most important and effective kind it needs a concerted effort, patience and careful implementation of the paid & owned media. The underlying principle is the foundation of Influencer marketing and involves a deep understanding of what is relevant to one’s brand.

In most small businesses the CEO also takes the ownership of marketing and due to stretched schedules, marketing takes a back seat. Having a fractional CMO will ensure consistency and focus, which will bring in best results.

However it is important to understand that CMO’s are not one man miracle workers, they will work with your marketing team, directing their efforts to get things done.

6 ways to harness your Employee as an Influencer

by Mangal Karnad | Dec 21, 2016 | Influencer Marketing

6 ways to harness an Employee – a micro Influencer

When a company looks for Influencers they should also look inwards at the employees – an important stakeholder. Most often they could be overlooked as there is no clear understanding of how to leverage the people who work for the company as influencers. This is an accessible, authentic and trustworthy resource pool of micro-influencers.

Listed below are 6 ways to leverage this untapped reservoir of potential micro influencers and brand advocates.

Employee Referrals to aid sales

Employees can refer or recommend the company Product or Service to their friends and family. As per a recent Nielsen report, the most credible form of ‘advertising’ comes from the people we know and trust. 83% of the respondents from 60 countries, said that they trust the recommendations of friends and family.

Employee referrals for recruitment

Many companies place an incentive for referring a friend (for candidature). Most start-ups and SME use this as the primary source for recruitments. Hiring a placement agency is an expense they can do without. Employee referrals are believed to be the best method for recruitments. It is also believed that both the referrer and the referred tend to work longer and are more engaged.

Showcasing happy and engaged employees on social media is another method of attracting prospective employees.

Own the customer relationship

Engaged employees provide better service or support to customers. The exemplary dedication and courage displayed by the TajMahal Palace (Tata) employees during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai is a great example. Of the 600 employees who were on the premises during the attack, not a single one abandoned the hotel till the guests who were in their custody were safe. While this kind of dedication is not common, customer relationship can thrive with better-engaged employees.

Spread the word

I distinctly remember the time when companies had rigid policies to keep their employees off social media. Instead of trying to prevent them from using social media at work, now more and more companies are encouraging their employees to actively participate in the company’s social media marketing. You can have an enthused army of social media ambassadors of your company which could lead to recruitments or even sales. It would help if the company has a policy that is easy to understand and follow. Employees can also be provided access to content which can be shared freely.

Endorsement by own use

Many companies encourage the use of their products among their employees by either providing employee discounts or free samples. This could be extended to gifting branded everyday use items like Mugs, Flasks, Backpacks, T-Shirts and Hoodies. Most of the employees like getting these Knick-Knacks and their constant usage creates awareness among their social circles.

Valuable resources like Speakers & Trainers

Among the employees, there might be a hidden treasure trove of product, sales & marketing experts. There might be budding artists, sports enthusiasts & published authors. The company can run a survey and identify such key people and then audit them to assess the expertise or influence on various social platforms. Once these people have been identified they can be sensitised to the norms and also to the fact that they will be positioned as influencers. It helps if these select employees are provided support to create content or speak in events. Their expertise can also be utilised to train channel partners or customers on the usage of the product.

Employees are one of the biggest marketing assets that a company can have. Involving them in the marketing efforts as influencers not only benefits the company, it will also boost the morale of the employee.

« Older Entries

Next Entries »

Fashion icon Chiara Ferragni named the latest Global Brand Ambassador of Pantene

Pantene has recruited top digital fashion icon and international trendsetter Chiara Ferragni as its new global brand ambassador.

Influencer Marketing Deciphered

So how can an organisation find these ‘influential’ people?

Why will these influencers talk about the organisation?

The World Runs on Word of Mouth

Why is word of mouth important?

Is word of mouth effective?

My company and its products/services might simply not come up in conversations between people, what then?

Alright, I’m convinced that it’s viable, but how do I get into the domain of word of mouth marketing?

Will it help my company get the recognition that big ad campaigns offer?

How Influence works in the real world!

Seeding of the Need

Reinforcement of the Need

Influencer with Similar Needs

I had been influenced to buy a Kindle without Amazon even knowing about it!

Marketing Media Effect – How to use Paid, Owned and Earned Media

Paid Media

Owned media

Earned Media

6 ways to harness your Employee as an Influencer

6 ways to harness an Employee – a micro Influencer

Employee Referrals to aid sales

Employee referrals for recruitment

Own the customer relationship

Spread the word

Endorsement by own use

Valuable resources like Speakers & Trainers

Follow Us