The Influencer Marketing Lab

Episode 54 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a regular podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing. Sign up for the companion newsletter The Creator Briefing.#AD The Influencer Marketing Lab is a paid partnership with Tagger by Sprout Social a global leader in revolutionizing how top brands and agencies harness data and analytics to drive creator and influencer marketing strategies. Sponsorship does not influence editorial content. This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Alex North, Head of Media, Measurement and Analytics across EMEA at Whalar.In this episode, they discuss:Whether measuring return on investment within creator marketing is evolving - and if so, how?Business metrics over vanity metricsHow marketers can best help brands navigate choice and challenges in quantifying impactMeasurement 'in the wild' digging into a case studyA look over the brow of the hill to the future of measurement within our industryUseful linksWhalar websiteWhalar on LinkedInWhalar Research - Creators Measure Up: Analyzing Their Impact on ResultsInfluencer Marketing Code of ConductAlex North on LinkedIn

Episode 53 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing. Sign up for the companion newsletter The Creator Briefing.#AD The Influencer Marketing Lab is a paid partnership with Tagger by Sprout Social a global leader in revolutionizing how top brands and agencies harness data and analytics to drive creator and influencer marketing strategies. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with James Baldwin Global B2B Influence Lead at Ogilvy. We spend most of our time digging into Ogilvy's new report -  Influencing Business: The Global Rise of B2B Influencer Marketing - where we learn key takeaways including: 75% of B2B marketers are already working with influencers. Of those who aren't, most are planning to do so starting soon.We also learn about the power of employee advocacy and of the regional nuances within the sector. James also fills us in on some of his background including his time as an influencer in his own right creating a meme account lampooning golf stereotypes. The episode also name-checks two of James' colleagues. Rahul Titus, Global head of Influence at Ogilvy was my guest on episode 16Imogen Coles, UK Influence Lead and Managing Partner at Ogilvy was my guest on episode 28. Imogen is a creator in her own right under the Instagram profile oneslowsunday

Episode 52 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing. Sign up for the companion newsletter The Creator Briefing.#AD The Influencer Marketing Lab is a paid partnership with Tagger by Sprout Social a global leader in revolutionizing how top brands and agencies harness data and analytics to drive creator and influencer marketing strategies. Sponsorship has no influence on editorial content. This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Steph Money, VP of Client Services at ThisThat - a measurement and evaluation influencer marketing firm (sort of ... Steph will explain why this descriptor is only partially correct). In this episode, we discuss:Being a rising star after ten yearsHow intelligent naivety can cut through group thinkHow measurement and evaluation can be put into harness for go-to-market strategiesShowing the context behind the numbers when measuring awareness, consideration or conversionPerformance can be amplified by effectiveness can't Why the answer is never more data - data is the evidence needed to justify a recommendationWhy effective measurement of influencer marketing will become fundamental A call to standardise measurement within our sector

Episode 51 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing. Sign up for the companion newsletter The Creator Briefing.The Influencer Marketing Lab is a paid partnership with Tagger by Sprout Social a global leader in revolutionizing how top brands and agencies harness data and analytics to drive creator and influencer marketing strategies.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Alice Audley, founder and CEO of bCreator -- a brand that you probably already know under its former name, Blogosphere.In this episode, we discuss:The rebadging after a decade from Blogosphere to bCreatorWhy in-person, face-to-face events are so important to building relationshipsHow we can ensure our category is effective without losing the essence of creator marketingAdvice for female-founded, female-led businesses.And what to expect from the bCreator Awards

Episode 50 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing. Sign up for the companion newsletter The Creator Briefing.The Influencer Marketing Lab is a paid partnership with Tagger by Sprout Social a global leader in revolutionizing how top brands and agencies harness data and analytics to drive creator and influencer marketing strategies.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Esme Rice, Worldwide Influencer Practice Lead at Mindshare. We talk about the professionalisation of the industry which has shifted within six years from a time when Esme had to battle with academics trying to dissuade her from focusing her degree dissertation on influencers to a sector moving to the heart of multi-channel, integrated marketing programmes.We discuss the Regional differences in the influencer marketing landscapeConsumer behaviour towards virtual influencers in different parts of the worldNear future of our channelCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab for full show notes, related useful links and a transcript. Don't forget to sign up for the companion newsletter The Creator Briefing - the weekly newsletter from Scott Guthrie which provides a breakdown of all the major news from the creator marketing industry alongside his insight and analysis.

Episode 49 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.The Influencer Marketing Lab is a paid partnership with Tagger by Sprout Social a global leader in revolutionizing how top brands and agencies harness data and analytics to drive creator and influencer marketing strategies.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Sammy Albon, Senior Campaign Director at agency, What They Said. In this episode we discuss: What authenticity means from the point of view of a creator and from a brand's point of viewWhy A is for authenticity and affinity. But why A is for AllWe talk de-influencingThe benefits of long-term brand collaborations with creatorsHow brands can effectively work with creators in their promoted mediaCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab for full show notes, related useful links and a transcript. And sign up to Creator Briefing the weekly newsletter from Scott Guthrie providing a breakdown of all the major news from the creator marketing industry alongside his insight and analysis. 

Episode 48 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Verity Park, founder and CEO of TBH Talent and TBH Community. We discuss Verity's move from Gleam to start up two businesses: one nurturing emerging talent, the other working with established creators.We talk TikTok Shop and also explore the dynamic tension between talent management companies and talent managing themselves. We examine the benefits and potential drawbacks of each.Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab  for full show notes, related useful links and a transcript.

Episode 47 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Ian Forrester, founder and CEO of DAIVID, an advertising research company building a ‘house of influencer insight' proposition. We discuss influencer marketing's WHAT metrics of impressions, reach, likes, shares, comments, site visits and sales and then we explore why these should be augmented with the WHY metrics of attention, emotions and memory creation. Shifting data collection to insight learnings and improved effectiveness. Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab for full show notes and related useful links.

Episode 46 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Abha Gallewale, global social strategy manager at sportswear brand, ASICSIn this episode we: Discuss how ASICS puts athlete sponsorship contracts together which take into consideration content quality, not just medals wonConsider the importance of ASICS's brand values guiding the sportswear firm Explore measuring return on investment for the athletes' work as brand influencersThis interview was recorded in May 2022. Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab  for full show notes and related useful linksAnd I want to hear your feedback. Google Influencer Marketing Lab podcast and either drop me a line or leave a voicemail message directly from the landing page.

Episode 45 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Catherine Yeo - creator and author of new book - The Creator Revolution: How Today's Creative Talents Are Shaping Our TomorrowIn this episode we discuss the seven characteristics of a creatorexamine Wikipedia's guidelines around notability and why this leads to fewer creators benefitting from their own Wikipedia pagesask whether the steam has gone out of the creator economydebate whether the future lies in tools or platforms?Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab  for full show notes and related useful linksAnd I want to hear your feedback. Google Influencer Marketing Lab podcast and either drop me a line or leave a voicemail message directly from the landing page.

Episode 44 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Lucy Edwards blind broadcaster, content creator and star of those shampoo ads on the telly boxIn this episode we:Explore what makes an authentic collaboration between brand and influencerConsider the importance of lived experience in influencer campaignsDiscuss what brands can do to make their websites accessible and their products follow  universal design principles List the brands who are getting it rightCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab  for full show notes and related useful linksAnd I want to hear your feedback. Google Influencer Marketing Lab podcast and either drop me a line or leave a voicemail message directly from the landing page.

Episode 43 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Arron Shepherd - serial investor, entrepreneur and co-founder of the Goat Agency the social media agency he founded in 2015 alongside  Harry Hugo and Nick Cooke.In this episode weForecast influencer marketing's growth as in industry to be worth $100 billion in 2027.Look at why lack of scale has held the industry back and why that has now changed.Examine the drivers and restraints affecting advertisers becoming social-first advertisers. Consider what the Inflexion investment has brought to the agency.Reimagine the advertising holding groupCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab  for full show notes and related useful links

Episode 42 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Alan Gray, Senior Research Psychologist at Tailify.In this episode we discuss The Psychologist's Guide to Influence - a new handbook crammed with over 40 accessible tips designed to help marketers craft better influencer marketing campaigns by helping us spot the best trust-makers and recognise some of the most effective evidence-based techniques.Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab for full show notes and related useful links.

Episode 41 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Sedge Beswick Founder and Managing Director of influencer marketing agency, SEEN Connects.In this episode  we talkMetaverseNFTsHow creators can future-proof long-term careersSocial shoppingHow different social media platforms fulfil different needs within the buyer journey.Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful linksAnd I want to hear your feedback. Google Influencer Marketing Lab podcast and either drop me a line or leave a voicemail message directly from the landing page. 

Episode 40 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Keely Cat-Wells, CEO of C Talent - an award-winning talent management company that represents high-profile Deaf and Disabled talent.In this episode  we look at how influencer marketing currently represents the deaf and disabled community; we define inspiration porn and explore why it's so problematicKeeley explains why positive representation is so important and she offers practical tips and advice for marketers to make their influencer marketing truly inclusive and representative of disabled creatorsCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful linksAnd I want to hear your feedback. Google Influencer Marketing Lab podcast and either drop me a line or leave a voicemail message directly from the landing page. 

Episode 39 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Matthew Wood Founder and CEO of PerformanceIN. the man behind the Influencer Marketing Show, The Influencer Marketing Awards, And industry publication: Talking Influence. In this episode we discuss: The uplift in entry quality for the influencer marketing awards since they began in 2019The New York Influencer Marketing ShowLessons learned from running hybrid eventsThe international success of industry publication: Talking InfluenceCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful linksAnd I want to hear your feedback. Google Influencer Marketing Lab podcast and either drop me a line or leave a voicemail message directly from the landing page. 

Episode 38 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Lucy Loveridge, managing director at YMU SocialIn this episode: We discuss the evolution of digital-first talent managementWe look at the differences between managing traditional talent and digital-first talentI ask how talent management is professionalising as an industry?And we consider whether the likes of Francois Bourgeois joining the YMU roster heralds a shift in how big brands think about digital-first talentCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful linksAnd I want to hear your feedback. Google Influencer Marketing Lab podcast and either drop me a line or leave a voicemail message directly from the landing page. 

Episode 37 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Jo Burford Global Director of Creators at Aaqua. Prior to Aaqua Jo's worked at Talenthouse, Twitter, and Whalar. In this episode we discuss:lessons learned over a decade working in the industryCommon myths about influencer marketing - and how to dispel themthe most important personality traits needed to thrive in this spaceSpeaking of space we talk about Space Hero where Jo is a talent advisor at the firm aiming to put creators into space.Jo also teases Aaqua a new platformCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links

Episode 36 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Jeanette Okwu the Founder and CEO of BEYONDinfluence, a Berlin headquartered influence & brand ambassador marketing agency.In this episode we discuss:Why global strategies need to be sufficiently rigid to produce consistent results whilst flexible enough to accommodate local nuances. Jeanette's role as member advisor to the American Influencer Council.Re-emergence of virtual influencersThe Importance of the contracting phase of the influencer marketing workflowAnd we look at Jeanette's go-to sources of information for keeping up-to-date with influencer marketing Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links

Episode 35 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Cecilia Parker Aranha, Director of Consumer Protection at the UK's Competition and Markets Authority.In this episode we discuss:The aims of the Green Claims CodeWhat points it coversHow it affects brands, influencer marketers and creatorsThe vertical sectors the CMA may prioritise Next year's review processCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 34 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Beckii Flint, co-founder of Pepper Studio a boutique influencer marketing agencyIn this episode we discuss:How the two-year-old startup won two golds at the recent Influencer Marketing AwardsPepper Studio's influencer marketing ethosKid-fluencers and the need for their better protectionThe largely unreported phenomenon of hate followers and the devastating toll they can take on creators The importance to our industry of standardising pricing for creator-generated image rightsDiversifying revenue streams as creators increasingly shift away from being dependent on single social media platforms due to their terms of services and algorithm changes.Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 33 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Chris Stokel-Walker, technology journalist and author of TikTok Boom: China's Dynamite App and the Superpower Race for Social Media - which is published today - provided, of course, you're listening to this podcast on upload day 22 July 2021.In this episode we:Compare TikTok's disruption of the social media space with that of Apple's disruption of the smartphone industry when it launched the iPhone back in 2007.Talk algorithms pitting TikTok's ‘content graph', against the industry-pervasive ‘social graph'Ask whether TikTok's headline sponsorship of this year's Vidcon signifies anything greater than just switching up lanyard colours for conference goersConsider TikTok as a music discovery channelTalk TikTok and geopolitics I ask Chris if he still has a downer on influencer marketingCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 32 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Philip Brown, influencer marketing manager at Formula E the first sport to have a certified net zero carbon footprint since inception.In this episode we discuss:The sport of Formula E and where in the world you can go to watch the racesFormula E's new creator collective, The OffsetHow the members of Offset were selected and how their content will be measuredThe importance of nurturing long-term relationships with your creatorsThe differences between working agency side versus inhouseHow to professionalise the influencer marketing industryCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 31 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Yusuf Özdalga, partner at QED Investors a venture capital firm specialising in fintech.In this episode we discuss:How the next wave of the creator economy is being fundedWhat creator banking is How embedded finance might enable any company or even any influencer to become a fintech providerWhy Jack Dorsey's company Square might have acquired music streaming platform, TidalWhy QED Investors backed neo bank Current - the company which also counts Jimmy Donaldson aka MrBeast as both an investor and marketing collaboratorWe also talk about YouTuber  CJ So Cool and his offering of shares of future royalties in exchange for immediate funding from investors. We ask whether this model might gather momentum within the industry.Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 30 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Kara Peach, co-founder of Genfluencer a South African-based influencer marketing agency that places social good at its heart.In this episode we discuss:Why Genfluencer is different as an influencer marketing agencyHow the company puts meaning and money into Corporate Social Responsibility programmesWhat makes Gen Z different to other generations in terms of consumer behaviourThe background and the mission of the #IFeltThat movement Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 29 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Calum Watson Global Partnerships Director at Gymshark the £1 billion sportswear and accessories firm.In this episode we discuss:What it means to be a human-to-human brandHow the company pivoted its influencer content strategy when its core customers were suddenly unable to access the gym to workout or to work due to Covid-induced lockdownsWhy the early days at Gymshark were like building the rocket ship whilst trying to fly it at the same timeHow Instagram, TikTok and Twitch are all utilised within Gymshark's marketing communications strategyHow Gymshark is aiming to build a hundred-year brandCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 28 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Imogen Coles, Influence Programme Director at Ogilvy and an influencer in her own right going under the name One Slow Sunday.In this episode we discuss:How long term partnerships with influencers typically drive cost efficiencies. This includes reducing billable hours which can then be reinvested into data management to form actionable insightsWhat planned reactivity is and how to enable itWhat GCSE pupils could teach influencer marketers about test and learn campaignsWe talk measurement and the importance of outcomes over outputsHow being a social media influencer helps with client work Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 27 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Becky Owen Head of branded content for Facebook across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In this episode we discuss:Social commerce and how important shoppable integration is to Facebook and to InstagramHow Facebook has helped small business adapt to the new reality of being unable to trade physically during the Covid-induced lockdownRemoving friction from the purchase process on socialThe power of storytelling within influencer marketingInstagram dropsAugmented RealityAnd the ethical considerations surrounding Virtual InfluencersCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 26 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with friend-of-the-show Mark Dandy. Mark talks about Gifta. His company which makes it easy for firms to pair up their brands with the most appropriate influencers for gifting outreach campaigns. Think of it as Birchbox meeting an influencer haul.Apologies for the sound quality Mark sounds as though he's recording whilst taking a bath. He does assure me he isn't. In this episode we discuss:The idea behind the brand-to-influencer gifting logistics companyThe tips and tricks used to increase the likelihood of an influencer producing content around the gifted productHow these efforts yield an influencer post rate of 85% and above against an industry norm of between 60% and 70%How ROI is tracked on gifted programmes  Shifting gears we then examine a recent PR Week article based on a report which claims: more than half of Instagram influencers 'engaged in fraud', with 45% of accounts 'fake'.We ask: does commenting on friends' posts make you complicit in an engagement pod?Is machine learning sampling representative?And, Is blacklisting an influencer who years ago once bought followers the equivalent of placing them on Santa's naughty step Infinitum Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 25 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Charlotte Williams, founder of SevenSix Agency an influencer marketing agency with a focus on diversity and inclusion. In this episode we discuss:Lifting the Lid: The Influencer Pricing Report The sweet spot in terms of follower count to payment ratioHow many nano influencers remain unpaid in brand collaborationsWhy many creators lack confidence when setting their own prices for brand collaborationsAnd how our industry can professionaliseCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 24 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Tom Augenthaler founder of 551 Media LLC and a B2B influencer marketing pioneer.In this episode we discuss:How B2B Companies can outflank competitors through working with InfluencersHow R&D departments can work with influencers to see how their products will be used 'in the wild'Some of the decision-making differences between B2C and B2B influencer marketingThe importance of integrated marketing communications programmesAnd we ask - isn't all marketing influence marketing?Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 23 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Dr Kathryn Murphy from Sheffield Hallam University.In this episode we discuss:Kathryn's PhD charting Joe Sugg's rise from YouTube microcelebrity to mainstream starHow his model to success could be used as a template for other influencers to followThe importance of authenticity, self-branding and networking We ask can authenticity be performed strategically?And we look at the internet 'celebrification process' - Kathryn's word; not mine.Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 22 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Emma Harman, President of Whalar for EMEA. Whalar is a global award-winning technology-powered influencer agency that recently became a badged partner of TikTok. In this episode we discuss:Key advice for brands wanting to build successful and relevant TikTok influencer marketing strategiesThe differences between Instagram creators and TikTok creatorsWhy the human-to-human connection of influencer marketing is so successful  How creativity drives emotion. Emotion drives memory. Memory drives recall. And, recall drives sales. And why Emma is on a mission to bring back the jingle.At the end of the show, Emma also shares her personal long list of influencer marketing-related resourcesCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related useful links. 

Episode 21 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation - Chris Godfrey and Alissa Khan-Whelan of Happy Yolk -  an integrated social, PR and design agency. Chris and Alissa are also two-thirds of the EggGang who alongside C.J.Brown knocked Kylie Jenner off her perch as the most liked picture on Instagram when in January 2019 they posted a picture of Eugene - the stock image of an egg. To date, their Instagram post has generated 54.8m likes. We talk about their Instagram egg post and: Its commentary on internet celebrityThe absurdity of vanity metricsEugene's spotlight on mental healthWhat lessons they learned from the experienceWe also talk about:What makes Happy Yolk different as an agency How to professionalise influencer marketing andWhat's coming next in the space.Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related links .

Episode 20 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Dominic Smales. Dom founded Gleam Futures in 2010. Over the course of the last decade  Dom, as CEO, grew his company into a multimillion-pound market leader pioneering the ‘digital first' industry becoming synonymous with quality talent who were growing quality brands. Dom has recently exited the business to pursue new projects. In this episode we:Look to the past, the present and the future of influencer marketing and social talent. Ask whether some influencer marketers have lost sight of their audiences' needs in the pursuit of campaign efficienciesConsider influencer-owned direct-to-consumer productsExamine the widening gulf between reality TV stars and social media influencers Discuss why the word influencer has vanilla-ised the discipline Check out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related links 

Episode 19 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Max Osborne, co-founder of ThisThat, an insight company, that has created a fun surveying platform that successfully engages young audiences. In this episode they discuss:Brand uplift studiesExploratory studiesThe importance of building fun when surveying Gen Z to increase engagement ratesHow when ThisThat surveys are shared on social media they often generate a reach to response conversion 10x higher than traditional surveysThe more insights an influencer marketing agency can amass for a brand the more strategic their role becomes - and the higher budgets they are able to command for their inputHow influencers are using ThisThat to better understand their own followers. Influencers then take these insights to better inform their brand pitchesCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related links 

Episode 18 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Brendan Gahan, Partner and Chief Social Officer at Mekanism.In this episode we discuss:How Brendan cut his teeth selling-in Smosh as an early YouTuber dealA day in the life at Mekansim as Chief Social OfficerHow shoppable live-streaming will be a key trend within influencer marketingThe potential for Chinese-owned apps to displace Facebook and InstagramThe George Foreman Grill-ification of the creator economyCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related links. 

Episode 17 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with friend of the Influencer Marketing Lab podcast - Mark Dandy, founder and managing director of Captivate Influence.In this episode we discuss:Influencers in DubaiThe UK government making headlines paying influencersSupply and demand factors pushing up influencer costsThe widening gulf between an influencer as a credible, trustworthy voice versus a celebrity born on reality TV and the need for the influencer marketing discipline to create a lexicon that's fit for purpose to differentiate different elements that sit beneath the umbrella term: 'influencer'.For full show notes and additional links visit the Influencer Marketing Lab website

Episode 16 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Rahul Titus head of influence at Ogilvy.Topics discussed in this episode:Why 2020 was such a pivotal year for the influencer marketing industryThe growth of social commerce as part of an 'always on' influence planCelebrities becoming more authentic and participative on socialsWhy 2021 is the year influencer marketers should be bold and show confidence in our disciplineHow influencer marketers can address the influencer pay gap. We dig into Rahul's six stages in the process to become part of the solution to an industry-wide problemThe need to build a community of influencer marketers to shape the future of our disciplineCheck out the Influencer Marketing Lab website for full show notes and related links 

Episode 15 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Cody Eastmond senior director at Science Magic Inc.In this episode we discuss:The importance of setting clear objectives and the many nuances of an increasingly sophisticated industry. How consumers want to see themselves in brands and how influencers allow us to do that.We talk Nike, Burberry and Pharrell Williams' new skin-care line.Influencer marketing budgets are buoyant but client pressure is pushing for us to do more with the same amount of money.Why the UK and Europe are lagging behind the US in how they tackle issues around diversity and inclusion and what we can do to improve the situation. 

Episode 14 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Dr Sevil Yesiloglu senior lecturer in Advertising at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London, UK and editor of the new book  ‘Influencer Marketing: Building Brand Communities and Engagement' recently published by Routledge.In this episode we discuss:How universities are better preparing students for industry careers  through an increased focus on digital advertising - and especially influencer marketing We also talk about Sevil's new book ‘Influencer Marketing: Building Brand Communities and Engagement' recently published by Routledge.We spend some time looking at my chapter contribution - Virtual Influencers: More Human than Human where I look at virtual influencers - their evolution, the brand benefits and potential pitfalls of their use.We also talk about the component parts of authenticity - and in the context of influencer marketing - the difference between passion authenticity and transparent authenticity.  We hear how within academia authenticity is not confined to a real person - making the case for, at least some virtual influencers, to be more authentic than their human counterparts. We also talk about brand advertising's communication journey from monologue to dialogue and onto polylogue.

Episode 13 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Emily Trenouth, head of influencer marketing at MediaCom.In this episode we discuss:Emily's role as internal champion of influencer marketing at Mediacom The proof points used to validate influencer marketing internally within the media agency and externally to clients Moving from a PR channel to a performance-based channel How 2020 was the year influencer marketing has been validated as a channelThe key takeaways from the Influencer Marketing ShowWhy diversity and inclusion is much more than just casting diverse talentAnother look at measurement and evaluation Questioning the value of virtual influencers (awks - my chapter on virtual influencers was published this week by Routledge in a new textbook)Better transparency around influencer pay and influencer fraud - the benefits of a payment benchmarking systemTransferring organisational knowledge around Mediacom 

Episode 12 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Edward East, co-founder and CEO of  influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy.In this episode we discuss:Why now is a pivotal time for the influencer marketing industry and a time to scale. The struggle to keep up with client demand and find enough skilled influencer marketersHow our industry can counter the gallons of digital ink devoted to negative editorial coverage about influencer marketingWhy influencer marketing is quicker, cheaper and more scalable than other advertising channels360Media - Why influencer marketing should be the centre of the marketing universeThe International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies fight against misinformation online with the help of influencersYes, influencer marketing is measurable. And here's how to do it. Bespoke strategies for brands who sell through retailers and direct to consumer brands.Personalisation at scale as an exciting future realityWhy micro influencers are not necessarily the bees' kneesThe need for the industry to professionalise through a professional bodyWant to leave a comment or suggestion about the show? Leave a message at Influencer Marketing Lab.

Episode 11 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Vik Khagram an Influencer Specialist at WPP-owned  Burson Cohn & Wolfe (BCW).In this episode we discuss:BWC's broader view of influencers - those influential people including doctors, politicians and CEOs who sit alongside social-first Instagram famous to effect changeHow influencer marketing toolkits can assist  joined-up thinking required to span global geographic regionsHow the rate of change is both a challenge as well as an opportunity for the influencer marketing industryThe importance of looking at an influencer's negative press as part of the vetting processThe importance of human insight combined with first-party data to make better decisionsInfluencers as storytellers not as human billboardsThe  shift to working with influencers at the consideration phase of the sales funnelHow influencers are shaping popular cultureWhy brands are thinking about not just who can I sell to but also who can I help and howHow to measure ROI Working with the client to set clear campaign objectives and KPIsHow influencer marketing platforms have caused a Tinder-isation of the disciplineThe rise of influencer unionsImportance of having a critical view when reading about the industry 

Episode 10 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Anne Dolinschek who heads-up South African boutique strategic influencer marketing agency Nfluential.In this episode we discuss:Influencer fraud and celebrity The maturation process for measuring ROI in South AfricaHow 1-in-3 influencers in South Africa don't sign any brand collaboration agreement and the potential reputational damage this presents for both brand and creatorThe 43% of influencers in South Africa who either don't wait at all or wait only one month before working with competitor brandsShift from PR agencies to a hybrid model of specialist influencer marketing agencies working in partnership with generalist PR firms.

Episode 9 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Rupa Shah, founder and director of Hashtag Ad Consulting a firm that provides guidance and training on the advertising rules to social media and influencer marketers.The episode covers:The niche Rupa identified within the influencer marketing industry which prompted her to leave the Advertising Standards Authority after 13 yearsWhat a CAP panel isThe differences between, the Advertising Standards Authority, the Competition and Markets Authority and the Federal Trade Commission Which formal body oversees industry errors rather than individual errorsWhen might the Independent Press Standards Organisation,  the  Financial Conduct Authority or the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency get involved with a postWhy there are different rules around product placement on the television compared with on social mediaWhy more reality TV stars turned influencers seem to be in the ASA's line of fire rather than digital-first influencersHow jurisdiction relates to where the audience you're targeting is based, not where you as a brand is or where the influencer is locatedThe importance of  two-way communication between brand and influencer to ensure compliance knowledge is always current

Episode 8 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Rich Keith, CEO & Co-founder of Fourth Floor an influencer marketing agency headquartered in the UK.The episode covers:Why many of the old media and marketing models no longer work in the new influencer marketing landscapeWhy agencies which focus solely on Instagram may be doing the wider industry a disserviceWhy influencer marketing will lose its prefix and become just marketingIs it time for me to stop banging on about influencers being media mastheads of one (no, not by a long chalk)Why games is not a niche or a vertical. The industry is bigger than movies and music combined. It's a directed activity which helps us better communicate with friends How you make emotional connections with consumers  Why influencer marketing needs a global trade bodyThe dangers of over-regulating influencer marketing

Episode 7 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Jennifer Quigley-Jones, CEO & Founder of Digital Voices, a YouTube-specialist, Influencer Marketing agency in London.The episode covers:How long term brand collaborations build consumer trust and drive sales.Why saying 'yes' to every job isn't always the best decisionThe Rolls Royce initiative which provided a step change within Jennifer's agencyWhy the ultimate aim of any CEO should be to become completely irrelevantWhy some TikTok agency tactics feel like a retrograde step for the influencer marketing industryHow working with YouTube creators saves on average 50% compared with video production companies AND comes with the added advantage of generating content which is 40% more memorableWhy not all Gen Z are WokeThe Recovery Paradox

Episode 6 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Dudley Nevill-Spencer, strategy and insights director at Live and Breathe a full-service creative agency and founder of the Virtual Influencer Agency.Our discussion coversThe essence of a virtual influencer and why that essence is function dependent The metaverse - where the real world and the virtual world mix and inhabiting that world will be virtual characters.The different types of virtual influencer - brand owned, brand agnostic and customer services representativeJapan's 7,000+ virtual influencers on YouTubeThe recipe for creating an effective virtual influencerWhether virtual influencers can ever be authenticThe difference between blind trust and trustworthiness

Episode 5 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Stephen Ready, co-founder & CEO at Inspired - a new type of cause marketing platform that focuses on the everyday consumer as the ultimate influencerOur discussion covers:How Inspired is democratizing philanthropy by creating everyday philanthropyHits and misses of celebrity endorsementsThe importance of authentic brand/influencer relationships which resonate with the target audienceElevating alpha consumers to become creatorsHow Inspire identifies people with nascent influence, activates their influence and builds it into a repeatable behaviour that can help move the needle on social causes, and help brands build loyalty and trustHow brands can surprise and delight the customer a couple of times a day when you make an everyday purchaseWhy brands should invest in purpose and purchase intelligence

Episode 4 of the Influencer Marketing Lab - a weekly podcast tracking the growth spurts and growing pains of influencer marketing.This podcast is sponsored by Tagger the data-driven influencer marketing platform and social listening tool.This week Scott Guthrie is in conversation with Mark Dandy managing director of Captivate Influence.Our discussion covers:The challenges facing small, independent influencer marketing agenciesWhy influencer marketing is sometimes the first channel to get cut from marketing budgets - and what to do about itThe importance of sharing failures as well as sharing success stories to help professionalise the influencer marketing industryHow the whole influencer ecosystem can be used as a control loop to execute more effective campaigns over time.More thoughts on whether micro-influencers should be repositioned as alpha consumersWhether fast-fashion influencers are more likely to place profit before passion when creating content25% - 30% of all fashion items bought online are returned - how wannabe influencers are accelerating this headache for online retailersThe pulling power of Love Island contestants in shifting productMolly Mae Hague as a great use case in the evolution of the influencerWhy some brands are looking to creators for content not communityWho owns IP and image rights of influencer-generated content?Are influencer unions a good idea?For more information visit influencermarketinglab.com