Your influencer campaign needs solid foundations to succeed

Something of the magic of good social media marketing can get lost when working with influencers, explains Beccy Smith, Associate Director at Pangolin. Reconnect with the principles behind earned coverage to overcome this.

Creators and influencers. We all know that utilizing them is essential for fully integrated campaigns. From building trust, accessing already-engaged audiences, and delivering products and experiences directly into the hands of advocates. But if the opportunity is so clear, why can engagement fall flat? Why do brands frequently have to rely on excessive paid amplification just to achieve basic reach?

The answer, in my lowly opinion, is simple: we’re forgetting our earned roots.

You’ve earned it

Earning attention means creating an emotional response. Whether it’s landing that coveted spot, turning your head on the escalator to the tube platform, or staging a spectacular event - these efforts are all unified by one simple principle: turn heads and make something memorable.

This principle is identical for influencer marketing. You can’t just follow a 'pay-and-play' approach and expect great results; consumers are too savvy. They are acutely aware of #ads and scroll past any content that feels forced, transactional, or scripted.

As an industry, we need to elicit an actionable response from consumers: turn their heads and make them stare, or compel them to comment and share with friends on WhatsApp. That is earning attention in the influencer world, and no amount of paid reach can manufacture it. Sometimes we can't even prove it happened.

Right people, right time

Google Pixel launched a brilliant creator-centric campaign to launch the Pixel 10, which showed the power of integration. The core video, a piece of art choreographed and creative directed by Nina McNeely, was supported by 40 (!) creators who put their own content live simultaneously. This wasn't just paying for a cameo; this was a coordinated surge of advocacy. It flooded feeds for days and stood out as a brilliant activity that showcased the power of using the right people, built around a genuinely intriguing concept.

At the other end of the budget spectrum, Schwartz recently launched an influencer campaign with carefully selected accessible foodies to launch their new All Rounders seasoning range. Simple and effective, each influencer was challenged to create multiple dishes with one spice that was selected for them, using a spinner. Videos like Serena Patel’s clearly demonstrated how a small addition of fun and a genuine challenge is effective at conveying key messaging, a clear sign that the idea itself was compelling, not just the payout.