impact.com, in partnership with WARC, examines how the pandemic-driven growth of influencer marketing has accelerated influencers’ role in the consumer journey
impact.com, in partnership with WARC, examines how the pandemic-driven growth of influencer marketing has accelerated influencers’ role in the consumer journey
London, UK – Aug 23rd 2022 – impact.com, the leading partnership management platform, in partnership with WARC, an international marketing intelligence company, today released an in-depth research report on the rapidly evolving brand-influencer dynamic, which shows the disparity and alignment of perceptions of marketers and influencers, and offers guidance on how better alignment can lead to more effective and valuable partnerships. The report, Aligning Marketers and Influencers: Shifting Perspectives on Influencer Marketing Across the Funnel, reveals influencer and marketer perceptions around influencer marketing, especially given the rapid growth of the influencer market after a wave of investment and innovation on the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The report, based on global survey responses from more than 400 marketers and 400 influencers across Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia, found that 75% of marketers leverage influencers for brand awareness and 73% for brand engagement. From the influencer point of view, 58% say their top reason for working with marketers is to create authentic content, especially in a world where consumers are increasingly sceptical of traditional advertising.
The value of authenticity cannot be overlooked. According to the research, 85% of influencers and 67% of marketers ranked high levels of trust and authenticity as the first and second most (respectively) significant strengths of influencer marketing, which, over time, creates stronger partnerships.
The report uncovers key considerations for those seeking true, impactful partnerships with influencers who are now at the centre of the brand-consumer relationship given their impact on engagement and relationships with consumers. Those considerations include establishing a wide understanding of influencer marketing across functional teams, engaging with creators over an extended period of time in order to receive the best results and working with influencer marketing experts, such as technology platforms and agency-managed services, to ensure the best reach and results.
“Consumers are engaging with social channels like YouTube and TikTok more than ever before, which we expect to continue for the foreseeable future. At the same time, consumers have become distrustful of and annoyed with traditional marketing and advertising channels,” said impact.com CEO David A. Yovanno. “Together, these factors have helped give rise to a significant consumer population that looks to influencers to guide their purchase decisions, with an appetite for influencer commerce content that continues to grow. This has created a shift in the brand-influencer power dynamic – for many brands, building partnerships with influencers is now a critical way to reach their target audience.”
Key takeaways marketers and influencers shared for those looking to create (or expand) an influencer strategy include:
In addition to in-depth surveys, the report is supplemented with a series of in-depth marketer and influencer interviews, WARC’s global data and expert contributions, all targeted at better understanding the evolving role of influencer marketing. WARC is an international marketing intelligence company that provides the latest evidence, expertise and guidance to make marketers more effective. For more information about WARC, visit www.warc.com.
The full research report, Aligning Marketers and Influencers: Shifting Perspectives on Influencer Marketing Across the Funnel, can be found at https://impact.com/warc-research-report/.
About impact.com
impact.com, the world’s leading partnership management platform, is transforming the way businesses manage and optimise all types of partnerships—including traditional rewards affiliates, influencers, commerce content publishers, B2B, and more. The company’s powerful, purpose-built platform makes it easy for businesses to create, manage, and scale an ecosystem of partnerships with the brands and communities that customers trust to make purchases, get information, and entertain themselves at home, at work, or on the go. To learn more about how impact.com’s technology platform and partnerships marketplace is driving revenue growth for global enterprise brands such as TUI, Uber, Shopify, Lenovo, L’Oreal, Skyscanner and Levi’s, visit www.impact.com.
CONTACT
Maryum Sheikh, The Digital Voice
Owen Hancock, RVP Marketing EMEA, impact.com
Influencer marketing is a strategy that involves partnering with individuals who have a significant following on social media to promote products or services, leveraging their influence to reach a broader audience.
Brand engagement refers to the emotional and psychological connection that consumers have with a brand, which can lead to increased loyalty and advocacy.
Partnership management involves the processes and strategies used to manage relationships with business partners, ensuring mutual benefits and effective collaboration.
Consumer behavior is the study of how individuals make decisions to spend their resources on consumption-related items, including the processes of searching, purchasing, and using products.
Digital marketing encompasses all marketing efforts that use the internet or electronic devices, including social media, email, search engines, and websites to connect with consumers.
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