The Influencer Marketing Show London will welcome Whalar as sponsors of its first-ever stand-alone show at Old Billingsgate, London, on 21st October. Whalar is passionate about creativity and innovation within the creator space – from award-winning strategic client work to ground-breaking neurological studies, and the launch of its creator houses including The Crib Around The Corner.
Whalar’s Chief Client Officer, Emma Harman, shares her thoughts on the best practices that will help nudge our industry forward – and what better way to celebrate influencer marketing than by sponsoring the Influencer Marketing Show?
DEI spans further than race and religion
Advertising is more than a discipline to inform and engage an audience. Good storytelling produces emotion. Emotion evokes memory. It’s memory that leads to action. Our brand storytelling becomes representative not only of ourselves but also holds a mirror up to the culture and values of the moment. We have a duty of care to our audience. We must not misrepresent them, ignore them or alienate them.
George Flloyd’s murder sparked long-overdue conversations around diversity, inclusion, and representation within the influencer marketing industry and advertising as a whole. Hafsah Dabiri from Creed & Culture spoke powerfully about these issues at the Influencer Marketing Show last November. Hafsah referenced #PullUpOrShutUp in her presentation. It is a campaign led by activists and influencers who demand beauty brands take more responsibility in campaigning for Black Lives than just posting a square.
At Whalar, we strive to liberate all creative voices. In February we launched The Crib Around The Corner – the first content collaboration house specifically for Black TikTokers. Last week we launched Familia Fuego! – the TikTok house and space for Latinx TikTok comedy creators to do what they do best, create content!
But, in a world where 15% of the population has a disability, we need to do more to represent all of our audiences. Our panel session at #IMSLDN21: ‘Disability in Influencer Marketing’ is led by experts who will explain how brands can present people with disabilities in advertising content in such a way that is inclusive and that really represents the lived experience of people with disabilities, without demeaning the argument to “inspiration porn.”
“In Humans We Trust”
We turn to influencers for their human connection, their trustworthiness, and their credibility. The more integrated, the more strategically aligned influencers are within multi-channel marketing programmes, the more impactful these channel programmes become.
In a short-term world, the value of long-term thinking cannot be ignored. Yes, there are logistical, time-saving, and financial gains to be won from long-term relationships: a lower cost per post rate; less time spent onboarding and offboarding for instance. The advantage of working with long-term ambassadors, however, is that followers are already invested in that influencer’s journey.
When you can make your brand integral to that journey through consistent posting and storytelling, their followers become emotionally invested. This investment leads to powerful economic results, too. By seamlessly incorporating branding and taking followers on an emotional journey, we see more powerful impacts on campaign success metrics.
Introducing the Influencer Marketing Trade Body
I’m delighted to join the board of the newly-formed Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB) – a professional membership organisation for influencer marketing agencies and influencer marketing platforms. The IMTB is dedicated to building a robust, sustainable future for the influencer marketing industry.
The board has collective responsibility for overseeing the running of the institute ensuring it operates in the best interests of its members, the industry, and society at large. Initiatives such as the Influencer Marketing Trade Body will help to pave the way for a future of truly ethical, diverse, and inclusive influencer marketing industry.
Whalar is the headline sponsor of the Influencer Marketing Show. Visit their stand and make sure you watch Emma’s keynote speech: In Humans, We Trust at noon on the Whalar Stage and watch their sponsored expert panel session: ‘Disability in Influencer Marketing’ at 14:50 on the Pyramid Stage.
