When Marc Jacobs needed fresh faces for its Fall 2014 campaign, the forward-thinking fashion brand didn’t look to modeling agencies. Instead, it took to Instagram, calling on fans of its slouchy SoHo style to post stylish selfies. The organic effort landed the brand nine new models, and more importantly, thousands of new fans.
Brands like Chanel and Salvatore Ferragamo have adopted similar strategies, approaching top bloggers to sport their looks outside the editorial perfection of a magazine. Both of these brands have collaborated with Chiara Ferragni, the mega-influencer behind The Blonde Salad who just six years ago was barely known outside her native Italy. Now, with 3 million followers on Instagram alone, Chiara is more sought-after than some film and TV celebrities. Call her the first ‘Super Influencer.’ Many contribute the success of model Cara Delavigne as much to her relatable Instagram persona as her defined cheekbones and trademark eyebrows.
More and more lifestyle brands are tapping the influence of bloggers that speak directly to their audiences for creative collaborations and marketing campaigns, sparking genuine relationships between these brands and their most loyal consumers. Over the last year, emerging digital platforms have made it easier for brands to find the right influencers – and in turn, for new bloggers to find inspiring brands.
In the next wave of innovation in the online retail space, brands like newly launched influencer marketing platform Shopping Links, a digital network that connects top lifestyle brands directly with bloggers for creative marketing collaborations, join popular affiliate networks like rewardStyle to give bloggers more opportunities to monetize their influence. The Shopping Links community now includes more than 7,500 bloggers, attracting brands like REISS, Links of London and Karen Millen.
As influencer marketing grows, more and more studies are revealing the factors that inspire engagement, and therefore conversion, for brands. The results are starting to change how brands approach influencers. As a recent Instagram Intelligence Report by digital benchmarking firm L2 shows, followers are less important to engagement than a strong brand identity and eye-catching visuals. In the end, Bill Gates is right again – Content is still King. This is particularly true for luxury brands for whom ‘casting a wide net’ is less effective than engaging the right niche audience.
Less focus on follower quantity is also an encouraging sign for emerging bloggers. After all, the freshest face for a brand’s next top campaign may just be starting her Instagram account today.
