Creator and Influencer Marketing Committee Thought Leadership

Social Studies shared key tips for elevating influencer marketing out of the awareness game and toward lower-funnel KPIs and some predictions for where the practice is headed in 2022 and beyond.

Doritos described its “Gaming While Black” content program.

The next ten years for brands isn't about the story you tell but the one your consumers and creator community do. Grace Murray at Fohr and Josh Carter at Shutterfly discussed influencers as a personification of your brand, co-creation best practices, and how to create your highest performing content yet.

Marketers from Discovery and agency partner Socialfly presented a case study on how Discovery has been able to generate brand awareness and consideration for its programming through creative and innovative influencer storytelling on social media.

Faced with the prospect of delaying a feature film theatrical release because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Universal Pictures instead pivoted to premium video on demand and used influencers on TikTok to power the marketing and ensure the release was still a success.

Jason Y. Lee, founder and CEO of Jubilee Media, and Evan Sigel, Jubilee's head of brand partnerships, presented case studies that demonstrate why empathizing with audiences is more important than ever, and discussed how brands can deepen their connection with consumers.

Kelly Cagney, director of global marketing for Turtle Wax, presented a case study on how the brand has been able to attribute sales from influencer campaigns, maximize ROI, and report back to the business on the impact of tracking influencer ROI.

PUMA has tapped global pop star Dua Lipa as its new brand ambassador. PUMA discussed how the athletic brand is channeling the influential power of a celebrity to make an impact with consumers.

Maui Moisture set out to show the world that curly hair comes in all shapes, sizes, and colors and not one level of moisture fits all with its “Diversity of Curls” campaign and the creation of the Maui Moisture Curl Squad.

Leah Logan and Sarah Hughes revealed the new fundamentals of influencer marketing and actionable methods for measuring the success of your influencer campaigns.

Senior digital marketing manager from Avocados From Mexico Jorge Almeida discussed virtual influencers and how they can be used to tell brand stories.

Valassis addressed the drivers of value for consumers, how those drivers have changed due to COVID-19, and ways that influencer marketing programs can make an impact.

Stonyfield shared its pioneering approach to influencer campaigns.

R3, an agency, presented a series of case studies that looked at how having a deeper understanding of a brand’s digital ecosystem can help marketers develop the right virtual influencer and maximize digital investment.

Ashley Alleyne, strategist at RAPP London, discussed the cultural and technological shift that set the stage for virtual influencers, the unique benefits and challenges they present, and what that means for brand’s ethics and revenue.

Christopher Travers, co-founder of and chief creative officer at Scout Social, talked through a virtual influencer playbook. How can your brand partner with virtual influencers in a productive, brand-safe, and mutually beneficial way? Travers provided clear answers and guidelines.

Speakers from MediaPost, Turtle Wax, and Hyundai discussed automakers’ influencer marketing campaigns from 2019.