We’re committed to helping our clients navigate their broader brand strategies and the role influencer marketing can play during COVID-19. Our ongoing research and practice are highlighting insights, trends, and specific services that are helping brands connect meaningfully with their customers right now.

With so much uncertainty and upheaval in our daily lives, content creators are playing a unique role in bringing their communities information, inspiration, and resources through virtual mediums. And, brands are looking to them for their unique content creation abilities that they offer from the safety of their own homes.

Here are two programming approaches that we’ve seen succeed:

VIRTUAL EVENTS

In our new home-bound normal, virtual events are providing entertainment, education, and opportunities for joy and connection. With the right message and strategy, brands can meet their customers in these environments in meaningful, supportive ways.

Influencers, publishers, and brands are "going live" to help their communities feel more socially connected while remaining physically isolated. Last month, Facebook announced that Live views doubled in a week, which comes as no surprise as influencers reported a 42% increase in the amount of IG Live posts they're publishing.

We’re seeing the most successful brand-sponsored live events focus on valuable, informative, or entertaining content first, brand second.Many brand supported live events are also tied to charitable causes.

COLLECTIVELY STUDIO

The production of high-quality media and assets has always been central to influencer marketing, and brands are turning to the practice even more to fulfill broader content needs. Influencers can help fill the gap while traditional creative teams are unable to gather for large-scale shoots.

Brands are moving quickly to figure out how to keep fresh content in the queue. Brands like Converse, Zara, and Visa quickly adapted to at-home content, giving their partners creative carte blanche to produce photos from their own homes.

Our newest offering, Collectively Studio, provides a platform for sourcing, contracting, and briefing highly-qualified creatives across all digital mediums.

In 2019, 45% of influencers were contracted to produce an image or video asset only—without having to post on their platforms. Now, we’re seeing an influx of clients seeking content-only activations and work-for-hire creators. Production and asset value is an essential element of understanding influencer ROI, and our analysis models measure the performance and return on content generation to understand efficiencies for a client's overall marketing spend.

Want to learn more about Collectively services? Say, hello!