I know I usually use this platform to sell you trends and link you to the fashion pieces I've been dreaming about but I wanted to talk shop with you about something I am really passionate about; social media marketing. Mainly because I find the topic really interesting, but also because as a consumer, its important you understand the difference between product placement, and trends in fashion. For those that don't know I have recently undertaken a second degree at university in Marketing. I love social media, I love advertising and I especially love combining the two! This is new avenue for marketing and it's exciting. Opening a new window of opportunity for brands, trends and consumers to interact with each other.
If you are on social media of any kind (Facebook, twitter, instagram) then you would have seen this. Influencers, celebrities, girls in bikinis with lots of followers promoting products they have been 'gifted' by companies. If you follow me on instagram (@jssirite) then you will know I post a lot of sponsored posts to my account. I am often asked how this works, how I am contacted and if I am paid for the posts, so I wanted to fill you in! In the hope of providing a better understanding of how this all works and how to identify product placement in your feed!
This year Calvin Klein unveiled the “Show yours. #mycalvins” campaign for its Calvin Klein Underwear division – via proxy. It was a first for the 45 year-old company, one that is known for its tightly-controlled corporate image and slick marketing campaigns that adhere to the in-house mantra of clean, modern, sexy, classic. The campaign was kicked off via a single Instagram "selfie" taken by Miranda Kerr, who isposing in a grey T-shirt and a pair of jeans with the fly open to reveal a pair of white Calvin Klein Underwear knickers. Posted to her 4.2million Instagram fans, it was captioned "<3 my new Calvin's #mycalvins #ad .An avalanche of similar portraits were subsequently posted to Instagram by more than 200 hand-picked “Influencers” from 25 countries. Campaign participants included celebrity names such as Miley Cyrus, Nicole Richie, Fergie, Iggy Azalea, Kendall Jenner, Trey Songzs, Vanessa Hudgens and Cody Simpson. This doesn't include the countless number of bloggers and influencers who jumped on board.
The company is calling it an "unprecedented success". According to Calvin Klein the #mycalvins campaign reached 200million fans worldwide via Calvin Klein’s own social media accounts and the Influencer posts and generated six million fan interactions. The most “liked” post was generated by Kendall Jenner (1million+). It was recently revealed by FELLT Industry that Calvin Klein Inc now devotes nearly a quarter of its marketing budget to digital, with social media Influencers playing an increasingly important role.
What followed exceeded Calvin Klein's marketing expectations, thousands of unpaid users jumped onto the advertising campaign, uploading photos to their own accounts wearing their own CK underwear with the hashtag #mycalvins. The campaign had successfully transitioned from a clever marketing ploy into an instant trend, taking social media by storm.
Are Calvin Klein the only company doing this? no. I'm sure you've seen the Skinny Me Tea and Triangle Swimwear ( just to name two) campaigns all over Instagram. Companies are regularly selecting 'influencers' to send products to in exchange for posts. Influences are usually selected by their following count and audience interactions (likes and comments). Also the content of a persons Instagram highly dictates what products they might be sent. Most brands like to target two market streams; 1. celebrities or highly popular accounts with a strong following (50k + followers) and 2. local influences; people with 10k+ followers and strong audience interactions. How much the influencer is paid depends on the influencer. Some accounts have set fee's. Some accounts post for free in exchange for products and other accounts (like myself) use a combination of both. In terms of the CK campaign, one blogger who was involved with the campaign told FELLT Industry they were paid US$7500 for their single #mycalvins post on Instagram and said others had told them they received US$10,000 for their posts. Why do some influencers charge a fee and others don't?
Some influences are better-known than others, and it can depend on the expenses of posting and what is required by the companies. Needless to say a big name fashion model such as Kerr would not be participating in any kind of Calvin Klein campaign for even US$10,000 per post. A single instagram post from Ms Kerr is reportedly between US$50,000-100,000.
In terms of what is required of the influencer, each product is different. Some companies I have worked with are easy, they leave the contents and timing of the post up to me and just ask that I post a photo of the product to my Instagram tagging the company in the post. Other companies however have more requirements. A company I recently negotiated with required several posts, the first within a 7 day time period of receiving the product. I wasn't paid for the posts, however I was allowed to chose whatever I liked from their website to photograph and keep. Other requirement have varied from asking for the pictures to be taken against a white wall to what captions I use. A company I have recently signed on with doesn't even require me to post, they will gift me with product monthly and it will be optional as to weather I want to promote them on my platforms.
From my personal experience, each company is different and I use my discretion to choose which companies I want to work with! I want my feed to be a combination of authentic posts and product placements that I am passionate about. I like to support brands that I like and I think my followers would enjoy (yes I have turned down all skinny tea-tox offers to date haha). I think marketing and product placement on social media is most successful when the influencer generally enjoys the product they are promoting so I always self-check before I say yes!
As a marketing student, understanding and learning about what my audience wants is forever fascinating to me. By understanding this I can generate the most benefit for the companies I am working for and the audience following my posts. Eventually I hope to make a career from what I have learnt about the art of social media advertising and one day, maybe, be the brains behind a campaign like #mycalvins.
If you are on social media of any kind (Facebook, twitter, instagram) then you would have seen this. Influencers, celebrities, girls in bikinis with lots of followers promoting products they have been 'gifted' by companies. If you follow me on instagram (@jssirite) then you will know I post a lot of sponsored posts to my account. I am often asked how this works, how I am contacted and if I am paid for the posts, so I wanted to fill you in! In the hope of providing a better understanding of how this all works and how to identify product placement in your feed!
This year Calvin Klein unveiled the “Show yours. #mycalvins” campaign for its Calvin Klein Underwear division – via proxy. It was a first for the 45 year-old company, one that is known for its tightly-controlled corporate image and slick marketing campaigns that adhere to the in-house mantra of clean, modern, sexy, classic. The campaign was kicked off via a single Instagram "selfie" taken by Miranda Kerr, who isposing in a grey T-shirt and a pair of jeans with the fly open to reveal a pair of white Calvin Klein Underwear knickers. Posted to her 4.2million Instagram fans, it was captioned "<3 my new Calvin's #mycalvins #ad .An avalanche of similar portraits were subsequently posted to Instagram by more than 200 hand-picked “Influencers” from 25 countries. Campaign participants included celebrity names such as Miley Cyrus, Nicole Richie, Fergie, Iggy Azalea, Kendall Jenner, Trey Songzs, Vanessa Hudgens and Cody Simpson. This doesn't include the countless number of bloggers and influencers who jumped on board.
The company is calling it an "unprecedented success". According to Calvin Klein the #mycalvins campaign reached 200million fans worldwide via Calvin Klein’s own social media accounts and the Influencer posts and generated six million fan interactions. The most “liked” post was generated by Kendall Jenner (1million+). It was recently revealed by FELLT Industry that Calvin Klein Inc now devotes nearly a quarter of its marketing budget to digital, with social media Influencers playing an increasingly important role.
What followed exceeded Calvin Klein's marketing expectations, thousands of unpaid users jumped onto the advertising campaign, uploading photos to their own accounts wearing their own CK underwear with the hashtag #mycalvins. The campaign had successfully transitioned from a clever marketing ploy into an instant trend, taking social media by storm.
Are Calvin Klein the only company doing this? no. I'm sure you've seen the Skinny Me Tea and Triangle Swimwear ( just to name two) campaigns all over Instagram. Companies are regularly selecting 'influencers' to send products to in exchange for posts. Influences are usually selected by their following count and audience interactions (likes and comments). Also the content of a persons Instagram highly dictates what products they might be sent. Most brands like to target two market streams; 1. celebrities or highly popular accounts with a strong following (50k + followers) and 2. local influences; people with 10k+ followers and strong audience interactions. How much the influencer is paid depends on the influencer. Some accounts have set fee's. Some accounts post for free in exchange for products and other accounts (like myself) use a combination of both. In terms of the CK campaign, one blogger who was involved with the campaign told FELLT Industry they were paid US$7500 for their single #mycalvins post on Instagram and said others had told them they received US$10,000 for their posts. Why do some influencers charge a fee and others don't?
Some influences are better-known than others, and it can depend on the expenses of posting and what is required by the companies. Needless to say a big name fashion model such as Kerr would not be participating in any kind of Calvin Klein campaign for even US$10,000 per post. A single instagram post from Ms Kerr is reportedly between US$50,000-100,000.
In terms of what is required of the influencer, each product is different. Some companies I have worked with are easy, they leave the contents and timing of the post up to me and just ask that I post a photo of the product to my Instagram tagging the company in the post. Other companies however have more requirements. A company I recently negotiated with required several posts, the first within a 7 day time period of receiving the product. I wasn't paid for the posts, however I was allowed to chose whatever I liked from their website to photograph and keep. Other requirement have varied from asking for the pictures to be taken against a white wall to what captions I use. A company I have recently signed on with doesn't even require me to post, they will gift me with product monthly and it will be optional as to weather I want to promote them on my platforms.
From my personal experience, each company is different and I use my discretion to choose which companies I want to work with! I want my feed to be a combination of authentic posts and product placements that I am passionate about. I like to support brands that I like and I think my followers would enjoy (yes I have turned down all skinny tea-tox offers to date haha). I think marketing and product placement on social media is most successful when the influencer generally enjoys the product they are promoting so I always self-check before I say yes!
As a marketing student, understanding and learning about what my audience wants is forever fascinating to me. By understanding this I can generate the most benefit for the companies I am working for and the audience following my posts. Eventually I hope to make a career from what I have learnt about the art of social media advertising and one day, maybe, be the brains behind a campaign like #mycalvins.
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