Hiring social media influencers with the most followers isn't the trick, says TBWA director

Hiring social media influencers with the most followers isn't the trick, says TBWA director

SINGAPORE - You want your message to reach a wide audience, so you hire a social media influencer with the highest number of followers.

Sounds like a no-brainer?

Not quite, says Cyril Bedat, regional business director at TBWA Singapore's digital marketing arm, Digital Arts Network.

"Using (social media influencers) with the most famous or the highest followers is not the right approach. Consumers now can see through those unnatural partnerships," says Cyril.

"(Consumers) demand authenticity and genuineness. Any social programme with influencers needs to have this genuine side."

The 34-year-old would know better.

During his eight years handling digital marketing at French luxury group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton in Geneva, including a four-year stint in Shanghai, Cyril has worked on deals involving social media influencers and A-list celebrities like Brad Pitt, Tiger Woods, Maria Sharapova and Cameron Diaz.

Cyril is also a Rising Star of the Year finalist at the upcoming Institute of Advertising Singapore (IAS) Hall of Fame Awards 2016, which will be held at Gardens By The Bay on Nov 23.

"During my time working for LVMH's Watch & Jewellery, and Fashion sectors in China, I dealt with influencers and bloggers on a daily basis. They were posting comments and articles on our brands, and I was trying to build relationships with them," Cyril explained.

"The language barrier was difficult but I always tried to be very genuine in my approach. With the help of our agency partners, we managed to do great with very little budget."

After working for the TAG Heuer and Fendi brands during his time at the largest luxury conglomerate in the world, Cyril left the client side to join the advertising industry.

Having seen both sides of the coin, the Swiss knows a thing or two about the expectations of both client and agency.

"Results and Impact. How have we moved the business of our clients? How much impact did we have on his/her product-services?

"Usually, the difference comes from strong strategies and insights, translated into an amazing and creative idea, that is executed at scale, and at a very high quality," explained Cyril, who has been based in Singapore for over two years.

Underpinning all these are strong relationships between stakeholders.

"In our business, the key to success is not the projects but the people who work hard to make them happen."

Besides the client-agency synergy, a strong relationship also has to be forged between clients and their brand ambassadors.

"When I was in China, influencers were key, and they still are. They became a monetised channel like any other promotion ones," Cyril recalled.

"The key though is to develop genuine relationships with them. The choice of these KOL (Key Opinion Leaders or Influencers) need to fit with our client business.

"(The partnership) is not only about a contractual relationship but finding common interests and incentives and working together to achieve the best result."

THE MILLION DOLLAR QUESTION

Even with the right brand ambassador, how do you make your campaign go viral? This million-dollar question requires a million dollars, metaphorically.

"To be viral you need media budget. You need exposure, eyeballs... you need reach," said Cyril.

"Beyond that, your content needs to break the clutter of culture that is surrounding us every second of every day.

"If it breaks this clutter and evokes emotions in the right way, then your content needs also to touches their motivations to share in the right sense. Only then you will get virality."

And then there are other higher-hanging fruits besides virality.

Cyril cites some examples: "Actions that people are taking. Searches that your campaign has provoked that were not happening before or at the same scale. These are done offline and online."

ASIA'S BREAKNECK PACE

A four-year stint in Shanghai while working for LVMH also gave Cyril new insights to the digital and social landscape in Asia, such as the smartphone implosion in China which has shaped consumer behaviour.

"In Asia, you come from no connection to a smartphone. The impact of this change on consumer habits and experience is huge and unprecedented in the West, where there was an adaptation between TV to PC to laptop to mobile," Cyril said.

"Here in Asia, it is so much quicker."

He added: "The great firewall has developed an innovation boom in China. Tencent and Alibaba have emerged as huge players in the world with their respective platforms, but I also believe some other players in Southeast Asia are developing well."

The breakneck pace of innovation left Cyril with a deep impression of China.

"I actually learnt more in four years in doing digital work in China that I would have had in eight years in Europe. The pace of change is so fast that you needed to adapt and plan, seize opportunities, try and fail over and over again but each time doing better," he shared.

"It was probably the experience I learnt the most from, on professional levels but also on personal levels."

grongloh@sph.com.sg

The IAS Hall of Fame Awards is the only award show in Singapore that celebrates the stellar achievement of leading personalities, advertisers, agencies and campaigns for the year. The Awards Night will be held on Nov 23, 2016.

For more information, visit https://ias.org.sg/hof/

Read also:

- 5 digital innovation trends Asian advertisers are asking for

- Ideas don't work 9 to 5, says TBWA creative director

- Self-confessed millennials who are rising stars in this year's Hall of Fame advertising awards

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