Recently, one of the hot topics around the Carusele office has centered on brand safety and brand association, especially as many brands began dropping their affiliations with the National Rifle Association last week. As more and more brands continued to get involved in the conversation, we began to wonder if brands were applying these same principals to their influencer marketing campaigns and properly vetting during their influencer selection process.
Carusele president, Jim Tobin, took a moment to address this issue and what brands can do to avoid these situations in a recent episode of our bi-weekly video series, The Spin.
At Carusele, we go to great lengths to ensure that we partner with the best influencers to represent our clients. The key is that we never use opt-in programs, but instead carefully vet and hand-select our creators through a process we call the ABC’s of Influencer Selection.
Is this influencer right for this audience?
By using third-party insight data, we’re able to see who an influencer’s audience is, including demographics, location, and interests.
Is this influencer the right fit for this brand?
Leveraging the power of IBM Watson, we identify ideal candidates based on demographics, content themes, performance history and more.
Is the content this influencer is going to produce a fit for this campaign?
Our influencer specialists personally review all of an influencers channels to determine fit, including voice, tone, look and feel, history with competitors, and authenticity.
Now, the aforementioned issue of brand safety falls under the category of Brand Fit. Brands should be taking the time to see if a potential influencer partner has ever been political in their non-paid posts or if they’re taking a stand on an issue that the brand could be very much for or very much against. This issue alone is just one reason why brands should avoid marketplaces where anyone can opt-in to a program.
If you have any questions about our influencer selection process, or interested in partnering with Carusele on an upcoming campaign, feel free to contact us today.