The Engagement Rate

An industry bulletin for marketing pros.

Influencer & brand wins of the week 🏅

🐊What are those?!

Footwear brand, Crocs, gains a boost as Terence Reilly - previously instrumental in Stanley tumblers' success, returns to lead their Heydude boat shoes division after the company's acquisition three years ago.

🌟 Laneige and Scott Kress 🌟 

Kress’s sponsored TikTok for Laneige, a skincare brand, garnered more engagement than his unsponsored content. 😂 In the video, he humorously links Laneige’s products to signs, like a sleeping mask suggesting he reunite with his ex. 💤 The ad racked up 770,000+ likes and over 4 million views. 📈

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Will influencers save luxury retail?

In the realm of luxury retail, influencers are increasingly shaping sales trends, as revealed in the RetailX Global Luxury 2024 report.

📱Social media serves as a vital marketing tool for luxury brands, emphasizing lifestyle ideals rather than direct product sales.

💻Platforms like Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest offer unique avenues for engagement with luxury consumers.

💫Luxury brands lead the charge in the metaverse, capitalizing on digital innovation to attract a younger audience and drive additional revenue through NFT sales.

📊The report underscores the importance for retailers to adapt to evolving consumer behaviors and leverage technology to enhance sales and customer experiences in the ever-changing luxury market landscape.

Latest: Luxury giant Kering faces profit woes as Gucci sales plummet (40-45%), sparking an 8% share drop. Can influencers help salvage the brand's bottom line?

From trends to transactions…TikTok’s shift to shopping sparks influencer scrutiny

In a recent video on TikTok, Manrika Khaira, a popular content creator with a massive following, voiced her frustration with the current state of social media influencers. She reminisced about a time when platforms like TikTok were more about fun trends, engaging conversations among creators, and laughter. However, she lamented that nowadays, it feels like social media has turned into a non-stop shopping channel. Khaira's sentiments struck a chord with many Gen Z users who are weary of the constant bombardment of advertisements on their feeds. Another influencer, CeeVan, echoed Khaira's concerns, suggesting that many aspiring influencers are more interested in scoring brand deals and freebies than building genuine connections with their audience. Here’s what we can take away from current discourse… 

👉Experts in the industry have observed a shift in consumer attitudes towards influencer marketing. Ashley Rector, founder of Quimby Digital has brought up the notion of "deinfluencing" to reinforce the growing desire for authenticity and transparency in influencer-brand collaborations.

👉Samantha Zink, CEO of Zink Talent, highlights how the influencer landscape has evolved from a passion-driven hobby to a full-fledged career focused on monetization, leading to "influencer fatigue," where social media users crave genuine, unfiltered content over staged advertisements.

👉Experts like Sophie Wood at Fohr, would argue that the industry is not in decline but simply evolving. Brands are increasingly turning to smaller, more authentic influencers like nano and micro-influencers for more meaningful connections with consumers. 

👉As social media continues to evolve, viewers demand honesty and transparency from influencers. Attempts to deceive or manipulate audiences can quickly backfire, eroding trust and credibility. Whereas influencers who prioritize authenticity and integrity are most likely to retain their followers and succeed in the long run.