The COVID-19 crisis is the real acid test for purpose-driven influencer marketing

It's easy for us to eulogise about the importance of putting purpose ahead of profit when we're living ‘our best life’ during the good times. It is another thing altogether to stick to those ideals when the future of the economy is so uncertain. But keeping the brand light burning throughout with purpose-driven influencer marketing will pay dividends in the long run. 

I wrote in my last article here about the importance of placing authentic brand purpose at the heart of our influencer marketing. The coronavirus pandemic has since gripped the world, spreading from a health crisis into a fully-fledged financial crisis. At such times it is a natural knee-jerk reaction to both slash marketing spend and divert the remnants into short-term sales activations. But this may well be a false economy. 

Commercially we sit at a strange point in time. Digital media consumption levels have shot through the roof as we practice social distancing in lockdown. The level of advertising, however, has fallen through the floor.  

Community need is butting heads with company caution

Instagram usage has increased by 40%. Facebook by 37%. YouTube by 30%, and TikTok by 27%. Within these apps, users are spending more time creating and consuming Stories. The number of Instagram Stories posted has spiked by 15% to an average of 6.1 Stories per day. Viewing figures have climbed by a fifth, too with a rise of 21% according to a new report. 

Yet many brands have paused their marketing. Some have stopped to take stock of the situation. They need time to pivot to the new reality before resuming. Others are worried about making a misstep with their customers, and with society at large. They don’t want to appear tin-eared, opportunistic or insensitive at this time by selling to them through the crisis. 

Influencers can offer real value here. Influencers have heightened “Spidey Senses” when it comes to bullshit. After all, they are influential because of their prowess at creating compelling content which sparks conversation, strengthens connections, nurtures community and converts into action. They know what their community likes - and what it doesn’t care for. These influencers are community guardians. They can feed back immediately to a firm on whether proposed brand messaging will chime with their audience or fail the smell test. 

As consumers in this time of crisis we’re turning more than ever to those influencers who add value to our lives. Those who produce content that is interesting, or informative, or entertaining or a combination of these factors. 

We seek distraction at the macro level from the horrors of the physical and economic destruction metered out by Covid-19. We seek distraction at a micro level from the horrors of being cooped up with our loved ones 24/7 with no immediate end in sight. The horrors of homeschooling. The horrors of endless work-related Zoom calls during the day, and requests for ‘virtual drinks’ in the evening.

Putting purpose into practice

Joe Wicks, AKA The Body Coach - is now part of the fabric of family life with his daily keep-fit routines. Dr Ranj Singh - former Children’s BBC presenter, London hospital doctor, and one-time Strictly Come Dancing contestant - is active on social media translating health information and advice about coronavirus into bite-sized content parcels his audience understands and appreciates. 

MrBeast, a YouTuber with 33.5m subscribers, has organised a $1m food donation to food banks in America. Dr Mike, an American doctor and YouTuber, provides his community with a similar service to Dr Ranj. He explains the pandemic, what it means for his audience, and how they can protect themselves from it. Like MrBeast, The New York physician has also undertaken direct action, buying and distributing $25,000 worth of face masks to US hospitals.

The common thread weaving its way through all of these influencers’ content is community. They are placing their audience - and society at large - at the centre of their universe. And just as individual influencers are placing community and their values at the heart of their content, so we are seeing some big brands living their values, too. 

British fashion house Burberry is making medical face masks and gowns. LVMH, the French multinational known for its luxury goods, is making hand sanitizer. The Marriott International board and executive team are either forgoing salary this year or taking half rations to reflect the obliteration of the global hospitality industry. 

You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do

“You are what you do, not what you say you’ll do” once remarked Swiss philosopher, Carl Jung. Now is a time for deeds not words. A time to stay front-of-mind with our customers by reminding them about what we stand for, what we believe in, not just what we sell. This is born out in a recent GfK poll which concludes that 73% of consumers say the way companies act during the crisis will affect future purchase decisions.

Past data provides future insight, too. Mark Ritson, a brand consultant and Marketing Week columnist has researched previous recessions and depressions. Post crisis, he reasons, the firms which continued to brand throughout the crisis might expect 30% to 40% incremental growth in the period immediately following.

Keith Weed, former CMO at Unilever, looked back recently to the last recession of 2007. He recalled that during these times Unilever upped its marketing spend, building brand equity. When the green shoots of recovery finally pierced the arid soil Unilever grew ahead of the market tripling its share price in the process. 

You can’t fatten a pig on market day

“You can’t fatten a pig on market day” explained former Australian prime minister, John Howard. Remaining top-of-mind, enjoying share-of-voice by investing in maintaining what you stand for, requires a long term plan. It is the firms who do this who will hit the ground running post-crisis. What’s the alternative? Cease marketing for now? Batten down the hatches ‘til it all blows over? That is a false economy. Ritson warns it could cost four or five times as much money to rebuild brand equity a year or so down the line. 

Firms turn to influencers because they can humanise their brands for the target audience. Consumers turn to influencers because they want to be entertained, or educated; to be informed, or to draw aspiration from them. The influencer’s role is to understand the needs of both - often competing sides of the content equation. To create content which their community derives value from whilst also conveying the sponsoring brand’s purpose.  

Purpose helps establish and reinforce a real, meaningful connection between a brand and a consumer. Influencer marketing helps reinforce this bond because people really buy into people's stories, not brands’ stories.

It would be understandable to be tempted to halt marketing spend now. Or to divert it to sales actions only. Now, however, is the time to work with influencers to help humanise your brand, and make it both meaningful and memorable for your customers. In this most human time, when our shared wellbeing and social health is the utmost priority, no medium will relate and communicate genuine purpose more effectively than well-conceived influencer content. And if purpose and conscience doesn’t help you make this decision, just think of it as being long-term greedy. Those firms who invest in their brand’s equity now will reap the benefits in terms of market share and earnings later.