PARTNERSHIPS & INFLUENCERS A Digital Marketing Perspective Table of Contents
Enhancing Affiliate Relationships Track how people search 1 for your brand on third-party sites
Growing Brand Partnerships Discover new audiences 2 through co-branding efforts
Working with the Right Social Influencers Harness the power of 3 Social Media Introduction
In the digital era, brands not only compete for market share, but for consumer engagement. A single moment of attention is a precious commodity.
Pursuing strategic partnerships with external companies or social influencers can provide brands with access to new, highly engaged audiences.
In other words, partnerships unlock new ways for brands to meet consumers where they are.
However, not every partnership is fruitful. Brands can distribute their products on affiliates where few people seek them out, while missing out on marketplaces where they are more coveted.
They can launch co-branding campaigns with a company whose audience do not align with theirs, or attempt to partner with social influencers based on popularity than affinity.
In this report, we detail how brands can evaluate their external relationships, in order to amplify their brand and grow online audiences.
Partnerships and Influencers Report 3 1 Enhancing Affiliate Relationships Track how people search for your brand on third-party sites
Many brands today sell their products or services through third-party distributors and aggregator sites. However, optimising your market share across different affiliates can be a challenge.
This is particularly the case for fashion brands selling into multi-retailers. Whilst these relationships can bring added sales and exposure for brands, many face the issue of not knowing how their brand performs on third-party sites.
A way to overcome this blind spot is through greater data collection, such as page views and search terms. In this chapter, we demonstrate how brands can use internal site search to inform their affiliate strategy.
Internal Search on Retailers’ Sites
The below example shows branded searches on Selfridges’ and Net-a-Porter’s websites, over the all-important Christmas period (3 months to January 2017). Across the two luxury retailers, searched- for brands largely differ, with only Christian Louboutin sitting in both top 5 spots.
Top Brand Searches Selfridges vs. Net-a-Porter
Rank Brand Search Share Rank Brand Search Share
1 Longchamp 1.6% 1 Gucci 4.2%
2 Michael Kors 1.5% 2 Chloe 2.1%
3 Mulberry 1.1% 3 Christian Louboutin 1.1%
4 Christian Louboutin 1.0% 4 Balenciaga 1.1%
5 Vivienne Westwood 1.0% 5 Jimmy Choo 0.9%
16 Marc Jacobs 0.4%
42 Marc Jacobs 0.4% Source: Hitwise 2017. Period: 3 months to Jan 2017.
Even though Marc Jacobs has the same internal share on Selfridges and Net-A-Porter, compared to other brands, Marc Jacobs ranks significantly lower on Net-a-Porter.
In Marc Jacob’s case, the brand ranked 16th on Selfridges compared to 42nd on Net-a-Porter. Searches on Selfridges were also more product-focused (e.g. “Marc Jacobs bracelet”, “Marc Jacobs camille satchel bag”), than brand-focused on Net-a-Porter (e.g. “Marc by Marc”).
Marc Jacobs could then question whether investing in Net-a-Porter is worthwhile or not, as the brand is ranked lower on the retailer’s site. However, if we look at the audiences behind retailer and brand, a different story arises. Comparing Direct vs. Affiliate Audiences
The below chart details audiences that are “exclusive” to Net-a-Porter and interested in Marc Jacobs (i.e. has not visited Marc Jacob’s site, but has searched for Marc Jacobs products) skew younger and reside in South and London regions.
In contrast, audiences “exclusive” to Marc Jacobs (i.e. visited Marc Jacob’s site, but not Selfridges or Net-a-Porter) skew older and are more present in North and East regions.
Audience Comparison Selfridges, Net-a-Porter and Marc Jacobs
Age Group
Net-a-Porter 40% skews younger
30% 40% 20% 30% 10% 20% 0% 10% 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55+
0% Selfridges exclusive Net-a-Porter exclusive Marc Jacobs exclusive 18 - 24 25 - 34 35 - 44 45 - 54 55+
Selected Regions 24% Net-a-Porter skews to 18% 24% South and Lodon regions 12% 18% 6% 12% 0% 6% SW - South West LN - London SE - South East NW - North West EA - East
0% SW - South West LN - London SE - South East NW - North West EA - East
Selfridges exclusive Net-a-Porter exclusive Marc Jacobs exclusive
Source: Hitwise 2017. Period: 3 months to Jan 2017. "Selfridges / Net-a-Porter exclusive" = audiences who have visited Selfridges / Net-a-Porter and searched for Marc Jacobs, but have not visited Marc Jacobs’ site. "Marc Jacobs exclusive" = audiences who have visited Marc Jacobs’ site, but not Selfridges or Net-a-Porter.
There is a mutually beneficial opportunity for Marc Jacobs to collaborate with Net-a-Porter, in order to attract this unique audience. Using this information, Marc Jacobs could review the types of products and information that this audience views on Net-a-Porter’s site, to further increase their visibility.
Top Understand how your brand performs on affiliate sites by tracking page views, internal search and audience overlap vs. the competition. Use these insights to Takeaway determine which third-parties to partner and increase investment with.
Partnerships and Influencers Report 6 2 Growing Brand Partnerships Discovering new audiences through co-branding efforts
For industries where the purchase cycle tends to be long and meticulous, brands need to capture the customer’s attention right from the interest and aspirational stages.
Brands need to be creative with finding new audiences, using vehicles such as product placements, sponsorships, partnerships and affiliations to do so.
In this chapter, we look deeper at the value of partnerships. In particular, how brands can build upon each other’s strengths in the automotive sector.
Partnerships and Influencers Report 7 GoPro and Ford - ‘The Unstoppable Life’
GoPro and Ford collaborated on a video GoPro & Ford Audiences - Pre Campaign series campaign, “The Unstoppable Life” in Age Index June 2016, which combined GoPro’s edge in extreme sport with the spirit of Ford’s SUV of GoPro vs. Ford “being unstoppable”.
18 - 24 Pre-campaign, both brands attracted different +42% +12% audiences. GoPro had a higher affiliation with younger audiences, whereas Ford attracted a 45 - 54 -12% 0% higher share of people aged 45-54 years old.
GoPro had a higher affiliation with younger audiences In addition, GoPro’s audience were more likely aged 18-24, compared to Ford. to visit a competitor’s site, Toyota, compared to Ford’s site. Data Collection: Hitwise AudienceView Intelligence, 4 weeks ending 18-Jun-2016.
This situation changed during the actual campaign. Over the month of July*, audiences that were engaged with both GoPro and Ford grew by 18%. The largest increase was also seen among audiences that both brands did not have a traditional stronghold - females. In particular, females aged 25-44.
GoPro & Ford Audience - Pre vs. During Campaign
Ford rose by GoPro Audience GoPro & Ford – 66%, whereas Likelihood to Visit Combined Female Audience Toyota declined by +254% 74%. +240% Pre Campaign During Campaign
+188% 18 - 24 -11% +16% +166%
25 - 34 -52% +31%
Ford Toyota 35 - 44 -29% +26%
Pre Campaign During Campaign Females, especially aged 25-44, have grown the most for GoPro & Ford’s combined audiences
Data Collection: Hitwise AudienceView Intelligence, Pre: 4 weeks ending 18-Jun-2016, During: 4 weeks ending 23-Jul-2016.
Content Strategy in 2017 Report 8
Image Source: “Unstoppable Life” Advert via GoPro.com Audi and Airbnb - ‘Desolation’
Audi & Airbnb’s partnership also saw mutually beneficial gains in terms of online audience growth. The leading tavel and auto brands had co-created the “Desolation” campaign as part of their Emmys sponsorship in September 2016.
Desolation featured an Airbnb property in the remote Death Valley, which could only be accessed via coordinates provided on the Audi model R8.
When comparing before and during the campaign, Audi saw an uplift of shared audiences with Airbnb, to that of their competitor’s level, Mercedez. Their combined audiences also saw an increase in aspirational and affluent consumers, sitting on both ends of the household income spectrum.
Audi & Airbnb Pre vs. During Campaign
Airbnb Audience Audi & Airbnb – Likelihood to Visit Combined Audience Audi rose by 18%, whereas Mercedes Pre Campaign During Campaign only rose by +110% 7%. +107% Less than -8% +13% +103% £30K
+89% £30K to +1% -22% £100K
£60K to -6% £100K 0% Audi Mercedes More than +43% +127% Pre Campaign During Campaign £100K
Airbnb and Audi’s audience saw the largest growth among the affluent and aspirational, including an 84% rise in household incomes of over £100k
Data Collection: Hitwise AudienceView Intelligence, Pre: 4 weeks ending 10-Sep-2016, During: 4 weeks ending 8-Oct-2016..
Top Co-brand with companies who can help you tap into desirable audiences. Measure audience crossover and composition before, during and post Takeaway campaign to evaluate success.
Partnerships and Influencers Report 9 3 Working with the Right Social Influencers Harness the power of Social Media
The past few years has seen a new voice enter and dominate the publishing space – the social influencer.
According to Tubular Insights, 57% of consumers had made a purchase based on an influencer’s recommendations in April 2017 alone.
Previously, a brand’s number one concern was social listening. The rising dominance of social influencers has now led to the next challenge for brands – knowing how to collaborate with social influencers.
Partnerships and Influencers Report 10 Youtube plays host to a vast array of social influencers, with the following vloggers topping the list in terms of internal searches on Youtube. These vloggers have such high brand equity that users are actively searching for their names and youtube channels (often more so than the brands they advertise for). Top Vloggers Youtube Search Share Jan-Apr 2017
Beauty CookingTravelGaming
1. Zoella 1. Tasty1. CaseyNeistat 1. Pewdiepie
2. JeffreeStar2. Epic Meal Time 2. Ben Brown2. Dantdm
3. Tanya Burr 3. How to cook that 3. Planet D3. Minecraft
4. Grav3yardGirl4. Cupcake Jemma 4. Fun for Louis4. Jacksepticeye
5. Lily Pebbles 5. Sorted Food 5. SteveBooker5. Markiplier
Data Collection: Hitwise Custom Intelligence, Internal Search Share on Youtube, Jan – April 2017.
With 8 million influencers across the globe,how does a brand begin to select the right influencer?
Genuine brand affinity is crucial for a brand’s partnership with social influencers. Two factors will make this successful: identifying common values that audiences of the brand and vlogger share, and identifying product interests that compliment both brand and vlogger. A Look into Travel Vloggers
The following example shows the crossover of airlines and their audiences’ interest, compared to the overlap for travel influencers. Whilst the majority of airlines are highly correlated with audiences who search for “family holidays” and “bucket lists”, audience interest varies greatly by vlogger.
Airlines vs. Vloggers
Airlines vs. Audience Interests Influencers vs. Audience Interests
Family BucketBucket New Fun Family Bucket New FuFunn Adventure Adventure Holiday List People Activities Holiday List PeopleActivities
Monarch Ben Brown
Easy Jet Casey Neistat
Emirates Expert Vagabond
British Airways Psychotraveller
Virgin Atlantic Hey Nadine
Most airlines have a high correlation with audiences Whilst all vloggers are highly correlated with adventure, a select searching for family holidays & bucket lists. few have audiences which identify with family & bucket list.
= above 250 index = 249 to 150 index = 149 to 100 index = below 100 index
Data Collection: Hitwise AudienceView Intelligence, 12 weeks to 20-05-2017.
Airlines can then use these interests to find connections with influencers. For instance, Virgin Atlantic’s audience is most correlated with family holidays and bucket lists, which is also the case for vlogger, Ben Brown. Monarch’s audience, on the other hand, are interested in meeting new people, which matches with Hey Nadine’s and Casey Neistat’s audiences.
Top Shared Audience Interests
Selected Airlines Top Correlation Matching Influencers
Family Bucket Fun Holiday List Activity BenAdventur Brown e
Bucket FamilyExpert Vagabond Adventure List Holiday Casey Neistat
Family Meet New Bucket Hey NadineFun Holiday People List CaseyActivit Neistaty
Data Collection: Hitwise AudienceView Intelligence, 12 weeks to 20-05-2017. Audience interests are based on the above chart ‘Airlines vs. Vloggers’. What is an index?
Partnerships and Influencers Report 12 Click here to find out. Connections between brand and influencer can be further extended toretailers linked to the tourism industry, such as outdoor retail brands. For the below listed brands and influencers, both have a strong affiliation with audiences searching for weddings, engagements and adventure.
Travel Retail Brands vs. Vloggers
Airlines vs. Audience Interests Influencers vs. Audience Interests
Wedding Adventure Culture Hate My New Wedding Adventure Culture Hate My New Job People Job People
Havaianas High on Life
Rayban Fun for Louis
Nivea Psychotraveller
North Face Casey Neistat
Go Outdoors Hey Nadine
Brands have a stronger correlation with audiences These audience interests also have a high searching for weddings and adventures. affiliation with travel influencers.
= above 250 index = 249 to 150 index = 149 to 100 index = below 100 index
Data Collection: Hitwise AudienceView Intelligence, 12 weeks to 20-05-2017.
These connections could act as a starting point for brands when selecting the right influencers to partner with. An audience analysis based on common values can also be used to inform the themes and messaging of a collaborative campaign.
For example, Havaianas could partner with Fun for Louis to ensure their footwear is worn in the vlogger’s adventure videos. Nivea could also work with Casey Neistat on a dedicated ad campaign that shows a unique experience, such as meeting people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Audience Values & Interests
Selected Brands Top Correlation Matching Influencers
Wedding Adventure Fun For Louis
Bucket Wedding Meet New High on Life List People Fun for Louis
Hate My Job High on Life
Data Collection: Hitwise AudienceView Intelligence, 12 weeks to 20-05-2017. Audience interests are based on the above chart Travel retail Brands vs. Vloggers’.
Top Evolve from social listening to social collaboration. Find the right influencers by Takeaway looking at common audience interests and values with your brand.
Partnerships and Influencers Report 13
Key Takeaways
›› Understand how your brand performs on affiliate sites by tracking page views, internal search and audience overlap
›› Co-brand with companies who can help you tap into desirable audiences
›› Measure audience crossover and composition before, during and post campaign to evaluate success
›› Not every social influencer is ideal to partner with - conduct an audience overlap analysis first
›› Understand the interests of both your audience and of a social influencer’s audience in order to align specific products with the right influencer
Partnerships and Influencers Report 15 For more information visit us at: www.hitwise.co.uk