Week 11 Thought Paper: Influencers and Message
In today’s online driven world, marketers need to meet their audience where they are. One of the greatest tools to do this is to utilize influencer marketing. In fact, 93% of marketers are using influencer marketing, and 84% marketers find it to be effective (Grover, 2019). In addition to marketers placing huge emphasis on, and major trust in, influencer marketing, the general public does as well. A survey showed that 92% of consumers trust influencer and other earned marketing tactics over traditional marketing tactics (Fertik, 2020). The influencer marketing trend is not going anywhere anytime soon — it is projected that the market for influencer marketing will hit $15 billion by next year (2020).
To get the best bang for their advertising budget bucks, marketers need to carefully choose the right influencer to hire for their campaign. It needs to be a great fit — marketers need to pick someone who will truly speak to and realistically relate to their target audience. Likewise, an influencer should be mindful of the products they choose to promote. Overall, the partnership needs to make sense for both the influencer and the product.
One potential partnership that could be fruitful for both sides would be for Beats by Dre to partner with San Diego Padres superstar Fernando Tatis Jr. to market the company’s Beats Powerbeats Pro headphones. The Powerbeats Pro headphones are wireless, sweat and water resistant, have a long battery life, and feature adjustable and secure ear hooks that are designed to move with an active wearer. The ideal target audience for these headphones is an athletic and active audience who will use the Powerbeats Pro headphones during their workouts.
Fernando Tatis Jr. is the All-Star shortstop for the San Diego Padres, and he is one of the most exciting players in Major League Baseball today. He is extremely talented, plays with swagger and passion, and is a true joy to watch. Only 22 years old, Tatis is a breath of fresh air for MLB — he is one of a new breed of young and exuberant players in a game that has generally lacked them. Since his debut in 2019, Tatis has become one of the most popular players in the game. He had the third highest selling jersey coming into the 2021 season (and is the youngest player to ever have a top three jersey) and is the cover player for the popular video game MLB The Show 21 (and he is the youngest ever cover athlete for the series). Tatis is also one of the most followed MLB players on Instagram, where he has 1.2 million followers on his account @fernando_tatis21, which is about 500,000 more followers than the official account of his team, @Padres.
Tatis and Powerbeats Pro would be a great partnership. Since Powerbeats Pro headphones are designed to be worn during physical activity, an athlete is a logical pick for an influencer. Tatis’s popularity as one of the premier faces in Major League Baseball, and the extensive media coverage he receives, gives him a very wide potential reach in advertising. His fanbase is mostly formed by baseball fans, so there would be overlap in his audience and the target audience for the headphones. The sponsorship would also fit well alongside Tatis’s existing sponsorships with companies such as Adidas, BMW, Bolt24 Energy Drinks, and Hyperice.
Influencer marketing is here to stay. Savvy marketers recognize this and can capitalize on this effort to reach their audience in an authentic and natural way. Influencers offer new marketing opportunities that gain the audience’s trust and respect. This beneficial relationship between marketers and influencers is an exciting and lucrative way of business.
