Like eating soup with chopsticks – the Ministry of Finance’s misguided influencer campaign
After the government body got a public roasting for using lifestyle and beauty bloggers to promote its budget, Right Hook's Wesley Gunter argues marketers have finally lost the plot when it comes to employing social media influencers
I’m sure you’ve read the news lately about the brilliant marketing strategy taken by Singapore’s Ministry of Finance to promote the country’s upcoming budget.
Firstly, this article is not meant to slam bloggers. As a marketer and owner of an agency, I work with them on a regular basis to promote my clients.
However, using fashion and lifestyle bloggers to promote a financial product to the masses is tantamount to eating soup with chopsticks in a Chinese restaurant. Just because everyone in the room thinks chopsticks is an effective tool, it’s not necessarily gonna work.
There are just so many things I want to rant about regarding this whole scenario from society at large to just how stupid it sounds but I’m going to just speak from a marketing viewpoint and silently scream to myself.
The numbers game
One of my greatest pet peeves about how marketing and public relations has evolved is how everybody loves pegging it to numbers and statistics. Not everything is an algorithm for Christ’s sakes. And PR is not sales.
You can’t just make a marketing decision based on numbers alone. Just because an ‘influencer’ has three million followers on her Instagram because she has silky smooth skin, she’s not going to be the best marketing tool for your product and audience.
As much as this may be common sense, many marketers have lost the plot and are sold just because of the number of likes and followers regardless of the influencer’s background and what they actually do.
Which brings me to my next point..
What’s the objective?
It’s not surprising that the majority of Singaporeans who eagerly anticipate what the government will roll out every year with the budget are above 30.
If you’ve got surmounting bills to pay, mouths to feed and probably an ageing parent with some illness to look after while earning a meagre salary, you’re going to take every bit of charity you can get. The budget is not just ‘freebies’ to some, it’s a matter of survival.
Now let’s shift focus to our adorable youth. The ‘disruptors’ of our society who wouldn’t bat an eyelid when it comes to splurging on that fancy meal or just going on a ‘sabbatical’ to ‘discover themselves’ in some far-flung destination.
This is of course a generalisation of our ‘spoilt’ youth as branded by the older Singaporeans which is far from the truth. But by looking at the ‘influencers’ selected by MOF they tend to fall into this ‘fluff’ category.
I’m sure there are many younger Singaporeans who depend on the budget to get by. It’s a shame that the ‘influencers’ used by MOF don’t seem to be a good representation of what younger Singaporeans would want from a government initiative.
Do you know what you’re selling?
So we covered the problem with using a wrong marketing tool for a wrong audience. Now let’s talk about the human element here.
If you wanted to sell nail polish to a bunch of teenagers, would you use 45-year-old retiree with a pot belly to do the job? Of course you wouldn’t. So why would you get a bunch of happy-go-lucky millennials, who spend their time eating at fancy restaurants and wearing little clothes, to have something useful to say about a financial product – one even the people that came up with the budget have trouble explaining.
I am all for ‘dumbing’ down something to make it understandable to your Average Joe. But how can you get someone that doesn’t even understand the fundamentals of your product to explain it to the masses? That’s like getting a guy in China who just learned the English language for the past year to teach a classroom of foreigners modern literature. Bottomline: No one is going to learn jack shit.
So in a nutshell the problem doesn’t lie with bloggers but the medium used.
It’s honestly pretty appalling to me how such a huge government body which is the authority on everything to do with money in this country can be so clueless when it comes to marketing their own product..
I’m sure the Ministry of Finance has enough budget in their coffers to hire a decent marketing and PR agency no?
Wesley Gunter is the owner and PR Director of Right Hook Communications. This article was first published on LinkedIn and reprinted with permission.
Good point
ReplyGood points, yes, but I was waiting for you to suggest what they SHOULD have done instead.
ReplyThe writer did. He suggested for MOF to hire a decent marketing and PR agency. Read the last paragraph again.
ReplyCome on. That’s a cheap out – that’s not a solution, that’s a sales pitch. Which would have been far more effective had the author given proper constructive advice. And in any case, who’s to say they don’t already have one (or 5, given the state of .Gov these days), and this fiasco was the advice of said agency?
ReplyIf you expect an agency owner to give free advice on a public forum then there would be no more pr agencies left. The point of the article was to point out the issues in the strategy. If MOF wants a solution they should hire an agency or if they already have one they should get a better one
ReplyWay the whiteknighting is strong in this one.
Every tom dick and harry can point out problems, everyone can point out why the MRT system is jialat
But what really sets a person apart is when they can offer insights.
ReplyThat’s funny. I thought the author gave plenty of insights on what to do. Look beyond the number of followers to the personality of the influencer to make sure their brand is aligned to yours and make sure you have a clear objective in mind and select influencers who can carry your message credibly for example. It’s right there in the article. Did you even read it?
ReplyBasically he is saying
“Eh MOF, throw some money our way, should hire us instead yo!”
ReplyHas the writer and mumbrella look into the suitability of these influencers before making such a sweeping statement? Point in question, ST had featured this campaign’s influencers and seems like the ministry had utilised mirco influencers who know what they are representing.
ReplyAre you serious? One of them didn’t even know who they were representing. She called it the “SG Govt of Finance”.
and all the cringey ways they all tried to fit in the MOF messages (incl using your own wedding shots which tend to get lots of likes) shows they don’t really know.
ReplyCS, perhaps you should read what they posted to have a better understanding of their lack of understanding…
Don’t defend for the sake of defending. Wedding photos? Seriously?
With the recent flak that an influencer got her/his wedding all paid for (sponsored)… Wrong messaging much? ~ Especially when we’re talking about the national budget…
Take a look at 100 local influencers… And please tell me what about frugality and/or budget are you talking about? Most of the stuff they’re posting are given / sponsored and they’re probably all living extra opulent lives whilst staying in their HDB flats… Driving the nail on consumerism into the very souls of the youth that they attract.
Reply@CS do you work for MOF?
ReplyFrom Singapore actresses who ridicule Filipinos, to micro bloggers who know nothing about finance (or pretty much anything for the matter) – the SG Govt must either have a)too much money b)idiot people recommending equally idiotic ideas – what’s next…..government bodies thinking they need to be cool / innovative / disruptive for the sake of it? Time to get a reality check.
But if we take a look in another view this campaign did get the message out. And it when viral.
ReplyI have to disagree. People still don’t quite get what the ‘message’ is..probably neither does MOF. But agreed this mysterious message did go viral.. Is that considered a win still?
ReplyWhat message went out though? That there is such a thing as a budget? That’s a pretty low bar. For a campaign like this to be successful there needs to be a more specific goal than “raising awareness” alone. What did MOF want these young Singaporeans to do? Read up on the budget? Start planning their finances? Now they know the budget exists (which is something I’m pretty sure they knew already), now what? What are they supposed to do with their newfound knowledge? I’m afraid this campaign was a weak effort.
ReplySo Wesley is saying there is actually finance and economy influencers on instagram that mof could have used instead to reach the young people? Names? If not, youre just parroting ST.
ReplyHello huh?
That’s not what I said. I said at the start it’s the wrong medium for the message therefore using bloggers would be the wrong strategy.
Cheers
Replyi was referring to the writer of the article, Wesley.
But why would using influencers be the wrong medium? Below 25 is part of their target audience, no? Not on instagram, then? The influencers are just the messenger.
ReplyI think he IS the writer of the article. LOL Why’d you blow him off?
ReplyLook guys. Here’s the reality.
– MOF wants to reach a younger TA
– Younger TA do not read newspaper/watch tv/read magazines
– They are 24/7 on social media like instagram
– There are no politically credible influencers on instagram that appeals to the younger TA
– MOF engages these lifestyle influencers to promote the budget18.
– i mean who’s to say that if you post non stop about food on instagram you know nothing or have no life/interests on anything outside of food?
really people? your instagram feed defines who you are now?
ReplyTotally agree with this comment. My Instagram is about Fashion illustration, but I am a Scientist by profession. Probably the author would think that I spend my days happy go lightly painting clothes, since he likes to judge people by their IG. I am just one case, but there are many more like me.
Assuming that someone’s life is 100% shallow and stupid just because they post about clothes on Instagram is downright ignorant, superficial and rude.
I kinda agree on many points raised by the article though, MOF could have done this campaign much better. Sadly, MOF chosen approach for the campaign just mirrors the level of social media marketing in Singapore: in one word, pathetic.
Al
ReplyYour ‘reality’ seems pretty simplistic based on what market research may I add?
Any experienced marketer will know that the younger TA is a very complex market therefore you cant just use one medium to reach out to them.
Therefore if you cant find appropriate bloggers to communicate your product/service dont use them. Same thing as not using the Straits Times to promote your product/service if it doesnt suit your audience. There are more ways to skin a cat my friend. Time to look out of that box
ReplyAnd how do you know influencers are not just 1 medium amongst many they are using to reach the younger folks? Just because its not perfect, nobody should use it? They could be boosting fb post and there will be schmucks here that would say its a bad medium because whos gonna engage with your boring ad. Bitch please, and why are PR folks involved in this? They are paid influencers, its not PR if its paid.
ReplyYour last statement just shows how little you know about PR. Not all influencers are paid my friend. If you don’t believe me go speak to some people from PR agencies. Time to go back to school junior
ReplySelf serving article by a PR guy to slam mof for not hiring PR “experts” like him.
Middlemen agencies like this exist only to cream off the efforts of those who do the real work.
I hope more government agencies continue to work directly with influencers and bypass these unnecessary PR middlemen
ReplyYeah, I agree. Stop listening/hiring to those with experience and expertise and go it alone.
Can’t see a downside to that strategy. You may even be able to replicate the success of the MOF.
ReplyYou sound like a certain ‘disruptor’ I read about recently who tried to automate the PR industry based on no PR experience.
Your very statement my friend just proves that you have no clue how PR works. You should probably do more research or work in an agency first before you keep shooting your mouth off.
ReplyThis campaign was a confused mess. It most definitely would have benefited from someone with more experience guiding the process along.
In fact this is the perfect example of why going directly to influencers is such a bad idea. It’s painfully clear that they either had no idea what they were supposed to do for MOF or how to get the message across.
If a communications expert had been working with them to guide their writing, their messaging would have been more on point.
Reply“Middlemen agencies like this exist only to cream off the efforts of those who do the real work.”
ReplyOkay, I’ll bite. Who are those who do the real work?
Not to be pedantic, but there are a lot of delicious chicken noodle soups one can easily eat with chopsticks? ?
But yea, the influencer campaign was utter garbage.
ReplyThese aren’t actually your everyday Instagram users.
For influencers, it is their livelihood. Snapping photos at expensive restaurants, showing us a life of opulence (I’ve already said this), whilst getting it for free / sponsored. They were paid to garner interest in Budget18. This campaign has actually fallen flat because, the focus isn’t on the budget anymore, but its on the influencers and their brainless banter instead.
Like it or not, they are popular because they look good (to some)… Most of them haven’t even paid income tax or declared any so much so, that IRAS was coming down on it last year.
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/iras-clarifies-tax-rules-for-bloggers
Who are they to talk about the national budget then? They’re taken by surprise that they actually have to contribute to Income Tax? and they’re now talking about the national Budget?
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/bloggers-taken-by-surprise-by-iras-letter-on-taxable-income-8148106
Here we have a blogger thinking its extreme to be taxed for income / benefits received.
So, they do want to have their cake and eat it, and not only that, they’re gonna tell me about the national budget?
Totally unacceptable campaign…
ReplyI’m an influencer myself. But I wasn’t hired to do this little gig for MOF…
I don’t see what’s wrong with using influencers. We’re popular enough in our own circles! But for the case above, they WEREN’T giving financial advise!!!
They weren’t even talking about how the government of the day should spend!!!
Their message was simple. To get people to know that Budget Day is approaching, and the ways to find out more information about it.
I think the writer is archaic and stuck in the 20th century of dial-up modems and fax machines.
Personal note to the author: By the way, we’re not all airheads either. Picture me by the pool in my swimsuit waving my Magna Cum Laude degree at your face while I earn money doing what I love.
*cheers
ReplyTiffany – Out…
LOL..spoken like a true millenial.
That arrogant and bimbotic statement is the reason MOF should never have worked with self centred people like you.
Good luck with your ambitious ‘poolside’ career
ReplyWhy would you take your degree to the pool? That doesn’t sound very sensible. Actually, it sounds a bit… well… you used the word “airhead”…
ReplyHi Tiffany!
I too have a degree. But I’ve never brought it to the pool before because there’s no use for it there.
Unless you’re gonna tell me it’s some kind of flotation device or a really absorbent papyrus for drying yourself I really think you should keep it at home. You must have really worked very hard to achieve Magna Cum Laude and I’d hate to see it gettin’ all smudged up. God forbid, the chlorine from the pool might erase your name from it!
ReplyDaniel, I’d expect a reader of mumbrella to be a little more cognizant to sarcasm.
Lemme put it in reference for you since you probably came of age watching ultra literal local telemovies:
Just because we’re influencers, it doesn’t mean we aren’t educated and can’t be the right medium for PSAs. A lot of work goes into what we do. Perhaps being in the office way too long has kept you myopic.
Don’t be like the author… don’t be that dinosaur…
I’ve spent 8 years in the US and another 4 in the UK. I think I’ve earned the right to say my piece the way I deem fit.
ReplyPerson who uses sarcasm, doesn’t recognise sarcastic response, proceeds to lecture about sarcasm
Well played
ReplyGuys! You have no right! You’ve only lived for much longer then her but not in Europe or America. No, your yearly trips to Bangkok for shopping does not make you a citizen of the world like her.
ReplyHi TiffanyT
Thanks for your personal note:) Sorry I hurt your feelings in my article. I think you actually missed the point of the article which was meant to say that the wrong medium was used for a product or service in MOF’s case and not at all was meant to slam bloggers. (I did reiterate that in the first sentence of the article)
I’m sure you’re very good in what you do and wish you all the best in your future. Be it at the pool or office:)
P.S. I don’t use a fax machine in my office
Reply“By the way, we’re not all airheads either. Picture me by the pool in my swimsuit waving my Magna Cum Laude degree at your face while I earn money doing what I love.”
Tiffany T, you said that second statement right after the first..sounds a bit contradictory.
Do you actually read what you type? You got a bright future girl..
ReplyShort for Millenial I’d like to openly chat finance with ?
Replymoney/budget could have been ours… a simple comparison to conventional ways being disrupted and they can’t do anything but cry lol
ReplyAh, the ‘d’ word emerges again.
Making a mess if things is not being disruptive. It’s called making a mess of things. You really need to lose the insecurity.
ReplySpeaking of finance and economics, I’d probably out-talk, outwit, out-philosophize any of you while adjusting my hair for a selfie.
But then you’d just use Wikipedia and Google in what would be proven to be a feeble attempt to debate me…
“Alexander of Macedon, who, upon hearing that there were other worlds, wept that he had not yet conquered one,“
We all know what happened to Alexander. We all know what will be of agencies. Clutching at straws and pandering to an already dead media run by halfwit wannabe moguls.
That’s not me.
That’s you.
Tifanny – Out…
ReplyTifanny is out, everybody. Tifanny is out!
ReplyWe all know what happened to Alexander. We all know what will be of agencies. Clutching at straws and pandering to an already dead media run by halfwit wannabe moguls.
why you wanna badmouth influenza marketing industry like that….
Reply“We all know what happened to Alexander.”
He conquered the world so hard that there was nothing left to conquer? I’m pretty sure he wasn’t fighting media moguls though. So what’s your point?
ReplyMagna Cum Laude. Youre probably from SMU or an American Uni. Graduating from business school with a degree in Economics/Finance/Accounting and you talk only of outwitting, outalking and out philosophizing someone else is just downright pathetic. It really is. Id like to think somone who came out of higher education had more value to add.
Rather than outwitting, out talking and out philosophizing. How about you actually use your intelligence to structure an IPO or M&A, and use your superior oratorical skills to pitch and win the deal?
Instead of out philosophizing, how about you do a post grad and write your thesis on maybe crytocurrencies? I think its poorly understood and the world could do with more material to try and understand and makes sense of it.
PS: No need to wave your magna cum laude in the air at the pool to prove your worth and place in the world or at the table. I am sure youre an intelligent, witty and eloquent young woman. Do justice to all of those qualities you have.
ReplyHello Tiffany,
What are your social media statistics/ numbers? Care to share? =)
Wan Wei
ReplyNope. Not to “anonytroll”…
ReplyI dont know whether to cry or laugh at the sheer arrogance of your post Tiffany…
You seem to think you’re some new media messiah ..
Are you going to die and rise again after 3 days or something?
Please continue. This is highly entertaining
ReplyDid you just completely murder that quote? Alexander wept because there were NO other worlds to conquer. If you’re going to throw down, get the basics right or risk looking rather foolish.
ReplyIs TifannyT trying to pretend to be TiffanyT, or did TiffanyT get drunk and forget to spell her name, or was TifannyT drunk earlier and mispelt her name as Tiffany? So many questions.
Not Tiffanny – Out
ReplyI argee fully with U!
You can be smart and beautiful 2.
But being an influencer is not as easy as it looks. I take selfie, u take selfie but why more people like my post? Coz I have influence.
And when she said she bring her maga cum laude to the pool.. why u all think is paper? Why cannot be digital version?
We have it with us at all time cos as influencers we are always ready to be hired for jobs.
Jobs that pay us to do what we love and get paid for it.
You all know what happened to the dinosaurs? They become extinguish.
– cArA
ReplyHi Cara!
ReplyI like you. May I follow you on instagram? Send me a link!
I argee fully with U!
You can be smart and beautiful 2.
But being an influencer is not as easy as it looks. I take selfie, u take selfie but why more people like my post? Coz I have influence.
>>> It means you take a nice picture. Influence is not measured in likes. For example: if the Pope says it is not right to engage in something, most Catholics would believe in his statement and follow his recommendations in their spiritual/secular lives or they may not but it is highly likely that they would because he is in a position of authority. Similarly if the Prime Minister of Singapore says that there is particular solution to a problem and after weighing the options he has chosen a path for us citizens, some may still wish to express their disagreement. But because he is in a position of authority it will be most likely that we would be influenced by his proposal. In both cases – likes do not result in influence so please turn your enthusiasm when it comes to your influence. Your “likes” mean nothing so close to influence as you may believe. It is only indicative of the likes you have vis a vis your following. So if you have 80,000 followers but 1000 likes it only means that 1.25% of your following pressed a button on their app. (Statistically – 1.25% is a crap return. Brands are hiring you for reach not likes)
And when she said she bring her maga cum laude to the pool.. why u all think is paper? Why cannot be digital version?
>>> Waving = physical therefore it cannot be digital to wave around. A Magna cum laude is a pretty big boast therefore by merit you need to have a physical copy. It would also be advantageous that you have a diploma/degree in media communication principles. Yes it is a requirement to show you understand how communication works.
We have it with us at all time cos as influencers we are always ready to be hired for jobs.
Jobs that pay us to do what we love and get paI’d.
>>> That’s great to hear that you are prepared.
You all know what happened to the dinosaurs? They become extinguish.
Reply>>> They do not “become extinguish”. They went extinct.
Hello TiffanyT
ReplyWhy weren’t you one of the influencers chosen anyway?
I think she already answered your question with her ‘intelligent’ replies mate
ReplyHi Terry,
I was probably stateside when it was sanctioned. Not that they would have engaged me anyway, as most of my followers are Westerners.
I do pop back to Asia every once in a while, actually more often than not, to do some gigs…
In fact, I haven’t been actively engaging my followers recently. Been working on some music and hopefully I’d cut an album! – my dream!
The backlash I’ve gotten here is a stark reminder that it was the right choice not to reveal who I really am.
I’m ending any further conversation with these men who seem to be singularly out to destroy me (my profession) with their trivial pursuit of keeping their decaying industry alive.
ReplyIf you can’t take the heat, get out of the kitchen. Way to go to defending your claim.
Respect and trust are given to those – who albeit may make mistakes – have a spine.
Reply1) Agree with the author on all points.
2) An issue that affects us all should be treated with a bit more care. Engaging influencers to get people more interested in the budget is 1 way to do it and is probably by no means the end all of their strategy to get the word out.
3) Influencers can actually introduce a product/service to their followers but here’s the rub – if your posts are about fashion/food the likelihood of your followers being interested in the Budget is likely to fail. If the goal was to cause a furore thereby generating interest int he budget – then it has failed because we’re talking more about the influencers’ roles int he campaign than the budget itself.
4) Getting influencers involved in something as broad as the budget should have started months ago to gather what the under 35 bracket of the population feel about the budget and how it affects them. As a member of this demographic I don’t care about its release as I am about how it impacts those whose lives are affected by it. If you don’t pay taxes, a mortgage, send kids to school conduct an SME business – it is very likely you DON’T care about the budget.
5) The roll-out of the campaign and its messaging that I understand it is this – The budget is coming out. What should have been the messaging is this – you should care about the budget because you’re about to become the generation that is about to earn the least and pay the most in Singapore’s financial history. That ought to get their attention.
6) Hiring a proper marketing/PR Agency is something that most agencies are actually not interested in because the days of the authorities understanding the full impact of modern media channels is extremely low at best. Engagement on media channels is NOT understanding the media and its impact on society.
7) Influencers will continue being a part of the marketing mix. Unfortunately it is going to take another 5-10 years before we sort out true influencers who understand what their messaging does to those around them as opposed to just saying the message. Just as in the past when the role of communication is being challenged by a new medium – a fair amount of unease follows.
8) Just because you have a following does not mean you are an influencer. MSM has the largest following (circulation) in Singapore but whether or not it is trusted is another question.
9) In short – was using the strategy of engaging influencers the best option to expose the younger generation to something like the Budget the best option? No – its not. Why? Because the younger generation being driven by online presence need information. The website http://www.singaporebudget.gov.sg/ only details what was done in the past and how the budget impacts our economic life. Where are the difficult questions it should have answered? How does it affect me as a citizen? How bad it the outlook? What are our challenges? Should they be looked into and restructured? What of education, housing and healthcare? What of transportation? So many questions and no answers.
10) In short – influencers have a role to play in disseminating information. Do they have a role yet in disseminating IMPORTANT information? The evidence says it does not understand its role yet.
I would listen to someone who asks difficult questions (a proper journalist) as opposed to someone who does not (a majority of influencers).
Interested to know your thoughts on the above from both parties.
ReplyYeah, that’s all great but what do you think of TiffanyT?
ReplyShe’s human. So mistakes can be made. Hope she learns where her true value lies. By the pool or otherwise.
ReplySome strong points to consider here, but you didn’t mention how long you spent in the US and UK.
ReplyI misunderstand how my length of stay in UK/US is pertinent to this line of thought.
Share with me how you think this information would be useful?
ReplyIt’s important to be well traveled and immersed into different environments.
But you’re probably happy to be in your little well… So I won’t bother delving into details.
You bore me. At least Wesley has a bit more bite to his bark.
Goodbye.
ReplyAh, Tiffany speaks (squeaks?).
You are absolutely correct. Being well travelled is indeed important.
Personally I have been fortunate to work with and visited companies that are are in Switzerland, the United States, Indonesia, Thailand in the capacities of project management in projects ranging from refugee assistance, marketing and entrepreneurship.
Its kinda stupid for you to share that you do not bother about the details. Point to note – in a public forum you shouldn’t share that you don’t care about the details. It shows how ignorant you are about communication. Stupid much?
In all these experiences – I have learned one important thing. To be gracious in dealing with people. Learn this well Tiffany – for this might teach you a thing or two about being a valuable human being – get off your your high-(pretentious-instagram-only)horse and let your ideas speak for themselves. If you have problems crystallising your thoughts through words – please do us all a favour and stick to hair-flip images.
Note: You have provided nothing in terms of engagement on the points I have brought up. This means you are shallow and cannot compete at this level. Refuting and debunking points raised is what leads to good exchange of ideas but if all you can manage is snide remarks it tells me you are unable to comprehend on things from a bigger vantage point other than yourself (not surprising and reinforces the view that some influencers are not worth their salt).
A high-level of education means nothing when it is not accompanied with a high-level of morality. It is unfortunate that someone who believes in multi-nation multi-ethnic exposure would write or behave in such a way. Noone likes a bitch.
Right now, as it stands – you’re nothing more than a blip on the mumbrella radar.
I hope you will amount to something more.
ReplyK…
ReplyI really think TifannyT and TiffanyT are 2 different people. A person can’t possibly spell their name wrongly can they? Methinks TifannyT a ttrroolll
ReplyI think so too
ReplyYou guys sound like know it alls. I’m sure Tiffany is better than you fellows. After all, she’s got magna cum laude… Unless of course you’ve got summa I think you’d best stop talking.
Don’t bully her just cos you’re a bunch of decrepit old men frothing at the mouth imagining her in her bikini at the pool.
She has raised valid points. And has obviously hit some raw nerves here.
Keep it safe for all here.
ReplyNo she hasn’t.
The points have been challenged and have been found wanting.
Again: break it down point by point where the thinking is wrong and I will humbly engage.
ReplyI believe her message got lost. The men here chose to only focus on a degree toting Tiffany in the pool wearing a swimsuit > telling them they’re no longer relevant. That sent a knife right to the centre of their chauvinistic hearts.
If you’d actually read and digested what she had to say initially without getting your speedos in a bunch, she made plenty of sense.
I’m not here to reiterate what she said, but do have another read…
ReplyDon’t you have something else better to do rather than pen a thesis every hour?
Go earn some real $ for a change rather than be a cyber bully.
ReplySo disagreeing with your (frankly vapid) point of view is what passes for bullying nowadays?
Let’s be clear: you came in all guns blazing. You insulted a bunch of people, including the author, who by the way has been nothing but cordial to you, and when you reap what you sow you consider that bullying?
You’re being treated with the same respect that you afforded the members of this forum.
ReplySo stating valid points and countering whatever millenial bullshit you’ve been spewing out makes someone a ‘cyberbully’? My God Tiffany how pathetic can you be.. There’s no way you can be a real person. Useless troll
ReplyCry me a river, Tiffany.
If you call me putting you in your place with facts “bullying” then by all means, carry on. A Magna Cum Laude and you can’t even put up a fight in thought? Cheap paper qualifications (or digital) I must say.
I do believe in the school of hard knocks and it helps people grow which is why I chose to engage with you so that you may learn. Think before you speak (write).
P.S. If you haven’t already noticed – you have been knocked. Either present a viable argument or submit that you are unable to answer. Pointing a finger at me and insinuating me a bully is just childish. Grow up (mentally).
Replyat the end of the day, bloggers laugh while agencies cry #who’sgotthemoney #ifonlyagenciescanspreadthewordfasterthanbloggers
ReplySorry the statistics are clear.
Bloggers are getting SOME of the money but not all. In fact media buying agencies are still getting more. Like way more than bloggers.
I will also note that some influencers are getting a lot of money – if you count yourself as one of them – proof would be great? Quantify your statements please.
Replyahhh, the good ol’ agency-trying-to-stay-relevant article.
the mof campaign wasn’t executed the best but the sad reality is despite that, 5,000% more young people would have seen these influencer posts over the press releases farted out by you folks. What is it you have? An irrelevant demographic mailing list with 5% open rates? Yea thank god i took my money elsewhere.
I question the relevance of a PR agency in a world that has gone digital. FB and instagram directly connect the advertiser to the target audience. your role is obsolete. advice? years of irrelevant industry experience? “right people”? don’t make me laugh.
i’ll just boost ads directly on FB without you. or maybe spend 10% the price engaging a bunch of micro-influencers. either way has far higher ROI then the ‘value’ you bring which i’m still trying to figure out what exactly.
I sure can understand why agencies are so salty but jesus christ, get with the times and stop crying everytime influencers are shown to be more relevant than you.
ReplyThat’s a fascinating point of view being put forward that eyeballs/views are somehow an end goal, while every professional knows that it’s just the beginning. All these views, clicks, etc. have to translate into action of some sort or they are completely useless to companies (and no, clicking “like” is not considered action).
So what if your millions of viewers saw some post or other? Did they do anything after that or were they entertained for a moment and then moved on to the next thing?
In the case of the MOF campaign, did more youngsters show up for information sessions? Did they start a budget? Did they go find an advisor to seek advice from? It’s doubtful because few of the influencers had any effective content that might push their followers to take the next step.
If you believe that because you post a wedding photo and some vague statement about the budget, people are going to do something about their finances then you are delusional and don’t know how influence works.
I can’t believe it needs to be pointed out, but the message matters. It’s not just about eyeballs. It’s about getting people to act. If you can’t motivate people to do that. You’re just wasting everyone’s time.
ReplyGreat comment Aernout. You hit the nail on the head
ReplyOnly professionals understand this.
ReplyYour naivety is quite astounding. Give Chris Chong a call. You would make good bedfellows.
Hopefully Aernout’s excellent response has given you pause for thought. If not, then I wish you luck chasing irrelevant metrics.
Remember: outcomes not outputs. That’s what counts.
ReplyYou just mentioned he that shall not be named..the disruptor of PR, mother of dragons, first of his name..
ReplyIf you mention his name two more times, you might summon him
Replyhhh, the good ol’ agency-trying-to-stay-relevant article.
the mof campaign wasn’t executed the best but the sad reality is despite that, 5,000% more young people would have seen these influencer posts over the press releases farted out by you folks. What is it you have? An irrelevant demographic mailing list with 5% open rates? Yea thank god i took my money elsewhere.
>>>> Experience is what Agencies have. You cannot do one without the other. The marketing mix involves an agency to coordinate. Doing things yourself is an option but coordination for the right messaging still requires an integrating force. 5000% more young people – this is an interesting statistic can you share how you measure this? Because that’s what professionals do – quantity their effort.
I question the relevance of a PR agency in a world that has gone digital. FB and instagram directly connect the advertiser to the target audience. your role is obsolete. advice? years of irrelevant industry experience? “right people”? don’t make me laugh.
>>> this shows you don’t get it. An agency is able to coordinate campaigns across mediums and audiences. For example how do you know in effect that experience is obsolete? I can point out to you in the next paragraph where this is relevant. Yes the right people are required: you don’t hire a plumber to fix a system issue. That’s the job of an process/systems engineer.
i’ll just boost ads directly on FB without you. or maybe spend 10% the price engaging a bunch of micro-influencers. either way has far higher ROI then the ‘value’ you bring which i’m still trying to figure out what exactly.
>>> This is where experience comes in. If you’re still boosting your posts in hopes that your message will get out then you’re mistaken. In mid-2016 FB introduced new algorithms that reduce the effectiveness of post-boosting. What used to be an effective way to reach your fans have become obsolete. So I’ll challenge you to prove it otherwise. By the way earlier in January of 2018, FB further reduced the effectiveness of post- boosting making it even more useless to reach your audience. Experience will have this knowledge not influencers.
I sure can understand why agencies are so salty but jesus christ, get with the times and stop crying everytime influencers are shown to be more relevant than you.
Reply>>> This is where arrogance shows itself. There is still a role to play and instead of thinking of who is the top dog – effort should be put in place to know who does what and for what purpose. I stand by my statement that influencers are a growing part of the mix but by no means constitutes the strategic function of agencies.
Facebook’s algo change only affected organic reach of posts. Paid boosts are not affected. You must be from PR.
ReplyPaid influencers are part of paid media, PAID. there is no PR component here. bye guys.
ReplyThe fact that these jokers paid for this farce makes the entire sordid incident even worse.
ReplyOh God you really are stupid and ignorant. Engaging influencers are part of the PR jobscope – paid or unpaid. If you want to argue at least get your facts right junior.
ReplyPaid or not, it’s the output many here are taking issue with. In fact, since it is paid media, MOF had the opportunity to control the messaging. So either they did not guide these influencers or they were okay with it. Either way, this looks bad for them. Bottom line this was a bad use of influencers.
ReplyI think what you’re missing here Alexander, is the desire to move away from their comfort zone. You equated it to selling beauty products to teenagers via an overweight 45 year old and I get that, however, the point that you’ve missed is that they weren’t selling this nail varnish to the teenagers, they were selling it to the demographic of the 45 year old, pot-bellied influencer. Increasing their reach across a wider spectrum than they would normally reach.
All they’ve done here is tried to move away from their traditional audience, to one that’s not engaged with them in any way. Using influencers is not the wrong way to do that, providing the messaging is right.
ReplyI think we’re in agreement David. I have no issue with them reaching out to a wider audience, nor do I have an issue with them using social media influencers to do it.
What I take issue with is the lazy implementation. At the very least they should have curated the influencers better, then they should have been clearer about what they needed these influencers to do and last but certainly not least they should have done a better job of guiding them in when it came to the actual messaging in their posts.
You said so yourself “provided the messaging is right” and, boy oh boy, did they screw up the messaging part…
ReplyHave your say