Knowing who to influence - a key tool for both marketers and corporates

‘PR cuts through clutter using third party endorsements.  Buzz occurs when people talk about you versus advertising when you are talking about yourself”, Jerry Schwartz - veteran US PR agency owner.

PR has always worked to disseminate messages through influencers - independent 3^rd parties.  When they say good things about an organisation, person, product or service it usually confers more credibility than if you tried to say it yourself.

Traditionally media has been the main PR influencer - and getting implied endorsement from the media is still one of the most powerful tools.  But now PR is taking the influencer model further and starting to use it to create word-of-mouth ‘buzz’.

And a lot of the campaigns don’t even involve using the media!

So who are influencers?  

They are individuals with the power to sway or affect attitude or behaviour based on their prestige, ability or position. Or “expertise from people who can’t afford to lie,” according to Faith Popcorn.

Why are they important to marketers and organisations?

Directly reaching consumers and other targets is getting tougher.  Media channels are proliferating. Everyone is becoming bombarded with messages and clutter.

Increasingly consumers are looking for trusted - and independent - sources.

In fact research in the US last year on ‘influentials’ indicated that 10 percent of the population influence the other 90 percent.

Influencers’ comments add prestige to a brand.  Their opinions can endorse or influence, or counter myths and misconceptions.  And consumers listen to them.

How do you identify and reach them?

This is where PR methodologies come into play. Ketchum , a major US-based PR agency (Network PR, the publisher of PR Influences is their Australian and New Zealand affiliate) has recently released a proprietary program that helps identify, reach and communicate with influencers. 

This program has received considerable publicity in PR and advertising media.  Several Fortune 500 companies have piloted the program successfully to accelerate the effectiveness of their overall marketing campaigns.

Identifying and working with influencers - always a key part of PR programs - is experiencing a renaissance. It can be applied to almost any product or service:

• hot cereal sales in the US were found to be influenced by 163 key Americans.
• toothpaste influencers range from dental hygienists to dating experts.
• mascara demand is shaped by people as diverse as allergists, eyeglass makers and optometrists. 

  

And influencer programs aren’t just restricted to consumer products. FedEx has revealed how it ran a very successful influencer program that changed attitudes and ultimately increased its stock price - by concentrating on just 147 individuals.

So what are some of the comments being made about the importance of influencers and word-of-mouth marketing?

“The concept has grown because consumers - overwhelmed by information in all forms are increasingly sceptical of advertising”, Paul Leinberger, global director, NOP World.

“The agency’s new approach operates under the assumption that fewer than 200 people ultimately shape the buying habits of the other 290,809,577 Americans,” Advertising Age.

“Part of the problem stemmed from an age-old conundrum: There are some things a company simply couldn’t say about itself with any credibility. But others - outsiders- could if only we could convince them,” Ray Kotcher, Ketchum.

“… what made the list intriguing was its conciseness:147 names. We reasoned that if we could covert these 147 individuals into evangelists we would begin to create concentric circles of awareness….” Bill Margaritis, FedEx.

Note: The author of this article - Grant Common - is a Sydney-based independent advisor who helps PR Manager's get the best out of their PR Department and/or PR agencies. Grant also blogs regularly on PR topics.