Amazon is partnering with ad agency and video production company Kin Community to launch a six-episode show called “Overhaul,” which will feature popular YouTube vloggers getting home makeovers.
Influencer marketing is a growing trend. Amazon’s announcement underlines the potential campaigns and content forms that brand managers can work on to capitalize on consumers’ love of (and trust in) the online personalities they watch and follow online.
While the show is designed to be entertainment, it will also be loaded with products people can buy on Amazon, including furniture sold by Lemieux's companies. It will live on a special hub on Amazon.com where people can easily click to purchase items in the show, as well as more affordable alternatives.
"The goal with this show is to both inspire and entertain," said Kin Community CEO Michael Wayne. "It's unique in that it combines the power of Kin's creator community, the award-winning quality of our production studio and commerce."
It’s not the first move Amazon has made to work with social media stars to promote its products and boost sales.
The company has been playing around with different ways to link social media influencers with product sales. Earlier this year, Amazon launched an "influencer program" that allowed popular social media personalities to set up a page on its site with lists of Amazon products they recommend for their followers. In March, the company launched its first live TV show, Style Code Live, which was its take on a QVC-like shopping channel. However, it was cancelled shortly thereafter in May.
Kristiana Helmick, Amazon’s director of home innovation, told Business Insider:
"Amazon Home is constantly looking to innovate and find ways to bring our customers inspiration when searching for products," said Helmick. "The 'Overhaul' series is a great opportunity to provide our customers with some curation and guidance when searching through our large selection of products and we continue to look for new and different ways to do that. ... This is the first time Amazon has had a co-branded storefront tied to a video series."
New marketing and PR opportunities—and risks
Working with influential social media users and those who create online content (including podcasters, vloggers and livestreaming personalities) can give your organization’s messages a much-needed boost, along with adding legitimacy to your marketing campaigns.
Business Insider reported that the show might be a sign of a “potent trend,” bringing a new opportunity for marketers to connect sales to entertainment:
… For years, people in the media world have talked about a future where you can watch your favorite show and buy a character's outfit (the talk has been around for so long, the example many have used was "you'll soon be able to buy Ross's shirt on "Friends.")
However, marketing and PR pros should beware of potential pitfalls.
As more and more brand managers seek to partner with social media stars, the risk that an individual could damage your brand reputation rises.
The Disney Channel recently ended its relationship with popular vlogger and actor Jake Paul after a news story showed that Paul was recording increasingly unsafe activities, much to the chagrin of his neighbors.
The Disney Channel released the following statement:
We’ve mutually agreed that Jake Paul will leave his role on the Disney Channel series “Bizaardvark.” On behalf of the production company, the cast and crew, we thank Jake for his good work on the TV series for the past 18 months and extend our best wishes to him.
Paul’s character, Dirk, was known for doing dangerous stunts for clicks. It’s a role that Paul also pursues in real life to the tune of 8.8 million followers on Instagram.
… The network told Variety that the break allows Paul to focus on his social media presence and make YouTube videos geared toward an older audience than the tweens who typically watch the Disney Channel.
“What generates attention on YouTube and elsewhere may not always mesh with the business needs of big media conglomerates like Time Warner and Walt Disney,” Variety’s Brian Steinberg wrote.
Steinberg wrote:
The split highlights the hurdles that can arise for actors who cultivate consumer bases via activity on social media and the more traditional media companies who seek to harness their talents. Media outlets of many stripes have sought to employ social media celebrities for several years. Consider Grace Helbig, who parlayed success on YouTube into a limited-run talk show on NBCUniversal’s E!, as well as ad campaigns for Marriott and Lowe’s. CNN recently announced plans to launch a daily streaming-video effort by vlogging sensation Casey Neistat.
When partnering with social media stars, set mutually beneficial terms. Most influencers want some creative control, according to a recent study , but you’ll have to find a way to make that work within your organization’s established campaigns and messages. Monitor the partnership, and be prepared to cut an influencer loose if he or she undermines your brand’s values and voice.
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