The simple fact is; the world of branding and marketing is quickly changing. As a non-stop all-thrills sector, it is becoming the single most important factor when it comes to building a successful brand. From knowing your audience to choosing who you want your business associated with, and each choice is costly.
In this blog, we will delve into the changing influencer sector and how knowing who to roll with can be the difference between a marketing masterpiece or catastrophic failure.
Look Mom I Can Fly 🎮
On Friday 24th and Saturday 25th of April, the records for concert attendance were obliterated, albeit, virtually. Jacques Berman Webster also known as Travis Scott, wiped the floor with everything we had known previously. How was it possible? Simply, his personal brand is astronomical right now.
For those onlookers who immediately class any occurrence in the gaming world as insignificant, sure this may have just been a Southern American rapper, with a certain tinny metallic ring to his voice, performing for a load of virtually obsessed gamers and children. However, the deeper you pry into the success of what happened that weekend and as you look at why and how it was made possible, the whole thing is like a marketing masterclass.
Where have you been hiding? 😨
Even if Travis’s name isn’t one which you are familiar with, we are sure you will have heard of Fortnite. If not, we don’t know where you’ve been hiding, but it’s dominance over the online sector for the past two years has been nothing but extraordinary.
What’s your number? 📈
When it comes to figures regarding the online experience, Fortnite suggests that over 27 million people attended and engaged with the five separate performances within the game. The out-of-this-world numbers go hand-in-hand with the visuals of the experience; portrayed as an interplanetary invasion by Travis Scott’s own Astroworld.
Why? ⭐
It would be easy for those external to the marketing sector to think this was an opportunity for Travis to boost his following. However, that really couldn’t be further from the truth. Right now, Travis’ brand is stronger than ever before, and it feels like this whole occurrence was done as a favour from the Houston rapper. With Fortnite’s best days potentially behind it as a game, what better way to tap into their audience than selecting one of the most popular music personalities in the world to offer a slice of something new. Even if only for 10 minutes.
Keep your branding personal 🤝
When it comes to being on Brand, Travis was just that for Fortnite. Taking into account their demographic, most of which will already be fans of the trippy sounding rapper and his music. Sure Gaga is more famous, but it just doesn’t work the same does it?
The truth is, in the ‘influencer’ sector, as a brand you can either get it very right or horribly wrong and that all comes down to the personal brand of the individual. Style, demeanour, or even the day-to-day decisions the individual makes can all be brought back to your brand if their face is promoting it.
It’s old news! 🥱
In 1984, we saw sportswear colossus, Nike move into the world of endorsement and as some would see it, influencer marketing. In Signing Michael Jordan, Nike changed everything in terms of personal branding. As we sit here over 35 years later, we see the success of the Jordan brand daily. With new releases flooding in and reiterations of old classics, Air Jordan shows no sign of slowing down. However, had Nike selected another athlete, would this have played out the same? It’s difficult to say.
I ain’t sayin’ she a golddigger 💷
More recently it has been Kanye west who made his moved from globally respected musician to clothing and footwear mogul. Once again, Nike was on hand to swoop him up, and the Nike Yeezy was born. In his 3-4 year stint with Nike, Kanye turned the footwear industry on its head. However, after an argument about royalties, (see what we mean about influencer decision making) Kanye made the move to Adidas. Seven years later and the Kanye and Adidas collab has set its sights firmly on the Jordan brand, in terms of sales and commercial clout.
It’s worth billions 🤯
Guess what Jordan and West both have in common? Due to the success of their brands, they are both BILLIONAIRES, that’s right B-I-L-L-I-O-N. And for those not in-the-know Travis is the next up in the footwear sector, having already launched a handful of massively successful Nike collaborations.
Market away 🤑
You will be fooled if you think this whole thing went down without a tangible piece of evidence. Travis and Fortnite merchandise has been readily available on TravisScott.com. Everything from a Nerf gun mimicking the one available in the game to a duo set of figures based on his in-game character.. Now that’s what you call Personal Branding.
If you are looking for any information about influencer marketing, branding opportunities or even business development, feel free to give us a call; our design agency team are happy to help. Check out some of our other digital marketing blog posts:
