Chief Influencers: An Effective Marketing Tool

It's a conundrum which every marketer faces at some point or the other. How to influence a market and get customers to buy the product? So, make an ad and get a recall. But with multitudes of channels to choose from, deciphering which channel will get you the maximum recall is like a roullete — you may or may not strike jackpot. Then there are the conventional trade visits, trying to get the trade to endorse your product. But seeding the market using the trade route requires time. So how does a marketer go about establishing recall for his brand in the market?

The answer is using chief influencers. In my interactions and observations, I have seen some real effective use of chief influencers by brands to break into a market. Take for example a alcobev company with some reputed brands in its portfolio. The challenge for the company was to create a recall as well as increase consumption for its brands in a market dominated by brands who were first movers and have entrenched themselves firmly. So apart from above the line communication, the company looked at bar tenders as a channel to propogate the brands. The trick was to work with the bar tenders, make them aware and teach them the proposition which the liquor brands have to offer to end consumers. While this may seem like a small component in the overall scheme of marketing the brands. Think about it? On the number of times, we have given a patient hearing to bar tenders on their recommendations and accepted their offer to try a new drink or cocktail. And at the last mile of connectivity, if one has a conduit to connect and give a positive recommendation, what more can a brand ask for?

In one of my recent visits to the market, I came across a good example of how chief influencers were bring targetted by a company — a passenger vehicle company. The company was launching a new model in the market and was up against some well entrenched players. So across the markets, it started targetting infuencers like automotive union leaders, school authorities and even families to spread the message of the advantage of buying the vehicle. While this activation has to be in synergy with other promotional activities, the fact remains that focussing on chief influencers enables brands to create a pull.

Would like to get more such examples on effective use of chief influencers from you all...