Unilever invests in influencer platform
Unilever has invested in influencer platform CreatorIQ, which helps brands find suitable influencers, manage work and measure results (Wall Street Journal).
Key points:
- Unilever Ventures and TVC Capital led $12m funding round
- Unilever already uses the platform, as do brands including Airbnb, Disney, Amazon, Mattel, Dell and Ralph Lauren
- Unilever executive vice president for global media Luis Di Como says company's investing to better understand influencer marketing - and any return is welcome
After Keith Weed’s investment in Tribe, Unilever’s move says influencer marketing remains hot. Stated concerns around fake followers mean they want to look under the hood - and CreateIQ's platform claims the ability to weed out fraud and help marketers run the numbers.
How influencer marketing develops in light of changes underway at Instagram is an interesting one for brands to watch. Six years after Facebook killed organic reach, the same playbook may be opening up on Instagram as the platform introduces a new feature that places 'creator' branded content into news feeds.
Pushing influencers in front of people that have not chosen to follow them could go two ways - boost reach, or turn off audiences. Instagram is betting on the former as it bids to monetise a market in which it is unquestionably king - and where seven in ten marketers reportedly plan to blow most of their 2019 influencer budget.
But there is a risk of turning influencers into walking billboards. As marketers move towards micro and nano-influencers to find value and authenticity, how that plays out in more niche environments may be a key factor in whether Instagram remains king, or audiences turn to other less cluttered platforms.
