While social media continues to transform influencer marketing, shoe retailer DSW casts its vision into a future where influencers are extensions of store associates and nano-influencer content will serve as brand advertising.
This year, the company took five months to select 287 influencers whose online followings and style would align with DSW categories including fashion, lifestyle, fitness, health, and motherhood. Marketing agency 360i sought out influencers not only who fit the DSW brand and loved the shoes, but also who could tell the type of stories DSW wanted to tell in its ads, focusing on content and credibility, not reach. As Corey Martin, head of influencer marketing at 360i, explained, “This is about core sustained advocacy building, not paying someone to advertise things,” said Martin.
Photo Credit: www.instagram.com/dswshoelovers
With Olivia Culpo in position as DSW’s style ambassador, 360i worked within the five shoe styles of her closest personal taste to maximize influencer content in online ads, social media, emails, and programmatic media. What the brand has found is that influencer content in customer emails drove more customer acquisition than other content. As DSW CMO Amy Stevenson stated, “People take recommendations of friends and family first, and you’re likelier to relate to nano-influencers.” Read more here.
Header Image Photo Credit: DSW.com