Why Do Influencer Campaigns Fail? 4 Common Mistakes To Avoid

Influencer marketing is one of the most potent ways a brand can reach many people and get its message out to them in a meaningful way. So why do influencer campaigns fail?

Influencers are everyday people who have gained notoriety by amassing a following on social media platforms. They typically have a close-knit relationship with the people who follow them, allowing them to see intimate details of their lives and sharing their personal opinions. Influencers are pretty different to celebrities who use social media because, typically, celebrities will still keep a certain level of distance between themselves and their fans.

The relationship between an influencer and their followers is built on trust; the audience expects the influencer to be honest with them, which is one reason why influencer marketing is so powerful.

However, it’s also one of the reasons that influencer campaigns fail. If an influencer does anything to break the trust of their audience, then the campaign’s authenticity is put into question, and it may damage the reputation of both the brand and the influencer.

Lack of Authenticity

If an audience understands that the influencer they are following is inauthentic, this could cause an influencer campaign to fail.

In 2016, supermodel Naomi Campbell posted a photo on Instagram that showed her holding up a pair of Adidas shoes and a caption celebrating them. Unfortunately, she forgot to remove the instructions from Adidas’ marketing team from her caption, which made it obvious she was paid for the post, and didn’t put any thought into writing, or adapting the caption.

Scott Disick committed a similar Instagram blunder, best known for his appearance on ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians.’ He posted an image of himself and a Bootea protein shake, along with a caption beginning, ‘Here you go, at 4 pm est, write the below.’ Again, the inclusion of the instructions from the marketing department made it clear that this wasn’t an endorsement that Disick had written himself.

Most people are aware that influencers get paid to endorse products. However, we like to think that they wouldn’t post anything that they didn’t believe in, and making it so evident that someone else wrote the post shatters that belief and our trust in the influencer.

At eaeo we make sure that this type of thing never happens by working collaboratively with the brand to ensure that the briefing process highlights the key details, but also trusting influencers to create content in their own tone of voice. After all, we’ve chosen them to work on the campaign for a reason! 

We also have an approval process for all content so that we can ensure that it is right for both the brand and the influencer, which means that our campaigns are authentic and deliver the best possible results.

Insensitivity

When we follow an influencer, one of the reasons is because we feel that they share some of our values. If they behave in a way that goes against our values, it can cause us to question that belief, leading us to disengage with their content and unfollow, which, en masse, can sometimes result in damaging the influencer and brand.

An example of this is when Kendall Jenner was accused of trivialising Black Lives Matter as part of a campaign for Pepsi. The campaign showed Jenner handing a can of Pepsi to a police officer at a protest, imagery which was reminiscent of the BLM protests and seemed to make light of them.

Pepsi apologised and pulled the advertisement, acknowledging that they had missed the mark. Still, the incident damaged the reputations of both Kendall Jenner and Pepsi.

To avoid this kind of incident, brands must make an effort to be aware of current social movements. One way to do this is by paying attention to what is happening across social media platforms at all times.

Not Following Through

As with any kind of marketing campaign, if the product isn’t up to scratch, then the campaign will fail and damage the reputations of those behind it. 

An example of this is the infamous Fyre Festival scandal in 2017. Attendees were promised a luxury festival experience in the Bahamas by hundreds of influencers, and in reality, ended up sleeping rough and eating cold cheese sandwiches. 

Fyre Festival is an extreme example, but it is a great illustration of how effective influencer marketing is. The reason the festival sold out was because influencers did such a great job promoting it, however because the right questions weren’t asked in the initial stages the campaign itself was flawed and customers were left disappointed. 

At eaeo we take steps to avoid this happening by thoroughly planning our influencer campaigns to ensure that they are accurate, which builds trust in the brand.

Breaking The Rules

Finally, influencer campaigns fail when they break the rules which have been put in place to protect consumers. 

Kim Kardashian partnered up with the pharmaceutical company, Duchesnay, to promote their morning sickness drug. She didn’t include any information about the risks or side effects of the drug in her post, which meant it went against FDA guidelines.

eaeo makes it a priority to keep up to date with ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) rules so that we can ensure that all of our content is marked correctly. Though it is the responsibility of the influencer to declare adverts, as an agency approving content we have a responsibility to ensure that everything is marked correctly which is why it’s so important that we keep up with these rules.

The Next Steps

What we can learn from these failed influencer campaigns is how to plan a successful one. The great thing about influencer marketing is that it allows companies to speak directly to the people who will genuinely benefit from their product and be honest with them about the reasons why. 

To do this, it’s essential that companies properly research the platform and the influencer they ask to represent them. They should allow influencers to express themselves honestly, research current events and get constructive feedback on campaigns before publishing them and finally, ensure that their product is everything that they are saying it is.

eaeo influencer analysis takes a close look at influencer accounts, analysing both their metrics and content so that we ensure that we are picking the best creators for your brand.

If you’d like to learn more about how an influencer campaign could work for your brand, then get in touch today to find out more!