Influencer marketing in the media mix reduces cost

New research by Facebook finds a combination of influencer marketing and paid for ads is more efficient than either strategy in isolation.

Why it matters

As investment into influencer marketing continues to rise, research into the effectiveness of influencers in the media mix is badly needed.

Takeaways

• Facebook tested the impact of creator content along with standard paid for ad formats for 17 FMCG advertisers. The results were analysed to discover what worked best, influencer activity, standard advertising or a mix of both.
• Rather than one format winning out right, a combination of the two approaches together was the most impactful. Running both reduced the cost per acquisition.
• A secondary analysis determined whether this was caused by increased reach or a synergy between the two approaches. It was the latter, when people were exposed to a combination of influencer activity and standard advertising formats the combined exposure dropped cost per incremental consideration point by 79%.

Key quote

 “The journey into understanding how to build brands on mobile first platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Messenger is at an early stage. There is much to learn still, but as mobile increasingly becomes the dominant channel in the media day, this is an area that the industry needs to focus on” – Ian Edward, Connection Planning Director EMEA, and Harry Davison, Head of UK Marketing Science, Facebook.