[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/10\/16\/marketing-trends-brand-advocates\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/10\/16\/marketing-trends-brand-advocates\/","headline":"Fit for Engagement: Balancing authenticity to wield influence","name":"Fit for Engagement: Balancing authenticity to wield influence","description":"Advocates are an invaluable resource, but you need to balance authenticity to wield influence","datePublished":"2015-10-16","dateModified":"2021-08-03","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/jamie-anderson\/#Person","name":"Jamie Anderson","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/jamie-anderson\/","identifier":119,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/249ae804963762332acd20e644bfe865782bee3d64ee223d5dd6a28e548b47b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/249ae804963762332acd20e644bfe865782bee3d64ee223d5dd6a28e548b47b5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FOC_2015-10-14_A_HERO.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/FOC_2015-10-14_A_HERO.jpg","height":370,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/10\/16\/marketing-trends-brand-advocates\/","video":[{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Cx4RsfqH1s8#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Cx4RsfqH1s8","name":"COUPLES IPHONE 6 UNBOXING!","description":"We both got the new iPhone 6!! Which iPhone do you like the best?!\n\nThanks, Christie, for the adorable Bama outfit!! Check out all her CUTE clothes on http:\/\/www.jordankclothing.com \n\nTeespring relaunched the \"dank as junk\" shirts! Get yours HERE: http:\/\/teespring.com\/cullenandkatie\n\nNEW Babyleague video! (HILARIOUS!) http:\/\/bit.ly\/flippingabreechbaby\n\n\nYESTERDAY: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EoZ1ektBu4Q\n\nONE YEAR AGO: https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RH7q6iNZNHI\n\nTWO YEARS AGO: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F76zqc9HJwA\n\nTHREE YEARS AGO: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=E2lU9wz94W4\n-------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nJoin our Journey: http:\/\/youtube.com\/bamachick1101\n\nOur Journey to baby playlist: http:\/\/bit.ly\/journeytobaby\n\nMore information about #TargetBalling: http:\/\/bit.ly\/targetviralsensation\n\nTWITTER: http:\/\/twitter.com\/culligan27 & http:\/\/twitter.com\/katiepie7\nINSTAGRAM: Culligan27 & KatiePie07\nFACEBOOK: http:\/\/bit.ly\/cullenandkatieFB\nVINE:  @culligan27 | @katiepie7\nGOOGLE+ PAGE: http:\/\/bit.ly\/CKgooglepluspage\nPINTEREST: http:\/\/pinterest.com\/cullenandkatie\nEMAIL: cullenandkatie (at) gmail (dot) com\n\nFor business inquiries, please email me: cullenandkatie@gmail.com\n\nP.O. 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He used different colored Sculpey III polymer clay.  We made all the birds from the game: Red Bird, Blue Bird, Yellow Bird, White Bird, Black Bomb Bird, Green Boomerang Bird, Ms. Red Bird, Baby Red Bird, Helmet Pig, Grandpa Pig, King Pig and The Mighty Eagle!  \n\nHe also made up some new characters: Mustache Panda & Angry Brown Bear. \n\nIf you would like a tutorial on how to make these, please \"like\" this video. \n\nEnjoy!\n\nUPDATE: Just added the Orange Bird to my collection! View it here: http:\/\/youtu.be\/tJkkZBS5cdg\n\nUPDATE: Just added the MIGHTY DRAGON here: http:\/\/youtu.be\/xHKO7ktFSeI\n\nCheck out all our other Angry Birds toy reviews,  galit ibon, zogj t\u00eb zem\u00ebruar, haserre hegaztiak, rozzloben\u00fd pt\u00e1ci, q\u0259z\u0259bli qu\u015f,  vrede fugle, boze vogels, galit ibon, les oiseaux en col\u00e8re, d\u00fch\u00f6s madarak, marah burung, uccelli arrabbiato, \u00f6fkeli ku\u015flar\u0131n, aves raiva, arga f\u00e5glar, \u00f6fkeli ku\u015flar\u0131n \"\u0566\u0561\u0575\u0580\u0561\u0581\u0561\u056e \u0539\u057c\u0579\u0578\u0582\u0576\u0576\u0565\u0580\"  \"\u09b0\u09be\u0997 \u09aa\u09be\u0996\u09bf\" \"\u044f\u0434\u043e\u0441\u0430\u043d\u0438 \u043f\u0442\u0438\u0446\u0438\" \"\u6124\u6012\u7684\u5c0f\u9e1f\" \"\u03b8\u03c5\u03bc\u03c9\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf\u03c2 \u03c0\u03bf\u03c5\u03bb\u03b9\u03ac\" \"\u0a97\u0ac1\u0ab8\u0acd\u0ab8\u0acb \u0aaa\u0a95\u0acd\u0ab7\u0ac0\u0a93\" \"\u0928\u093e\u0930\u093e\u091c \u092a\u0915\u094d\u0937\u093f\u092f\u094b\u0902\"  \"\u6012\u3063\u3066\u3044\u308b\u9ce5\" \"\ud654\uac00 \uc870\ub958\" \"\u0e99\u0ebb\u0e81\u0ec3\u0e88\u0eab\u0ec9\u0eb2\u0e8d\" \"\u0e19\u0e01\u0e42\u0e01\u0e23\u0e18\"  \"\u05e6\u05d9\u05e4\u05d5\u05e8 \u05db\u05d5\u05e2\u05e1\u05d5\u05ea\"","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qu5MWrWEtnY\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qu5MWrWEtnY\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qu5MWrWEtnY\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qu5MWrWEtnY\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/qu5MWrWEtnY\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2011-10-06T02:41:13+00:00","duration":"PT4M54S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qu5MWrWEtnY","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCHa-hWHrTt4hqh-WiHry3Lw#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCHa-hWHrTt4hqh-WiHry3Lw","name":"EvanTubeHD","description":"Welcome to EvanTubeHD! 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Advocates can be an invaluable resource, but you may be better off earning their support rather than paying for it.If the Star Wars unboxing extravaganza\u00a0that launched Force Friday shows us anything, it\u2019s that earned media \u2013 and making effective use of customer networks \u2013 is essential.If you don\u2019t know about unboxing, you might be missing a trick. Unboxing videos are huge. According to Google Insights, it would take more than seven years to watch all of the (21 million+) videos on YouTube with \u2018unboxing\u2019 in the title. Two thirds of people who view them (and I\u2019m talking billions of views) do so to research or visualise owning a particular product \u2013 which might be anything from a new phone to a Grammy.So here we have a situation in which huge number of consumers are going to some lengths, voluntarily, to share their experiences for the benefit of their peers. It sounds like every marketing chief\u2019s dream. Though it\u2019s not one without risk. As with all forms of social media, if people are underwhelmed by your product, they are likely to say so.Advocates are an invaluable resource, but you need to balance authenticity to wield influenceThat\u2019s why endorsement and the role of the ambassador are growing in importance. It\u2019s a necessarily subtle art. Consumers are understandably skittish where direct sales are concerned. But it\u2019s something we all need to understand to ensure that when we do harness the energy of a brand advocate, the amplifier goes all the way to eleven without creating heavy feedback.My colleague Michael Mischker\u2019s sons play tennis at national level and share practice tips via their Instagram and You Tube accounts. In fact now he finds himself managing one of the biggest social accounts in UK tennis after Andy Murray\u2019s. Brands quite naturally ask to work with him. Understanding the potential pitfalls, he has been careful to engineer a situation in which everybody benefits\u2014and luckily the sporting world is no stranger to brand partnership so it is a good fit.Down the other path you\u2019ll see Evan, a young toy reviewer who started out showing off his Angry Birds toy collection on YouTube, but now has over two million subscribers and 1.6 billion views. This is a mammoth success, but looking at it with your marketing hat on, it seems he may begin to struggle with the balance between product placement and his original candour \u2013 meaning instead of being trusted reviewer he becomes industry mouthpiece. As his authenticity wanes, will his appeal drop too?Realness can be a risk, but it\u2019s one worth taking.\u00a0As a brand, obviously you hope that people will always be delighted by your product. If they\u2019re not, you try to be pragmatic and have a response \u2013 as well as making sure you listen to what they say. It\u2019s basic customer service. Ultimately, authenticity will do way more for your reputation than spin."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2015","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"10","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/\/10\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"16","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/\/10\/\/16\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Fit for Engagement: Balancing authenticity to wield influence","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2015\/10\/16\/marketing-trends-brand-advocates\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]