Influencer Marketing Lessons Brands Can Learn from the White Moose Café Firestorm
Unless you have been living under a social media rock as of late, you have undoubtedly heard about the media firestorm surrounding Dublin’s White Moose Café . The public spat between a hospitality provider and an online media ‘influencer’ went viral and has been picked up by media around the globe. Whether you are on the side of the hospitality provider or the online influencer, it is clear there are a number of influencer marketing lessons to be learned. If your brand is considering utilizing influencer marketing for brand growth, bear the following truths in mind.
- There is growing backlash against the influencer marketing industry. With brand influencers and influencer public relations people failing to disclose their paid status on social media in record numbers, social media users are getting to the point of not knowing who to trust. When an influencer mentions a brand on their social media feeds but doesn’t disclose they’re a paid promoter, consumers don’t know whether the product in question is truly worth their while. The number of social media users coming to the defense of the Dublin hospitality provider is a clear indication of just how many people dislike the influencer marketing industry.
- Influencer marketing is not an activity every business wants to engage in or be associated with. Before you hire the services of a brand marketing influencer, understand how their actions can impact your business’ reputation. Imagine if your influencer’s posts were plastered all over your social media channels, only to have a viral firestorm erupt surrounding your influencer. Be extremely cautious when engaging the services of an influencer and have a clear contract with an escape clause should you need to disassociate yourself with your hired social media influencer.
- Even though the White Moose Cafe owner chose not to collaborate with the online influencer, they have still received an enormous amount of attention for their property. Understanding their opportunity for once-in-a-lifetime media coverage, the hospitality provider seized upon their chance and used the social media attention to their advantage. From invoicing the influencer for publicity and posting their invoice online to banning influence bloggers from their establishment and promoting their new ban on social media, this business owner optimized coverage to their advantage. Brands could definitely learn by the example set and use the lessons learned to turn influencer outreach into media opportunities.
While influencer marketing might be here to stay, it isn’t every business owner’s cup of tea. Brands considering using influencer marketing for reputation growth would be well advised to carefully consider the future of their company before jumping into this popular new customer acquisition branding opportunity. When influencer marketing works well, the results can be astounding. When influencer marketing goes wrong, the results can be disastrous for a brand’s reputation.
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