To Influence or Not

Influencer Marketing is no longer simply a term; it's a strategy, tactic, and moneymaker. Join Marketing Expert Shanita Akintonde as she shares some of the creations that occur behind the content. #ShanitaSpeaksLLC #McGrawHill #InfluencerMarketing #MarketingInsights

Marketing Maven Shanita Akintonde personifies passion and purpose. With over two decades of strategically-honed leadership experience as a professor and marketing executive, Shanita has transitioned over 10,000 students from her classroom to the boardroom. She is an author, newspaper columnist, and certified professional speaker who serves as President of ShanitaSpeaks, LLC, a company that energizes clients to predict marketing trends, identify niche audiences and effectively communicate measurable outcomes, all of which she spotlights as host of the #1-ranked Marketing Insights podcast series.

Podcast Transcript

Transcript

Shanita Akintonde:

Hello there. It's Shanita Akintonde, educator, author, career coach and marketing shero. Glad to bring you another special edition of my Marketing Insights podcast series. This one is extra special because I have a guest with me today. And for those of you who've listened to this podcast, and by the way, this is the fifth year, 2023 marks my fifth year as a podcast host for Marketing Insights. This is my very first official interview that I've done. Now, I had another episode in which I had a young lady who I know very well who we did a LinkedIn conversation and I shared that on one of my podcasts, but that was a little different because we were utilizing that for the American Marketing Association and it was already pre-recorded. Well, this is live and what rhymes with live, Vanessa? Live and Anna of the [inaudible 00:01:07].

Yeah, I'm really excited about that. Before I tell you about what we're going to talk about and a little bit more about her, let me give you a little bit of context around how we connected initially. So I'm a member of a lot of organizations. I'm a member of the American Marketing Association and the American Advertising Federation, as well as the Public Relations Society of America. What I'm proud to announce is that this year also marks for me the first time that I am sitting simultaneously on the national boards for all three of those organizations or as a national leader of all three organizations. And that's significant because I'm the first African American and youngest female to do so simultaneously. Now with the latter group, the Public Relations Society of America, where I've served as their national diversity and inclusion chair, I currently just ended my role as national director of their diversity initiatives with chapters.

And I'm also a frequent speaker at their conferences called Icon, and that is where I connected with the young lady I'm going to introduce you to now. Vanessa and I met at an icon conference several years ago. I think we were sharing fashion observances about each other. If you're watching it on video, you can see what I'm talking about. But more importantly than that, what I think we really connected on was our passion for public relations, our passion for getting the word out to the larger community about what it is that brands can do in particular and that people who love them can do to engage the world in a way to make it better. And that's why when I am talking to her today and you all hear this interview, you'll get a sense of why I adore her so much and consider her to be one of my mentees. And let me tell you why. So from St. Louis, am I getting that right, Vanessa? You from St. Louis? But now she's-

Vanessa:

Yes, ma'am.

Shanita Akintonde:

I'm in LA in Hollywood, but she's a graduate of Southern Missouri State University and she is the PR muse. I love that she calls herself that because if you are not familiar with the term muse, that means you are a motivator. You're someone who is in the position to influence what someone else does, and she's going to talk about that word influence very specifically with us today. She's also worked as a freelance publicist and she has a lot of clients that she serviced both as a freelancer as well as a public relations practitioner for brick and mortar type organizations. She's done it for the Country Music Festival, BET, which stands for Black Entertainment Television and other entities, specifically which the one that she works for today, I know y'all know. It's Toms. And so what I'm going to have Vanessa do is talk to us not only about the brand that she's representing these days, which is Toms, which I know is very committed to community and giving back and as we call it in my neighborhood, doing good in the hood.

Vanessa is also in a title that I want her to elaborate on too, because I hadn't heard this title before, at least not in terms of a working title for someone in our public relations industry, which is she's a PR and influencer specialist. And so without further ado, I'm going to introduce her and have her tell you a little bit more about herself. And then I have a few questions I'm going to ask. One last addendum before I pass the baton to Vanessa. What I want you all to know about her is her humility will greet you and it really belies the intensity of her experience and knowledge, although she is a young'un, as I like to say. But more importantly, what I think you're going to get from her, for those of you who are listening, who are interested in perhaps yourselves become an influencers, Vanessa's going to share some tips as to how she got her start in her PR career. And I think that will be definitely something you want to take note on in case you want to do the same. So Vanessa, hey.

Vanessa:

Hi. Thank you for having me. I'm excited. And so ready to soak up the gems from you and to give some gems to your audience. And so, just an honor to be able to service on your platform as well as your mentee.

Shanita Akintonde:

Oh, wonderful. Well, you know I adore you. So I gave a little bit about you, but why don't you tell the audience a little bit more about you specifically and what you're doing over at Toms?

Vanessa:

Yes. So I currently work at Toms, the shoe brand. Many remember Toms years ago for their nonprofit and philanthropy market with their shoes. I am the PR and influencer specialist. That position also was created, so it was merged. And so in today's trajectory with social media, a lot of influencers have been able to mesh in the PR world, which is new. A lot of that really brought up on the scene during COVID because a lot of people started building their brands, building their business, and a lot of businesses use influencers to drive sales for them.

And so at Toms, we are if you're not familiar, have transitioned from that one for one model into giving one third of our profits for grassroots goods. And so our pairs of shoes, when you purchase them, whether it's online, in our partnering stores like a Nordstrom, DSW, those proceeds go to our impact partners who specialize in mental health education and community development programs in our communities, not only local in Los Angeles, but across the country and around the world because Toms is an international brand. And so excited to be a part of that and to be able to implement new strategies with the company and also giving back in the community, which is being a part of service.

Shanita Akintonde:

Oh, that's so exciting and excellent to hear you say those things, Vanessa. So two things I want to pick up on. First of all, Toms, as I preluded this with is doing a lot to give back. So I appreciate you illuminating that a little bit in your introduction. And I know we'll hear a little more about it as we go through our conversation today. The second thing that I want you all to notice is that when you think about, or we're using a term influencer and I said influencer, public relations related or marketing related, the podcast in large part has a bend toward marketing, thus the title Marketing Insights. But as you all may know, if this is your first or your 50th podcast with me, which by the way I'm getting close to that number 50, it's an integrated approach to the branding and marketing processes that I take when talking to you all. So talk to us though about influencer marketing, Vanessa, influencer public relations, what does that even mean when you use that term?

Vanessa:

So for influencer marketing in plain simple terms is the type of social media marketing that's used to endorse for endorsements and products from influencers. So maybe your favorite person like Kim Kardashian, Beyonce, your Chris Brown, if you see them wearing this latest outfit or a brand or maybe a small business, a lot of businesses now pay them to be able to help drive sales to their brand or even drive engagement to their social media pages to get that exposure. And in the PR world, we are always looking for opportunity for brands and clients to maximize on those exposure opportunities. And so now that we have influencers who are the driving force with helping, whether it's sales, whether it's launches of new products, and also humanizing brands, because now as consumers we really want to know what you're doing. Do you have diversity? If I don't like your product, is there a way for us to connect with customer service?

And so all of that is tied into that influencer marketing aspect. And then on the flip side, we have our public relations where we have to still carry that narrative of the brand. So my day-to-day integration influencers is still crafting that message, whether it's social media captions, incorporating our brand, Toms, our tagline, we're good in their captions, ensuring that their products that we send them in our gift and PR packages are incorporated in their content, whether it's on their feed on Instagram, in their stories, connecting links for people to purchase the products that they see.

And so all of that is creating a new strategy and new involvement of public relations that I don't see that it's changing anytime soon as far as the internet, social media growing. And it is definitely different because I'm a person who, my education was in public relations, which was definitely traditional, and there was some formulas where social media was still new when I was in school. And so now to see that it's fully evolved, you have to pivot in the PR world and incorporating those influencers with it is definitely a pro. And it's definitely a skillset that I think any PR professional, any marketing professional should learn and incorporate.

Shanita Akintonde:

Excellent. So you used the word pivot, and I love that word because what it sounds like you're saying, and we talk about this a lot too, you need to be nimble and have the ability to address or turn on a dime, so to speak, in order to be able to meet the needs of your consumer groups. And you mentioned that as well when you were talking about this idea of if I call and I have a question, is there a 1-800 number, is there a customer service person that I can reach? And I don't know if brands look at that continuum of it's not just about me purchasing your product good or service, but what about if I have a question after that, what do I do? Who do I turn to?

So it sounds like Toms is really aware of those things and having what I call a 360 degree approach to their interactions with consumers. So wonderful to hear. Okay, so now you talked a little bit about it, but can you elaborate some Vanessa on what is a day in your life like? So we hear this term influencer, you're an influencer, listeners may want to become an influencer, what do you do? And I'm sure each day is different, so maybe we just pick one day, maybe a recent day that had something maybe interesting or exciting that happened that you can share with us.

Vanessa:

For me, I think the most exciting is the launch of new campaigns. It's the top of the year, so it's really rollout of everything we're going to do for the year at Tom's. And so with Tom's being very, very big in impact, we have a lot of campaigns that if you follow us, you'll stay tuned. I don't want to spill the secrets, but it definitely has incorporated around mental health, you'll definitely be seeing new fresh products if you are an OG Toms friend like myself, the traditional alpargata, which is the Toms shoe that everyone knows Toms for. And how they have transitioned into a lifestyle brand, whether it's not just shoes anymore, but some apparel and some accessories such as glasses. And so also my day-to-day looks like doing PR briefs, so being able to create that brief for our creative team to make different creative assets, whether it is a marketing insert that goes into the shoe for our campaign, whether it is coordinating with them about a photo shoot that we have to do for our campaigns and what influencers or models we're going to use.

Also connecting with our other departments, whether it's wholesale because we want to make sure our inventory is intact when we do the launch that we don't have so many purchasers and we can't deliver. And so each day is a little bit different. And then the fun part is also scouting that fresh new talent that is in brand alignment and also meeting them and also receiving so many inquiries about working with Toms. And so we are the driving force in 2023 of putting our brand back at the forefront of what people know Toms for, which is that impact. And there's not very many companies that do that, but at Tom's, impact is important, service is important, and we want to make sure that people still know that that's what we're doing and we're committed to it as well.

Shanita Akintonde:

Right. That's a lot of spin in place, but they're all good. Can you talk about the alignment piece a little bit? And when you talk about partnering, it sounded like you were saying with like-minded, are you talking about spokespersons that you're choosing to work with the brand or in what ways are you all seeking alignment and with whom are you all seeking that?

Vanessa:

Well, with influencers, some of our influencers are content creators. Some of them work in the activism space where they're doing things in their community. Some are fashion stylists. And so we do have a broad but narrow spectrum to make sure they're in alignment with Toms. So it's not so much of your celebrity influencers like again a Kim Kardashian or anything like that, but still giving opportunity to those micro influencers as well who don't have a big following but still have impact. And that's a part of influencer marketing as well, because someone might not have a million followers, they might not have 10,000 followers, but they might have a consistent 3000 followers who have great buying power.

They respond with them, they interact with them, and that moves the needles for brands as well. And so trying to find that medium of influencers, whether they're in the fashion lane, they're in the impact or activism, whether they're coming from our impact partners that we partner with. And then even looking at new people who want to be in alignment with Toms and seeing how we can fit whatever their content that they cater to, whether it's outside of the scope like travel. We've had people who are like food content creators, but they just love Tom's and it's trying to put those pieces together to make sure they fit in each campaign that we launch with our products.

Shanita Akintonde:

Thrilling. So it sounds like, and I talked about this interestingly in my last podcast about content creators and how the needle is moving from the flashy to the authentic and what you just said reinforces that. So you don't necessarily need a name brand celebrity, you want someone who can represent the brand and you call them micro influencers. So you can have a small pool of dedicated followers versus a million that you really aren't connected to and it's intentional in that way. Okay, so last question for you and then if there's anything else you want to close out with. I know you said that you can't give us a lot of detail because the campaign is still in works, but can you give us a sneak preview, a little snippet of what we might be able to anticipate with the Toms campaign, the new rollout that they're working on currently?

Vanessa:

Let's see. What I can say is we have a big, big moment where we shine, which is mental health awareness month, which is May. So I would say keep us on your radar for May because there's a lot of things that we will be dropping and implementing. And it's also a great time to look because across the world, locally, nationally, mental health has been definitely a conversation topic, whether you're at home with your family, whether you're in the workplace, it's something that anyone and everyone can relate to. And so being able to do that and put a little fashion sense in it, I think it's a great mesh and medium for us. So that's the gem I can drop.

Shanita Akintonde:

Yes. Well, this is another gem I'll say. I'm so proud of you, Vanessa. We met, as I mentioned, at an Icon conference several years ago. I want to say you were still in school and to have you have graduated and continued on your trajectory and to have a small part in that warms my heart. To the listeners and or viewers of this, I want to say that paying it forward is a personal mission of mine. I am a big proponent of being able to be there for others.

Vanessa's talking about mental health. I think that lends to that conversation. I write about mentoring a lot. My contributing chapter in this book, which is called When Leadership Fails, my chapter discusses the importance of connectivity, especially to young professionals with senior professionals so that they are able to have a lightning rod and a guiding post, so to speak, for them to continue to grow and develop. So what advice would you give to young folk or people who are either recent graduates, Vanessa, or interested in doing what you do? What can they do if they want to connect the dots and become an influencer marketer or just get themselves positioned to be successful in their careers?

Vanessa:

The first thing I would say is take a breath. If you don't have it figured out, it's okay. It's okay. I was there. I would say stay hungry in showing up in your work. So people that are in college, you've done the work. Remember that. You know how to do the traditional basics of whether it's public relations, marketing, journalism, advertising. You've done the minimum requirements. So take the knowledge that you've learned in the classroom and internships and apply it in real life. Create a portfolio. That's what I did. I used a lot of my work that I did in school as my portfolio to get my first job in St. Louis. And then from there, any job that you're looking for, write it on a piece of paper, look at their requirements and apply. Sometimes you get discouraged when you see big names like in fashion, you want to work for Vogue or you want to move to LA. It is attainable. I'm a product of it. I'm from St. Louis. I moved to LA and I went to school twice, and so if anything, I'm an example that it can be done.

Shanita Akintonde:

I agree. Well, thank you Vanessa for spending some time with us on this special edition of the Marketing Insights podcast series about influencer marketing part two. You are the best and I look forward to us connecting again soon. I love you. Thanks, everybody.

Vanessa:

Love you too. Thank you for having me. Bye.

Shanita Akintonde:

Until next time, which will be our best time. This is Shanita Akintonde, professor, author, career coach and marketing shero, signing off. If you enjoy listening to these podcasts, be sure to subscribe on Stitcher, iTunes, or Google Play and like them wherever you hear them. Connect with me on LinkedIn at Professor Shanita Akintonde, or follow me on Twitter at underscore shanitaspeaks.