by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) Unlike the bold claims of attempting to ‘break the internet’, the co-creators of Exploding Kittens set out to rally their existing community members towards what seemed an achievable goal — by Kickstarter standards.
Tag archives: influencers
The Word: Influence — the double-edged sword
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) A little influence goes a long way in building traction for campaigns, and it’s that, and the possibility of going viral, that can be beneficial for charity initiatives. Influence, however, may be a double-edged sword, not always eliciting the response you desire.
Brand Politics: The reign of the evangelists
by Alistair Mackay (@almackay) Brand evangelists can be hugely damaging for a brand, whether in politics or the private sector. It’s not just people bad-mouthing a brand that can influence others to avoid it; it’s the characteristics of those singing its praises, too.
Influencers: Internal advocacy
by Jason Stewart (@HaveYouHeard_SA) When it comes to word-of-mouth and advocacy marketing, are we forgetting to use one of the most powerful tools at our disposal? One that can be easily controlled and set to work at any time? And at very little cost?
Influencers: Liquor advertisers running out of time
by Jason Stewart (@HaveYouHeard_SA) A ban on liquor advertising in South Africa (which has, for the past five years, been mooted as two years around the corner) will herald an era of dark marketing for the industry. Some brands will clear the hurdle without breaking their stride; others will falter predominantly because of what they are not doing now. Time is not on their side.
The Word: Conversion more important than going viral
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) “Can you make us go viral?” That’s what some clients still ask whenever we talk about social media and interacting with brand evangelists. It’s a popular buzzword and every brand wants a piece of it. However, going viral, though great for the ego, is often short-lived and may not cause a long-term impact and organise your customers into a community.
Influencers: The dilemma of having celebrity brand evangelists
by Jason Stewart (@HaveYouHeard_SA) One definition of endorsement is a ‘formal and explicit approval’. Another is ‘a signature that validates something’ as in “the cashier would not cash the check without an endorsement”. This highlights for me how important endorsement is.
Influencers: Very few people make truly individual choices
by Jason Stewart (@HaveYouHeard_SA) Influencing someone to change behaviour is very hard to do, and failure rates should scare marketers whose job it is to convince consumers to buy their brands.
Influencers: Brand evangelists and brand churches — if they build them, others will come
by Jason Stewart (@HaveYouHeard_SA) The same way religion spreads its message, marketers need to spread theirs. By helping disciples to build churches that recruit new users and turn them into passionate users, who in turn recruit new users, the ‘brand church’ grows.
The Word: Service-delivery protest ideas to activate evangelists
by Mongezi Mtati (@Mongezi) South Africa sees at least five service delivery protests per day, some of which receive more media attention than others, and they all become the talk of the town. Let’s look at what makes these worth talking about and what we, as marketers, can take away when thinking of building a community of evangelists and managing them.