#Influencer campaigns

[hsdigitalmedia]

Future Of Influencer Marketing

Welcome to the HS Digital Media blog, where we're always on the cutting edge of digital trends!

Today, we're peering into the crystal ball to explore the exciting future ofinfluencer marketing. Join us as we delve into emerging trends and innovative opportunities that are reshaping the influencer marketing landscape.

Exploring Micro-Influencers: Micro-influencers are taking the marketing world by storm, offering highly engaged audiences and authentic connections. Discover how partnering with micro-influencers can amplify your brand's reach and foster genuine relationships with your target audience.

Nano-Influencers:

The Rise of Authenticity: In a world craving authenticity, nano-influencers are making waves with their genuine, niche followings. Learn how these grassroots influencers are redefining influencer marketing and unlocking new opportunities for brands to connect with hyper-targeted audiences.

Virtual Influencers:

Blurring the Lines Between Reality and Fiction: Step into the digital realm and meet the virtual influencers who are blurring the lines between reality and fiction. Explore the potential of virtual influencers to drive engagement, creativity, and brand storytelling in the digital age.

AI-Driven Influencer Marketing:

Revolutionizing Campaign Optimization: Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing influencer marketing, offering advanced tools for campaign optimization, audience targeting, and performance analysis. Discover how AI-driven platforms are streamlining influencer discovery, content creation, and ROI tracking for brands.

Join us as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape ofinfluencer marketing and unlock new possibilities for your brand's success. Stay tuned for more insights, trends, and expert analysis from HS Digital Media, your trusted partner in digital innovation.

Contact us today for Influencer Marketing for your business.

[marqeting]

How Much Creative Freedom Should Brands Give to Influencers

In a market occupied with brands using influencer marketing, the question of creative freedom pops up. Influencer marketing has evolved into an effective strategy, providing brands with a great ROI at a comparatively lower cost than traditional marketing efforts. According to a report, marketers earn an average of $5.78 in revenue for each $1 invested in influencer marketing, with some brands earning as much as $18 per dollar invested.

Given these impressive returns, it’s essential for brands to strike the right balance between guiding influencers and allowing them creative freedom. Influencers know their audience best and can create content that relates more authentically. Therefore, brands should provide clear guidelines and key messaging points while allowing influencers the flexibility to present the content in their unique style. This approach ensures that the content feels genuine and engages the audience effectively, driving better results.

Because influencer marketing has proven favorable for many marketers, the question now focuses on how to execute influencer campaigns effectively. In the quest for content, some brands are taking away influencers’ creative freedom. Today’s consumers can easily discern between authentic branded content and content that feels overly promotional or scripted. They don’t hesitate to criticize brand endorsements or sponsorships that don’t align with their preferences. To avoid negative criticism, marketers should allow participating influencers to create content according to their own creativity. After all, who knows their audience better than the influencers who have built it through dedicated efforts?

In this article, we will discuss how brands can maintain a balance between providing content guidelines and allowing influencers the freedom to create content.

How Much Content Freedom Should Brands Allow Their Influencers? When it comes to influencer marketing and creative freedom, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. For established brands with a strong identity, stricter control might be necessary to maintain brand consistency. New brands, on the other hand, might benefit from the fresh perspective and creative freedom offered by influencers. Whether you are an established brand or a new one, adapting your approach based on the situation is crucial for success.

Drafting one content brief and sharing it with dozens of creators is not effective. Instead, creating personalized content briefs after analyzing each influencer’s profile is a better approach. With so many brands using influencers, generic, scripted content gets lost on social media platforms. Creative freedom allows influencers to create raw and engaging content that stands out, gaining traction and making your brand memorable.

1. Share clear and concise guidelines Although brands should provide creative freedom to their influencers, they should not miss any mark in communicating their own brand mission, value or any necessary content creation guideline. Mention your campaign goals (brand awareness, sales), target audience, and key messaging points. Be clear about what you want the influencer to achieve, but leave room for them to express their creativity in how they do it.

2. During the Campaign Work closely with the influencer during the content creation process. Both the brand and the influencer benefit from mutual discussions, idea exchanges, and suggestions, while respecting each other’s creative vision. Share all relevant product information and brand assets with the influencer. Excellent customer support goes a long way in building long-term, profitable relationships. In return, influencers can create high-quality content that accurately reflects your product.

When it comes to influencer marketing, brands should accept trendy content suggestions from influencers. Tying your brand message to a trending topic in a clever or relevant way can initiate conversations and increase engagement. Participating in trends shows that your brand is aware of current events and pop culture, making you appear more relatable and approachable to your target audience.

3. Content Approval Process The goal of the content approval process is to maintain transparency and ensure the influencer’s content aligns well with the brand’s guidelines. Remember, the idea is not to micromanage the creative execution of the influencers. Be open to the influencer’s creative approach, but be firm on any aspects that violate your brand guidelines or could potentially damage your brand image.

Wrapping Up As consumers love raw and trustworthy recommendations, marketers should step into influencers’ shoes and give them the autonomy to create engaging content while maintaining a balance with creative briefs and guidelines. Influencers who achieve good engagement insights on their content tend to do so through transparency and fruitful discussions with the brand.

Also, contact Marqeting to know how they can help scale your brand through influencer marketing campaigns that convert.

[modernspeak123]

Let us help you connect with your target audience in authentic and meaningful ways. Elevate your brand with our influencer campaign services today!

[seohabibi]

This guide serves as a valuable resource for businesses and marketers looking to navigate the world of influencer marketing effectively. It provides essential insights into the best practices and pitfalls to avoid in influencer marketing campaigns.

[alwaysbewoke]

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The largest campaign finance violation in US history

I'm coming to DEFCON! On Aug 9, I'm emceeing the EFF POKER TOURNAMENT (noon at the Horseshoe Poker Room), and appearing on the BRICKED AND ABANDONED panel (5PM, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01). On Aug 10, I'm giving a keynote called "DISENSHITTIFY OR DIE! How hackers can seize the means of computation and build a new, good internet that is hardened against our asshole bosses' insatiable horniness for enshittification" (noon, LVCC - L1 - HW1–11–01).

Earlier this month, some of the richest men in Silicon Valley, led by Marc Andreesen and Ben Horowitz (the billionaire VCs behind Andreesen-Horowitz) announced that they would be backing Trump with endorsements and millions of dollars:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dereksaul/2024/07/16/trump-lands-more-big-tech-backers-billionaire-venture-capitalist-andreessen-joins-wave-supporting-former-president/

Predictably, this drew a lot of ire, which Andreesen tried to diffuse by insisting that his support "doesn’t have anything to do with the big issues that people care about":

https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/24/24204706/marc-andreessen-ben-horowitz-a16z-trump-donations

In other words, the billionaires backing Trump weren't doing so because they supported the racism, the national abortion ban, the attacks on core human rights, etc. Those were merely tradeoffs that they were willing to make to get the parts of the Trump program they do support: more tax-cuts for the ultra-rich, and, of course, free rein to defraud normies with cryptocurrency Ponzi schemes.

Crypto isn't "money" – it is far too volatile to be a store of value, a unit of account, or a medium of exchange. You'd have to be nuts to get a crypto mortgage when all it takes is Elon Musk tweeting a couple emoji to make your monthly mortgage payment double.

A thing becomes moneylike when it can be used to pay off a bill for something you either must pay for, or strongly desire to pay for. The US dollar's moneylike property comes from the fact that hundreds of millions of people need dollars to pay off the IRS and their state tax bills, which means that they will trade labor and goods for dollars. Even people who don't pay US taxes will accept dollars, because they know they can use them to buy things from people who do have a nondiscretionary bill that can only be paid in dollars.

Dollars are also valuable because there are many important commodities that can only – or primarily – be purchased with them, like much of the world's oil supply. The fact that anyone who wants to buy oil has a strong need for dollars makes dollars valuable, because they will sell labor and goods to get dollars, not because they need dollars, but because they need oil.

There's almost nothing that can only be purchased with crypto. You can procure illegal goods and services in the mistaken belief that this transaction will be durably anonymous, and you can pay off ransomware creeps who have hijacked your personal files or all of your business's data:

https://locusmag.com/2022/09/cory-doctorow-moneylike/

Web3 was sold as a way to make the web more "decentralized," but it's best understood as an effort to make it impossible to use the web without paying crypto every time you click your mouse. If people need crypto to use the internet, then crypto whales will finally have a source of durable liquidity for the tokens they've hoarded:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/09/16/nondiscretionary-liabilities/#quatloos

The Web3 bubble was almost entirely down to the vast hype machine mobilized by Andreesen-Horowitz, who bet billions of dollars on the idea and almost single-handedly created the illusion of demand for crypto. For example, they arranged a $100m bribe to Kickstarter shareholders in exchange for Kickstarter pretending to integrate "blockchain" into its crowdfunding platform:

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/untold-story-kickstarter-crypto-hail-120000205.html

Kickstarter never ended up using the blockchain technology, because it was useless. Their shareholders just pocketed the $100m while the company weathered the waves of scorn from savvy tech users who understood that this was all a shuck.

Look hard enough at any crypto "success" and you'll discover a comparable scam. Remember NFTs, and the eye-popping sums that seemingly "everyone" was willing to pay for ugly JPEGs? That whole market was shot through with "wash-trading" – where you sell your asset to yourself and pretend that it was bought by a third party. It's a cheap – and illegal – way to convince people that something worthless is actually very valuable:

https://mailchi.mp/brianlivingston.com/034-2#free1

Even the books about crypto are scams. Chris Dixon's "bestseller" about the power of crypto, Read Write Own, got on the bestseller list through the publishing equivalent of wash-trading, where VCs with large investments in crypto bought up thousands of copies and shoved them on indifferent employees or just warehoused them:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/15/your-new-first-name/#that-dagger-tho

The fact that crypto trades were mostly the same bunch of grifters buying shitcoins from each other, while spending big on Superbowl ads, bribes to Kickstarter shareholders, and bulk-buys of mediocre business-books was bound to come out someday. In the meantime, though, the system worked: it convinced normies to gamble their life's savings on crypto, which they promptly lost (if you can't spot the sucker at the table, you're the sucker).

There's a name for this: it's called a "bezzle." John Kenneth Galbraith defined a "bezzle" as "the magic interval when a confidence trickster knows he has the money he has appropriated but the victim does not yet understand that he has lost it." All bezzles collapse eventually, but until they do, everyone feels better off. You think you're rich because you just bought a bunch of shitcoins after Matt Damon told you that "fortune favors the brave." Damon feels rich because he got a ton of cash to rope you into the con. Crypto.com feels rich because you took a bunch of your perfectly cromulent "fiat money" that can be used to buy anything and traded it in for shitcoins that can be used to buy nothing:

https://theintercept.com/2022/10/26/matt-damon-crypto-commercial/

Andreesen-Horowitz were masters of the bezzle. For them, the Web3 bet on an internet that you'd have to buy their shitcoins to use was always Plan B. Plan A was much more straightforward: they would back crypto companies and take part of their equity in huge quantities of shitcoins that they could sell to "unqualified investors" (normies) in an "initial coin offering." Normally, this would be illegal: a company can't offer stock to the general public until it's been through an SEC vetting process and "gone public" through an IPO. But (Andreesen-Horowitz argued) their companies' "initial coin offerings" existed in an unregulated grey zone where they could be traded for the life's savings of mom-and-pop investors who thought crypto was real because they heard that Kickstarter had adopted it, and there was a bestselling book about it, and Larry David and Matt Damon and Spike Lee told them it was the next big thing.

Crypto isn't so much a financial innovation as it is a financial obfuscation. "Fintech" is just a cynical synonym for "unregulated bank." Cryptocurrency enjoys a "byzantine premium" – that is, it's so larded with baffling technical nonsense that no one understands how it works, and they assume that anything they don't understand is probably incredibly sophisticated and great ("a pile of shit this big must have pony under it somewhere"):

https://pluralistic.net/2022/03/13/the-byzantine-premium/

There are two threats to the crypto bezzle: the first is that normies will wise up to the scam, and the second is that the government will put a stop to it. These are correlated risks: if the government treats crypto as a security (or worse, a scam), that will put severe limits on how shitcoins can be marketed to normies, which will staunch the influx of real money, so the sole liquidity will come from ransomware payments and transactions with tragically overconfident hitmen and drug dealers who think the blockchain is anonymous.

To keep the bezzle going, crypto scammers have spent the past two election cycles flooding both parties with cash. In the 2022 midterms, crypto money bankrolled primary challenges to Democrats by absolute cranks, like the "effective altruist" Carrick Flynn ("effective altruism" is a crypto-affiliated cult closely associated with the infamous scam-artist Sam Bankman-Fried). Sam Bankman-Fried's super PAC, "Protect Our Future," spent $10m on attack-ads against Flynn's primary opponent, the incumbent Andrea Salinas. Salinas trounced Flynn – who was an objectively very bad candidate who stood no chance of winning the general election – but only at the expense of most of the funds she raised from her grassroots, small-dollar donors.

Fighting off SBF's joke candidate meant that Salinas went into the general election with nearly empty coffers, and she barely squeaked out a win against a GOP nightmare candidate Mike Erickson – a millionaire Oxy trafficker, drunk driver, and philanderer who tricked his then-girlfriend by driving her to a fake abortion clinic and telling her that it was a real one:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/10/14/competitors-critics-customers/#billionaire-dilletantes

SBF is in prison, but there's no shortage of crypto millions for this election cycle. According to Molly White's "Follow the Crypto" tracker, crypto-affiliated PACs have raised $185m to influence the 2024 election – more than the entire energy sector:

https://www.followthecrypto.org/

As with everything "crypto," the cryptocurrency election corruption slushfund is a bezzle. The "Stand With Crypto PAC" claims to have the backing of 1.3 million "crypto advocates," and Reuters claims they have 440,000 backers. But 99% of the money claimed by Stand With Crypto was actually donated to "Fairshake" – a different PAC – and 90% of Fairshake's money comes from a handful of corporate donors:

https://www.citationneeded.news/issue-62/

Stand With Crypto – minus the Fairshake money it falsely claimed – has raised $13,690 since April. That money came from just seven donors, four of whom are employed by Coinbase, for whom Stand With Crypto is a stalking horse. Stand With Crypto has an affiliated group (also called "Stand With Crypto" because that is an extremely normal and forthright way to run a nonprofit!), which has raised millions – $1.49m. Of that $1.49m, 90% came from just four donors: three cryptocurrency companies, and the CEO of Coinbase.

There are plenty of crypto dollars for politicians to fight over, but there are virtually no crypto voters. 69-75% of Americans "view crypto negatively or distrust it":

https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/10/majority-of-americans-arent-confident-in-the-safety-and-reliability-of-cryptocurrency/

When Trump keynotes the Bitcoin 2024 conference and promises to use public funds to buy $1b worth of cryptocoins, he isn't wooing voters, he's wooing dollars:

https://www.wired.com/story/donald-trump-strategic-bitcoin-stockpile-bitcoin-2024/

Wooing dollars, not crypto. Politicians aren't raising funds in crypto, because you can't buy ads or pay campaign staff with shitcoins. Remember: unless Andreesen-Horowitz manages to install Web3 crypto tollbooths all over the internet, the industries that accept crypto are ransomware, and technologically overconfident hit-men and drug-dealers. To win elections, you need dollars, which crypto hustlers get by convincing normies to give them real money in exchange for shitcoins, and they are only funding politicians who will make it easier to do that.

As a political matter, "crypto" is a shorthand for "allowing scammers to steal from working people," which makes it a very Republican issue. As Hamilton Nolan writes, "If the Republicans want to position themselves as the Party of Crypto, let them. It is similar to how they position themselves as The Party of Racism and the Party of Religious Zealots and the Party of Telling Lies about Election Fraud. These things actually reflect poorly on them, the Republicans":

https://www.hamiltonnolan.com/p/crypto-as-a-political-characteristic

But the Democrats – who are riding high on the news that Kamala Harris will be their candidate this fall – have decided that they want some of that crypto money, too. Even as crypto-skeptical Dems like Jamaal Bowman, Cori Bush, Sherrod Brown and Jon Tester see millions from crypto PACs flooding in to support their primary challengers and GOP opponents, a group of Dem politicians are promising to give the crypto industry whatever it wants, if they will only bribe Democratic candidates as well:

https://subscriber.politicopro.com/f/?id=00000190-f475-d94b-a79f-fc77c9400000

Kamala Harris – a genuinely popular candidate who has raised record-shattering sums from small-dollar donors representing millions of Americans – herself has called for a "reset" of the relationship between the crypto sector and the Dems:

https://archive.is/iYd1C

As Luke Goldstein writes in The American Prospect, sucking up to crypto scammers so they stop giving your opponents millions of dollars to run attack ads against you is a strategy with no end – you have to keep sucking up to the scam, otherwise the attack ads come out:

https://prospect.org/politics/2024-07-31-crypto-cash-affecting-democratic-races/

There's a whole menagerie of crypto billionaires behind this year's attempt to buy the American government – Andreesen and Horowitz, of course, but also the Winklevoss twins, and this guy, who says we're in the midst of a "civil war" and "anyone that votes against Trump can die in a fucking fire":

https://twitter.com/molly0xFFF/status/1813952816840597712/photo/1

But the real whale that's backstopping the crypto campaign spending is Coinbase, through its Fairshake crypto PAC. Coinbase has donated $45,500,000 to Fairshake, which is a lot:

https://www.coinbase.com/blog/how-to-get-regulatory-clarity-for-crypto

But $45.5m isn't merely a large campaign contribution: it appears that $25m of that is the largest the largest illegal campaign contribution by a federal contractor in history, "by far," a fact that was sleuthed out by Molly White:

https://www.citationneeded.news/coinbase-campaign-finance-violation/

At issue is the fact that Coinbase is bidding to be a US federal contractor: specifically, they want to manage the crypto wallets that US federal cops keep seizing from crime kingpins. Once Coinbase threw its hat into the federal contracting ring, it disqualified itself from donating to politicians or funding PACs:

Campaign finance law prohibits federal government contractors from making contributions, or promising to make contributions, to political entities including super PACs like Fairshake.

https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/federal-government-contractors/

Previous to this, the largest ever illegal campaign contribution by a federal contractor appears to be Marathon Petroleum Company's 2022 bribe to GOP House and Senate super PACs, a mere $1m, only 4% of Coinbase's bribe.

I'm with Nolan on this one. Let the GOP chase millions from billionaires everyone hates who expect them to promote a scam that everyone mistrusts. The Dems have finally found a candidate that people are excited about, and they're awash in money thanks to small amounts contributed by everyday Americans. As AOC put it:

They've got money, but we've got people. Dollar bills don't vote. People vote.

https://www.popsugar.com/news/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-dnc-headquarters-climate-speech-47986992

Support me this summer on the Clarion Write-A-Thon and help raise money for the Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop!

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/07/31/greater-fools/#coinbased

[morganaspendragonss]

polling day on thursday so this is your notice that if you actively choose not to vote, then you have no fucking right to complain about the way things turn out.

"but i don't want to go to the polling station!" you had plenty of time to apply for a postal or proxy vote.

"they're both the same!" 1. no they're fucking not. 2. this isn't the us. voting for the greens or the lib dems or snp or independent or count fucking binhead does mean something.

"but the prime minister will be rishi sunak or kier starmer!" yes, probably, but politics is not just national. you will be represented by somebody, i suggest you look at your local candidates.

democracy literally only works if people participate. go and fucking vote.

[littlebitofdnd]

Sandra-Lynn and Sklonda are having a "What Do We Do About Kristen" phone call as we speak

[volumniafox]

Since the only way our fresh government managed to get rid of a literal nazi as a minister was when foreign press started taking notice... It would be a shame if some recent developments gained international attention :-)

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

"I can help you win this war."

Oh, no.

bonus, the cast's reaction is just PRICELESS

[hsdigitalmedia]

Influencing Mumbai: HS Digital Media's Unconventional Journey in Redefining Brand Narratives

Welcome to the vibrant tapestry of Mumbai, where the heartbeat of the city resonates with digital fervor. In the midst of this dynamic landscape, HS Digital Media emerges as a trailblazer, spearheading an unconventional approach to Influencer Marketing. Buckle up as we unravel the unique journey of HS Digital Media in transforming the way brands connect, engage, and thrive in the bustling city of dreams.

Crafting Authentic Connections:

In a world inundated with cookie-cutter marketing strategies, HS Digital Media distinguishes itself by prioritizing authenticity. Our approach to Influencer Marketing is not just about transactions; it’s about cultivating genuine connections. We pride ourselves on understanding the pulse of Mumbai’s diverse audience, tailoring campaigns that resonate on a personal level, and fostering a sense of trust between influencers and your brand.

The Art of Storytelling:

At HS Digital Media, we believe that every brand has a story waiting to be told. Our team of seasoned storytellers collaborates with influencers who share your brand’s values, weaving narratives that captivate and resonate. From the iconic streets of Colaba to the bustling markets of Bandra, we ensure that your brand’s story echoes through the digital corridors of Mumbai.

Local Roots, Global Impact:

Mumbai’s essence is rooted in its rich culture and diversity. HS Digital Media leverages this local flavor to create campaigns that not only connect with Mumbaikars but also transcend geographical boundaries. Our influencer network seamlessly integrates global appeal into the local narrative, offering brands an opportunity to be recognized on the world stage.

Elevating Brands, One Story at a Time:

HS Digital Media takes pride in being a catalyst for brands looking to make a mark in the ever-evolving digital landscape. Through our tailor-made influencer campaigns, we’ve witnessed businesses, both big and small, not only gain visibility but also forge lasting connections with their target audiences.

Connect with HS Digital Media:

Are you ready to embark on a journey that goes beyond conventional marketing? Reach out to HS Digital Media, where innovation meets impact. Let’s collaborate and create a narrative that transcends the ordinary, setting your brand on a trajectory of digital success.

In the bustling digital metropolis of Mumbai, HS Digital Media stands tall, challenging norms, and crafting narratives that leave a lasting impression. Join us in the revolution as we redefine the influence of brands, one captivating story at a time.

[originalleftist]

Over half of anti-Heard tweets were bots or paid trolls, many linked to Saudi government bots.

"According to an investigation by Tortoise Media, which examined more than one million tweets, more than 50 per cent of anti-Heard messages in the run-up to the 2022 defamation case were "inauthentic' - either from automated "bot" accounts or people hired to attack the actress."

"Bradley Hope, author of a book on Bin Salman, told the podcast that the pro-Depp tweets emanating from Saudi Arabia appear to be produced by "flies", a name for Saudi bot accounts."

"An intelligence professional who tracks online disinformation campaigns, said there was only a "0.1 per cent chance" that the hate directed at Heard was from genuine Depp fans.

The investigation also claims that bot networks in Thailand and Spain tweeted large numbers of pro-Depp messages."

"...more than 100 Twitter accounts sent 1,000 identical messages at exactly the same time to any company that had worked with Heard, reading: "This brand supports domestic violence against men."'

"The makers of the podcast argue that the criticism of Heard could have affected the jury in the 2022 US defamation trial which found in favour of Depp."

"So, if you couldn't tell the difference between a real-life Johnny Depp fan and a bot in 2022, then you probably won't be able to tell a Russian troll from a US election official in 2024. And that represents a serious problem for the security of our democracies."-Alexi Mostrous, presenter of the podcast.

"Johnny Depp and the Saudi Embassy did not respond to Tortoise's request for comment."

[modernspeak123]

ModernSpeak Influence: Ignite Success with Tailored Influencer Marketing Campaigns – Elevate Your Brand's Presence Today!

[seohabibi]

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, the phenomenon of influencer marketing has emerged as a formidable force, redefining the way brands connect with their audiences. At its core, influencer marketing harnesses the inherent power of relatability and authenticity, leveraging individuals who have established trust and credibility within specific niches or communities. This dynamic approach transforms traditional advertising narratives, replacing them with genuine and personal endorsements that resonate deeply with consumers.