Axios Event: Micro-influencers, "internet lore" and authenticity are driving audience engagement, brand leaders say

CANNES, FRANCE – Brands that engage with niche-oriented, authentic micro-influencers are finding success in today's fragmented online media landscape, marketing leaders said at an Axios event at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

Axios' Eleanor Hawkins spoke with Girlbosstown creative director Robyn Delmonte and Savage X Fenty chief marketing officer Vanessa Wallace at the event on June 16, sponsored by Burson.

The big picture: Brands are increasingly leaning on personalization and micro-influencers to appeal to audiences with specific interests. But doing so successfully requires understanding your audience, speakers said.

What they're saying: "If you have to search for your niche, it's not your niche," Delmonte said.

• She has built up a following of almost 700,000 on TikTok through her content showcasing expert takes and predictions around PR trends, reputation and brand partnerships as the self-proclaimed "internet's agent."
• Seeing brands tap into "internet lore" and turn something niche into a mainstream campaign is her favorite thing, she said.
• She cited Gap's collaboration with a micro-influencer known for hoodie reviews as an example of success. "Gap worked with her to design their newest hoodie and utilized her niche audience and put it on a mainstream platform … and they did it so seamlessly, which is exactly what I think other brands should be doing."

The bottom line: Showing up authentically is key for brands to resonate with audiences.

• "I always say the internet is like the world's biggest inside joke," Delmonte said.
• Brands that try to force their way into the joke end up putting themselves in a worse position, she said. "When you can tell they don't understand it or they're doing it from a place that doesn't resonate, it does more harm than good."
• Engaging with micro-influencers for content, gathering their feedback and leveraging their audiences is a key part of the Savage X Fenty brand strategy, Wallace said.
• "I think consumers know this, that they love brands who are authentic and values-based more than anything," she said.
• "From a brand standpoint, you have to be OK with leveraging their audiences, their platforms, they know their communities best. … I think what you gain from it is so much more valuable. Because you're not showing up like a big brand, you're showing up like their girlfriend next door, and that's what continues to bring them back day to day."

Case in point: As head of marketing for Rihanna's lingerie line Savage X Fenty, Wallace emphasized how the singer's leadership and values shape the company's culture and brand campaigns.

• Rihanna "has always stood for inclusivity, and I think Savage X Fenty is that brand that introduced and redefined what inclusive looked [like] in the lingerie space," Wallace said.
• The brand launched its "Love Your Way" campaign around Valentine's Day, during a time when the national conversation around diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) was becoming more politicized, she said.
• They had a diverse cast in the campaign that reflected different types of love, she said. "We wanted to stand by our values, but it wasn't just to do it just to be disruptive. It truly is how we define ourselves."

Content from the sponsored segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, Burson CEO Corey duBrowa emphasized the value of tying a brand's reputation to its business impact.

• Burson released a new product called Reputation Capital, which aims to give companies data and predictive analysis on their reputation to inform their brand strategy.
• "I think that companies tend to have some blind spots," DuBrowa said. "Having access to predictive analysis, to data, and matching your actions and your message to that data and being able to predict with more certainty what the business impact will be" is the goal.