Industry insights

We get the latest thinking on influencer marketing, an FMCG pro tells how to effectively launch new products to market, and more.

LESSONS IN LUXURY SOCIAL MARKETING

Luxury car manufacturer BMW has collaborated with integrated marketing agency Pead to move beyond ‘influencers’ to ‘people of influence’. The campaign involves a dozen of New Zealand’s most influential personalities and starts with an invitation to join one of the most exclusive memberships in the country, The Haus of Joy.

The result is a hand-picked curation of the most luxurious elements of the BMW lifestyle – including special offers from brand partners, attendance at premium events and luxury car loans – into an overarching 12-month experience. Here, Head of Marketing for BMW New Zealand Gabrielle Byfield reveals the brand’s thinking behind this new socialmarketing strategy.

WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED ABOUT SOCIAL MARKETING WHEN IT COMES TO A LUXURY BRAND?

Campaigns need to be about more than just short-term reach and talkability. Our customers and target audiences are made up of discerning individuals who expect to see meaningful content, which is why we’ve hand-picked our Haus of Joy members, all of whom have a genuine interest in the BMW brand. A successful social campaign works well both online and off, and forming long-term partnerships with people of true influence will enable us to do just that.

WHAT TRENDS ARE YOU SEEING IN SOCIAL MARKETING AS 2021 KICKS OFF?

Last year, social marketing became more relevant than ever. Users on various social media platforms grew exponentially and user-generated content hit an all-time high globally – and I believe this will continue throughout 2021. I expect we’ll also see more purposeful campaigns. Not only will brands need to ensure their social marketing campaigns are authentic, but they’ll need to have purpose too.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER MARKETERS OPERATING IN THE LUXURY SPACE?

Understand your customers and provide them with content they want to see, but also take risks. Push the envelope and gain insights into what works and what doesn’t. Luxury brands need to be brave – we need to show off our personalities.

For more on influencer marketing, visit nzmarketingmag.co.nz in April as we profile marketers who are taking the social space by storm.