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Key Takeaways From The 2nd Annual Influencer Infronts 2023 Hosted by Blue Hour Studios (2)

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Key Takeaways From The 2nd Annual Influencer Infronts 2023 Hosted by Blue Hour Studios

Influencer marketing is highly creative and the future of advertising in many ways. Despite this, many brands don’t value it to the same degree as other forms of advertising. After seeing this disparity, Blue Hour Studios, a social content shop specializing in influencer marketing, developed the Infronts event to answer the question, “Why are influencers valued less monetarily than other forms of advertising?”

Influencer Infronts 2022 had two main parts: educational presentations and a creator showcase. 

The creator showcase featured an original slate of influencer-produced content, shows, and social series for TikTok and Instagram surrounding topics pertinent to advertisers. 

After the first Infronts event, the Blue Hour Studios team received feedback that the educational component was particularly appreciated. 

Monika Ratner, Head of Growth at Blue Hour studies, shares, “What we heard is that the brands we were working with were looking for a simpler, more turnkey solution for how they approach the influencer space. These were some of the insights that really came back to informing what we wanted to do with year two.”

In response to this feedback, the Infronts 2023 event features additional education and data about the influencer space. 

The Blue Hour Studios team is also announcing a new product, Mavin, which Monika shares is a “turnkey solution for brands seeking ROI for their influencer investment.”

Key Takeaways From The 2nd Annual Influencer Infronts 2023 Hosted by Blue Hour Studios

Infronts 2023: The ESPN Chat & Panel Discussion

Infronts 2023 features a fireside chat with ESPN focusing on the future of the fandom. After this chat, the following education segment will be a panel discussion between different thought leaders on how brands can maximize short-form video content. 

Speakers include thought leaders like Kaitee Daley, the Vice President of Social, Omar Raja and Toni Cowan-Brown from ESPN, Edith Englard, the Global Product Lead for YouTube Shorts, and more.

Monika shares, “We’re going to specifically ask them about tone and style, the editing process, and even tools they use to design short-form video. We’re going to ask what types of creators they’re working with, how they find the right kinds of creators, [etc.]”

The Main Objectives of Infronts 2023

Monika explains, “We want to keep our mission the same year after year because we’re continuing to build towards the same goals. There’s three pieces to our mission.”

The three focuses of Infronts 2023 are: 

  1. Educate the industry on the effectiveness and importance of influencer marketing
  2. Diversify the voices that are amplified and receive brand partnerships
  3. Drive meaningful levels of investment by brands into the creator economy

During the Infronts 2023 event, the Blue Hour Studios team will also reveal statistics about the disconnect between how much brands invest in influencer marketing monetarily versus how much consumers love and watch influencer content. 

Monika shares, “The level of investment is really small by comparison. Depending on how you do the math, the investment is around 2% of ad dollars, which we think is too low when we think about the scale and the opportunity that there is for brands.”

The end goal? The audience will walk away with specific items on their to-do list for improving their businesses, not just general knowledge about the influencer marketing industry.

Key Takeaways from Infronts 2023

Some of the biggest takeaways from Infronts 2023 include the importance of subcultures in influencer marketing. 

Subcultures are niche online communities. Finding the right subcultures to market to helps brands connect with people based on their interests and passion points rather than marketing to more general audiences. 

Monika adds, “Another [takeaway] would be, and I think this is going to come out through the ESPN conversation and fireside chat, is longer term and closer-knit relationships with influencers. ESPN has done an incredible job at that. They bring creators to their headquarters. They have them interface with different experts and different personalities that they have as a brand. They provide real value back to the creator.”

The third key takeaway is for brands not to be afraid to invest in influencer marketing. 
Monika recommends brands “get their hands dirty and start experimenting. I hope that there is a bit of empowerment that the audience feels as they leave Infronts to not worry about messing up or doing the wrong thing.”

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Amy DeYoung is a freelance blog post writer covering influencer marketing and business topics. As the daughter of two business owners, she's been fascinated by all things business from a young age, which led her to graduate from college with a bachelor's degree in business. When she's not typing away, she spends her time reading nonfiction books and mystery novels, baking scrumptious desserts, and playing with her dog.

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