New Blood Talk: Working with influencers

In a talk for D&AD’s New Blood Festival, we gathered a panel of experts —  including Head of Talent at SHFT Chloë Downes, Creative Lead at The Digital Fairy Jessica Cheng, Founder of Do Epic Sh*T Ramzi Moutran, Founder of Platform13 Leila Fataar and Author Fab Giovanetti — to discuss the lowdown on working with influencers. Amongst other insights, the panel shared that one of the most important things to consider when picking an influencer to work with is that they align with a brand’s values.

“Brands definitely need to see beyond the numbers and look at influencers as creatives and collaborative partners in achieving a common goal. They are real people who have built their following on projecting a personal brand, so they must align with your brand campaign and vision for it to feel authentic and real,” said Jessica Cheng.

Ramzi Moutran added, “The first thing if you are going to commit to partnering with an influencer content creator, is to make sure they are aligned with your brand values. And do proper checks. Don't follow the numbers, follow the personality.”

For more insights into working with influencers watch the full talk above.

This talk was broadcast as part of our New Blood Festival series of expert discussions. You can also watch D&AD Black Pencil-winner Sam Shephard discuss making the poigant anti-gun violence campaign The Lost Class here, while industry experts answer questions you asked here.