Lauren Spearman has been working in digital advertising and marketing for over 10 years. Starting her career in Manchester working for Sky Media selling TV sponsorship, the lure of London soon pulled Lauren down to the big smoke where she transitioned to the world of digital advertising. After a small stint working for a influencer agency start up, she moved to parenting website Netmums, focusing on creative brand partnerships, before making the switch client-side three years ago.
Today, Lauren leads the Europe-wide team at MADE.COM, generating brand love, advocacy, and building relationships amongst content creators, customers, and employees. Ahead of her appearance in our Retail & Ecommerce: Digital Marketing Spotlight webinar this week, Lauren shared her thoughts on influencer marketing, and gave us an insight into what she and the team at MADE.COM are currently working on.
What are the big challenges you’re working on at the moment?
LS: We’re currently working on our autumn/winter 2020 brand campaign with integrated User Generated Content (UGC), an approach that has worked very well for us in our campaigns over the last 12 months. We also have a very exciting YouTube project launching at the end of the month too… that’s as much as I can say for now! On top of that we have our very first digital-only event this year, which will be an opportunity for our brand advocates to get a first glimpse of our new collections.
How will influencer marketing fit into your digital marketing strategy as a whole? What is the aim here?
LS: We have an ever-expanding community of genuine fans and advocates across the globe, and our overall strategy enables us to reach their audiences through a shared loves of the home, while inspiring others to create their own happy place.
Our upcoming plans serve as a great reminder of the role our homes play in our lives, which has become ever more important in recent months.
Are there preconceptions that some marketers have about influencer marketing that spark a divide?
LS: Definitely around what an influencer is. Some people hear the word “influencer” and think of reality TV stars, and in some cases I’m sure that’s true, but often this starts closer to home. Every single person has a degree of influence, and as marketers it’s our role to find those people with the most influence, expertise, and credentials that fit with our brand.
Do you have any advice for marketers that are pushing the idea of influencer marketing to their CMO?
LS: If it’s a good idea, go ahead and do it. It is much easier to apologise than it is to get permission.