3 Influencer Marketing Trends at CES 2016

by Eric Burgess – @erburgess

The Consumer Electronics Show is in full swing and it’s no surprise that we’re seeing influencer marketing pushed to the next level to help brands connect with the estimated 170 thousand attendees. With innovation the order of the day for wearables, robots and household electronics, we’re seeing new ideas about how to get product messages out through social media and influencer marketing strategies as well. Let’s take a brief look at three trends we’re seeing at CES2016 that we can expect to see more often throughout the year.

Real-Time Influencer Marketing

Live-streaming options like Periscope, Meerkat, Blab and even Snapchat are already replacing broadcast television for the Millennial and Gen Z set. That’s why we’re seeing brands and journalists alike using these platforms to bring real-time video elements to their output from CES 2016. While it means amplifying a link to one’s account on a social platform rather than their own branded turf, the opportunity to engage viewers that live (and rarely leave) in social media platforms is trumping concerns about loss of control and a path to what the viewer sees next. In essence, many are catching up to what social media creators already know – that audience growth is easier when working within a platform where people gather already. Influencer marketing strategies work well here because established social media broadcasters understand how to create compelling content for the platform and have built-in audiences already interested in their output. Plus, broadcasts from these platforms can be edited and uploaded to YouTube or Twitch later so that video of the moment doesn’t have an expiration date.

Virtual Reality

With Oculus gear showing up at CES 2016 with a $600 price tag, the era of VR may finally be here for more than just the hardcore gamer set. With some outlets actually broadcasting CES 2016 coverage via VR, we’re definitely on the way. While the capability is still early and standards are still loose, more editorial and promotional content is getting created for the format every day. For now, marketers know that gamers and social media creators are the audience for messages that come in VR format. Even though their ranks may be small, influencers are likely the key to getting the next group of consumers to start experiencing truly three-dimensional content, branded and otherwise, since audiences already trust them to tell compelling stories that suit new formats well.

Collaborative Social Stories Get Better

Social platforms can help weave a variety of voices into stories about events in a way that media lacked in the past. While Twitter is giving brands more power to create these kind of conversations, the social and interactive stories created by Snapchat as Live or Local stories are giving brands, social media creators and traditional journalists opportunities to work together on a story. While the Techies in Vegas story includes traditional ads from Best Buy as well as native ads from Go Pro, it also includes video from users as the editorial between them to keep Snappers watching.

All Snapchat is doing is tying these elements together and with the constant influx of new content from users, it remains fresh and near real-time. Thus, you can get a user showing themselves off using a VR device, immediately followed by a Best Buy ad for them. While the ad placement is well-timed, they’re easy to bypass and less compelling than the snap of an influencer showing how thin a Sony TV is by holding up smartphone next to it or a woman showing off a touch-free DJ table.

For more CES coverage, be sure to check out alistdaily’s extensive news reporting from CES 2016.