Influencers Are As Good As Brand Ambassadors: Ankita Shikhare of Publicis Beehive
By Rachit Juneja
May 31, 2021
“I believe influencers are as good as your brand ambassadors, having influencers that fit your brand’s ethos as long-term partners will only help a brand build and showcase loyalty.” - Ankita Shikhare, Brand Services Director, Publicis Beehive.
Ankita Shikhare is a passionate and fun-loving advertiser, who has never treated her work as a task but an integral part of her life. She is of the belief that Advertising is something that has groomed her to be what she is today. She began her journey almost 9 years ago as a Social Media Executive. Today, she proudly holds the position of Brand Services Director at Publicis Beehive and is known for providing the most innovative 360-degree digital solutions to a portfolio of brands like SBI Card, Revlon, PubG, P&G Shiksha, Thank You, Mom, Rajasthan Royals, Baskin Robbins, Bridgestone, and many others. As a thought leader and brand custodian, Ankita specializes in Integrated Marketing, Campaigns, Market Research, Brand Management, and Media Planning.
We got in touch with Ms. Shikhare to learn more about her journey in the field of Content Marketing and here’s what we found out:
Tell us about interesting/challenging campaigns you been a part of:
“During the pandemic, when the number of positive cases was raging and the ability to stay strong was becoming weaker, we had an ongoing campaign. The objective of the campaign was to instill positivity in the minds of people and encourage them to make a stronger comeback despite the odds. The challenge we faced was to cover the top funnel with great impact but with a limited budget. Thus, macro and nano influencers across the categories were identified just to share their comeback stories – Macro influencers played a vital role in delivering the impact while nano influencers widened our reach.”
What’s your opinion on taking influencers as long-term partners? What kind of marketing objectives does it work for / doesn’t work for?
“I believe influencers are as good as your brand ambassadors, having influencers that fit your brand’s ethos as long-term partners will only help a brand build and showcase loyalty. And, to see it through the audiences' lens, a sense of recall and trust is maintained, rather than a knee-jerk reaction every time they see a new face.
Influencer marketing has always facilitated reach and awareness-driven campaigns. For eg: Launches and Causes. One of the greatest examples is how on the onset of the pandemic, #GhenCoVyChallenge went viral. It had Vietnamese TikTok influencer dancing to the video on proper handwashing which was released by one of the health bodies. It enabled young people to gain awareness about proper hygiene while using a catchy tune.”
We often see similar types of content being created by brands that have specific influencers for their category such as food brands - recipe influencers, cosmetics - beauty influencers. How can these brands innovate & stand out?
“Every brand fits a particular category, which is why, on first looks, their choice of influencers seem similar as well. What makes them stand out is the storytelling, which plays a very important role. For instance, while Fenty Beauty and Huda Beauty are two mammoth beauty brands, their way of narrating brand stories is what makes them stand out. Fenty has Rihanna as their face, and what makes it stand out is her D&I story. Similarly, Huda, an influencer turned owner of multi-million dollar brand - Huda Beauty, stands out because of the whole storytelling of “coming from the owner who is a beauty expert herself”, which is why you would see her in all the launch campaign ads.”
What is a recent trend in content/influencer marketing that you think is here to stay?
“Short format content creators – In the world of bumper ads, I’m sure the idea of conveying the key message within a short span of time is here to stay. This will enable and challenge the content creators to come up with crisp and impactful content.”
Being an expert in this field, what approaches do you use to engage and captivate the audience every time there is a new launch?
“Two-way communication always helps, where it’s not just the influencer talking but there is also active involvement of the audience in it – various challenges which lead to chain-forming/building techniques have always proven to work.”
Do you see any innovation coming up in the space of influencer marketing? How do you see the importance of influencer marketing growing vis a vis overall content marketing?
“While format structures have been constant, I see innovation coming in the space of conversions. Brands are always on the lookout for conversions or sales. Currently, the influencer code model may witness innovation in terms of approach and model. Additionally, both influencer marketing and content marketing go hand in hand. It’s the content that keeps audiences glued to their channels. The more engaging and innovative it gets, the more stickiness it results in.”
What do you think is more important - campaign idea or choice of influencers? Why?
“Both, as campaigns are the core of the brand and brands need the right kind of influencers to execute it. Imagine a campaign idea for a super-luxe car launch and the brand choosing micro or nano influencers. Nightmare, right?”
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