Phạm TúIn recent years, the trend of combining Affiliate Marketing and Influencer Marketing has become one of the widely used and rapidly growing marketing strategies in Vietnam. With the measurement system inherent to affiliate marketing, when combined with influencers, all campaign results are easily quantifiable. Systems clearly and understandably record metrics such as revenue, add-to-cart rates, and active users, while the influencer marketing (IM) agency market is still measuring basic metrics like impressions and engagement. However, this boom has both positive and negative consequences. Let’s explore them with IMVN in the following article.
A New Product Distribution Channel?
Businesses focusing on Affiliate Marketing (AM) have transformed the KOC/KOL market into a product distribution channel. Through marketing, they communicate to KOCs/KOLs that they will be paid to feature products on their personal pages and livestream product introductions – without much emphasis on content quality. This leads to a situation where KOCs/KOLs produce dull, repetitive content solely to serve brands.
Inflated Metrics
Businesses focused on AM have created a “market” for the MMO (Make Money Online) community to earn substantial income by turning anonymous individuals into KOCs/KOLs. They only need to produce content to attract followers, then sign contracts with brands to make money. This has led to an explosion of fake KOCs/KOLs who focus solely on traffic and views, disregarding content quality.
Creating a Pragmatic KOC/KOL Booking Culture?
The culture of “booking” KOCs/KOLs with guaranteed sales or a certain number of orders is also a major issue. Instead of focusing on content quality and brand alignment, KOCs/KOLs solely concentrate on pushing sales, promotions, and discounts to meet their committed targets.
Therefore, don’t equate the strategy of using influencer marketing with booking influencers under the guise of KOCs/KOLs, and then lament about the achieved revenue. Brands need to build a comprehensive influencer marketing strategy based on their goals and brand values. Then, seek out KOCs/KOLs who genuinely have influence and credibility within the community where your target consumers are present, not just based on follower count or views.
A Proper Perspective on Influencer Marketing Campaigns
The current trend of livestreaming to boost sales among brands represents a significant advancement in e-commerce and marketing in general. It has also introduced new technical terms that we need to update and understand, particularly regarding the distinction between Influencer Marketing (IM) and Affiliate Marketing (AM).
KOCs/KOLs also need to be serious about their chosen profession, focusing on improving content quality and building credibility in the media, not just chasing traffic. They need to become experts in their field, offering valuable advice rather than just being salespeople.
If both brands and KOCs/KOLs take more responsibility in influencer marketing activities, we will have a healthier and more sustainable advertising environment. This is in the long-term interest of both parties, as well as consumers.
