“It’s no longer the soccer player appearing in a brand’s content on billboards or on TV. Now a brand can be featured in the soccer player’s own social media content,” explains Bruno Petcho, a graduate of theBachelor’s Degree in Communication with a focus on Advertising and co-founder of Spotlike, a platform that connects brands with influencers.
Petcho answered five questions and explained this new form of advertising, in which brands become part of public figures' daily lives.
1) What does it mean to be an influencer? What does it entail?
An influencer is someone who has a certain reach on social media and a certain degree of influence over their audience. It doesn't matter whether that person has 10 million, 100,000, or 2,000 followers.
We have the following categories of influencers:
a. Celebrities: These are people who, because of their line of work, have a wide reach on their own social media platforms and command a very loyal following of hundreds of thousands or even millions of fans.
b. Influencers in the strict sense: These are celebrities who rose to fame on social media, and whose online “fame” has carried over into the offline world, leading them to pursue careers in theater, television, or other fields.
c.Micro-influencers: These are people who, through the content they post on social media, have managed to build an audience of 10,000 to 20,000 people. Although their reach isn’t as wide as that of acelebrity or influencer, they are highly valuable.
2) If we view soccer players as influencers, how can brands capitalize on these figures' image?
A channel with such a massive reach is obviously very appealing and relevant to any brand. Not only in terms of quantity (given the number of people it can reach), but also in terms of quality, because the content the brand creates will carry this celebrity’s “endorsement” or recommendation.
A brand will not only gain the influencer's reach but also their attributes.
3) What do different brands look for in soccer players?
Historically, soccer players have been used in endorsement campaigns (a term used to describe marketing strategies in which public figures recommend a product).
In the past, they were used on channels that weren’t their own. Today, players have their own platforms. It’s no longer the soccer player appearing in a brand’s content on billboards or on TV; instead, a brand can now appear in the soccer player’s content, on their own social media accounts.
A soccer player—as a celebrity—lends credibility to, raises awareness of, and promotes a brand. If you look at the ads, they all have different objectives.
A brand that uses Godín as its figurehead is a solid, trustworthy brand that goes the extra mile for you—it’s a company that stands behind you and gives you peace of mind. On the other hand, a brand associated with Suárez is an irreverent brand that goes all out and keeps you on your toes.
There you can see that not all brands “connect” with players in the same way. Companies look for the player who best represents them and who can help convey their values. It’s a two-way street.
4) What are the risks of identifying with these types of personalities?
There are risks. There can always be unforeseen circumstances because you're partnering with someone over whom you have no control. That said, we're talking about professional players who are fully aware that any misstep could cost them a multi-million-dollar contract.
What’s more, they know that anything they do can have an impact on society. Soccer players become role models for children. While there is a risk involved, I believe that with players of this caliber, there’s much more to gain.
Commercial featuring Diego Godín
Advertisement featuring Luis Suárez
5) As you said, you don’t have to be famous to be an influencer. How can brands capitalize on the image of so-calledmicro-influencers?
Social media has democratized fame; not only has it given players a direct line to the public, but it has also enabled many people—who don’t have the media exposure of celebrities—to build a following of 10,000 followers.
Today, brands are opting for blended marketing strategies: working with celebrities and surrounding them with micro-influencers.
These influencers have a much higher interaction and engagement rate with their audience than any celebrity. Their content is more spontaneous and organic (that is, they don’t frequently post sponsored content), and their followers are generally people who are genuinely interested in that person’s content. Perhaps someone who follows Godín isn’t interested in interacting with him, but rather in following him and seeing what he’s up to.
Some examples of these micro-influencers are@tinicardiand@belumare.