Key Takeaways from The State of Influencer Marketing 2018 Private Launch Event

Photo Credit: Mark Ng

Last Wednesday, Launchmetrics and Style Coalition welcomed over 100 guests to our private State of Influencer Marketing event. The evening was filled with cocktails and conversations in which we shared and discussed some of the top findings from our most recent The State of Influencer Marketing 2018 report for the fashion, luxury and cosmetic industries. Kicking off the evening, Yuli Ziv, Founder of Style Coalition and CEO of IRM Division of Launchmetrics, discussed the launch of our newest report and introduced our new and exciting Influencers by Launchmetrics, influencer relations management tool to the guests. To bring our findings to life, we invited speakers Garance Doré and IMG Models, Caroline Lowe and Chase Carter, to come share with the audience how their journeys as opinion leaders and influencers have evolved since they first started in the industry. Here are the key takeaways from the fun and insightful evening!

Photo Credit: Louie Herman

Key Takeaways from The State of Influencer Marketing Event

In our first session, we invited Garance Doré, Author, Illustrator, Photographer and Founder of Atelier Doré, to speak with Jessica Micahult, SVP of Industry Relations of Launchmetrics, on how she continues to remain authentic while she builds an influencer empire. In just one year since its founding, Atelier Doré, the website and creative studio, already have over 242K followers.  Combined with her own Instagram's following of over 745K followers; Garance has gained a massive following through the years for her honest conversations on topics relating to fashion, beauty, and lifestyle.

Garance only partners on projects that she believes will bring value to her readers. "What we value first is what we bring to our reader," Garance shares and continues saying "What I really love is really working with brands that I personally support, so when I put myself behind a brand or a project, it's a product I really value." Her advice showcases her authenticity and how she is able to differentiate herself from the large pool of influencers and remain as a thought-leader in her area of expertise. "It's a good moment to be original and find a way to communicate with the people you want to reach," advises the founder.

Photo Credit: Louie Herman

In our next session, we invited two IMG models, Chase Carter and Caroline Lowe to discuss how the role of models have evolved over the years and how they now play a substantial role in influencer marketing campaigns.

"When you have these followers who engage with you every day, being present and posting a lot allows them to feel like they are a part of everything," says Chase, proving that models, now more than ever, have a need to develop a personal brand and need to learn how to build a community on social media. In our report findings, over 30% of respondents say they decide on an influencer to work with by looking at the engagement rate, further making it vividly clear that influencers not only need to develop a strong following but an engaged community.

As a full-time model and emerging actress, Caroline tells Jessica and the audience about how her experience as a model has changed over the years "Now you have to be more than just a model. You have to be a slasher...as in model-slash-actress-slash-influencer to be successful." Chase agreed and adds "I think we are getting to a point that it's a different day and what is expected is very professional."

To learn more about how the State of Influencer Marketing has evolved over the year and what can be expected for 2018, read through our comprehensive The State of Influencer Marketing 2018 report. With 600 marketing and communications professionals surveyed from the fashion, luxury, and cosmetic industries, and 200 influencers from our Style Coalition and GPS Radar communities, the report dives deep into the influencer marketing landscape.