The CEO of Go Zero, the controversial guilt-free ice cream brand, announced Wednesday that the company will no longer spend money on influencer videos.
The statement, which was posted on social media, comes as founders become convinced that authentic customer experiences lead to more positive results than paid promotional videos.
The CEO wrote that the company is “shutting down our budget” for influencer videos and that the return on investment from many paid collaborations had not lived up to expectations.
Go Zero is not interested in funding sponsored content but establishing better relationships with real customers who already buy the product and will be able to share their experiences online.
Influencer marketing has become one of the most popular consumer advertising tactics in the last few years.
Most food and beverage companies, fashion and technology companies, and so on have heavily deployed social media followers to make money for themselves.
And while the business is trying to get customers’ attention through these partnerships at times, companies do question whether paid influencer efforts can translate into long-term customer loyalty and more sales.
That is what Go Zero has done with the way it views things. Instead of spending money on polished promotional videos, the company’s emphasis is on organic word-of-mouth marketing.
And customers are more likely to trust real users than sponsored content, especially when ads are clearly labeled as paid collaborations.
Marketing experts say the effectiveness of influencer campaigns is dependent on many aspects of audience relevance, the quality of engagement, and campaign objectives.
While influencer partnerships are still important for product launches and brand awareness, more and more companies are seeking measurable results e.g. repeat purchases, customer retention, and community engagement through collaborations with influencer partners.
There are mixed views on the announcement online. Some entrepreneurs saw the CEO’s decision as a good call to invest in product quality and customer satisfaction more than spending money on a promotional campaign.
But they also pointed out that influencer marketing is a good way for marketing strategies to be executed strategically with creators that truly align with the brand’s values.
Every advertising dollar matters for startups with small marketing budgets. A shift of resources to customer experience, product innovation, loyalty programs, or community-building efforts will have better returns than a short-lived viral campaign.
Greater marketing, and much healthier ice cream options with less sugar and protein, has been targeted at health-sensitive consumers.
The food and beverage space has become more competitive, and many brands are experimenting with different marketing strategies to stay ahead of the curve and still keep it profitable.
I would like to see whether Go Zero’s decision becomes an industry trend for the future of influencer marketing, and whether it will be more critical in the future.
It is whether Go Zero’s decision has been considered as an example of how the world of influencer marketing is evolving and whether authentic marketing is ultimately more valuable than paid advertising.
Brands are going to have to make trust, customer advocacy, and genuine engagement the core of the future of influencer marketing and not just spending on influencer marketing.
Digital advertising is going to become a bigger priority than paid campaigns, and brands need to get used to trust, customer advocacy, genuine engagement, and genuine relationships with their followers on influencers.
