Last week our first KF Movie Night in cooperation with Pathé Spreitenbach took place.
The movie The Batman, which was shown, revolves around good and evil and the blurred line in between, just like in reality. In view of current world events and the processing of this in the medium of film, we have put together a guide for films on the subject of Ukraine and Russia.
In this sense we hope for more “Batmans” & *Catwomen” and less “Riddlers” in this world.
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom (2015)
Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedomis a 2015 documentary film about the Euromaidan protests in Ukraine from 21 November 2013 to 23 February 2014.
In just 93 days, what started as peaceful student demonstrations became a violent revolution. Netflix original documentary Winter on Fire brings you the story of Ukraine’s fight for freedom from the frontlines of the 2014 uprising.
Invisible Battalion (2017)
Invisible Battalion consists of six stories of servicewomen told by three Ukrainian film directors. The film protagonists are different by their life experience, age, military, and civil professions, but all of them were united by the war. Their stories create a panoramic picture of the woman’s status in the Armed Forces in Ukraine.
UNAVAILABLE (2018)
Lyuba works at a pastry shop. Her son is in the war zone and out of communication. The mother goes in search of her son in a territory unknown to her. A heartbreaking short film depicting the love of a mother for her son.
NO OBVIOUS SIGNS (2018)
This documentary tells the story of a woman who returns from war. Talking to psychologists, battling her PTSD and panic attacks, she tries hard to get back to normal life. The documentary shows her path from the beginning of her rehabilitation till her going back to work.
THE EARTH IS BLUE AS AN ORANGE (2020)
To cope with the daily trauma of living in a war zone, Anna and her children make a film together about their life among surreal surroundings. This documentary shows the contrast of both explosive trauma and the mundane peripheral existence in everyday life in war.
Leto (2019)
Leto (translated from Russain: Summer) is a Russian musical film that depicts the underground rock scene of the early 1980s in repressive Leningrad. Mike and his girlfriend Natascha get to know the charismatic musician Viktor Tsoi. United in their untamed passion for music they get caught up in a love triangle.
Train Kyiv-War (2020)
A train journey from Kyiv to Kostiantynivka, a small industrial city near the war zone, is only 12 hours long. People with different political views, beliefs, and social backgrounds are traveling to and from the war every day. And, of course, some conversations between passengers during that ride tend to get heated.
We are looking forward to your impressions and further movie suggestions.
“Pinkwashing” was one of the biggest buzz words of this year’s Pride month. Many global brands have been scrutinized by online comedians and memes due to their logos becoming ‘rainbow-fied’ temporarily for the month of June. Pride month originated in 1969 to commemorate the Stonewall riots in the United States and to celebrate, increase awareness, and promote equality for the LGBTQ+ community. Now, it’s seemingly become a month for brands to posture. Every June, we see websites and social media becoming rainbow-fied across many business sectors along with seasonal sales and rainbow-themed clothing, accessories, etc. Many consumers feel that companies are just taking advantage of this historic month to promote their own reputations.
In this article, Kingfluencers will examine the term “pinkwashing,” as well as highlights and missteps of this year’s Pride month, and do’s and don’ts for brands for Pride.
Where Does Switzerland Stand on LGBTQ+ Equality?
The Swiss parliament passed a bill recognizing same-sex marriage in December 2020, several years later than most other western European states. Unfortunately, opponents of the law gathered the necessary signatures to call for a referendum. The federal chancellery will set a date for the vote, which would not be held before September. In a November 2020 poll by the LGBT umbrella organization Pink Cross, 82% of respondents expressed approval of same-sex marriage in strong or mild terms, which bodes well for the upcoming vote.
Switzerland is LGBTQ+-friendly in large cities and hubs of creative artists, similar to many nations. Travel guide Frommer’s states, “On the whole, Switzerland is tolerant and gay-friendly, especially in more urban and diverse areas. Zurich, Geneva, and Basel are the centers of gay life in Switzerland, although ski resorts such as Zermatt, Lenzerheide, and Arosa are also popular destinations (mostly in winter), even hosting gay ski weeks.” However, many rural areas of Switzerland remain conservative and less than friendly. This past May, 100 rainbow flags were torn down and destroyed in Buchs. A total of 61 cases of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes were reported throughout 2020.
What Exactly is Pinkwashing?
We’ve seen frequent cases of the term pinkwashing being used incorrectly. Wikipedia cites a New York Times article from 2011 in defining pinkwashing as, “the action of using gay-related issues in positive ways in order to distract attention from negative actions by an organization, country or government.”
What we’re referring to in this article is more accurately described as “rainbow capitalism,” or similarly “pink capitalism,” “homocapitalism,” or “gay capitalism.” Fem Magazine states, “Pinkwashing now commonly refers to the appropriation of the LGBTQIA+ movement to promote a particular corporate or political agenda. In other words, entities market themselves as “gay-friendly” to gain favor with progressives, while masking aspects that are violent and undemocratic…. Pinkwashing undermines efforts towards genuine justice, using divide-and-conquer tactics to individualize oppressions.”
“Karen Tongson, author and professor of gender and sexuality studies at the University of Southern California, defines Rainbow Capitalism as the ‘commodification of things related to LGBT culture, especially the concept of gay pride’.”
Scandals and Missteps of This Year’s Pride Month
Euro 2020 organizer UEFA banned advertising using the LGBT rainbow colors at the quarter-final matches in Russia and Azerbaijan, citing local laws. Additionally, due to the organization’s need to stay politically neutral, UEFA prohibited players and stadiums from showing support. After facing a backlash, UEFA’s new position became: “Every partner can decide on their respective messages, artwork and activation activities and their decisions to transmit a message of tolerance and inclusion is fully supported by UEFA.” There had never been a ban on rainbow flags in the fan zone.
The Drum states, “UEFA has faced accusations of supporting Pride messaging when it is set to make a profit, rather than taking a clear position from the outset of the tournament to back diversity and inclusivity in line with its own Equal Game campaign.”
Retailer Target offers an extensive Pride collection which received compliments, criticism, and a bit of incredulity. In a “Rainbow Rant,” Joy Ellison reviewed the Target Pride collection and stated, “I wonder if some queer Target designer carefully created a few products but then slowly started to wonder what exactly they could get away with.” The author wrote about the “mostly tacky” line that includes some “baffling products,” and described one t-shirt as, “Virtue signaling as a fashion statement.”
Joy Ellison continues to point out the numerous social and environmental costs to the “fast fashion” Target sells, including the fact that fewer than 2% of fashion sector workers earn a living wage.
Do’s and Don’ts for Brands – For 2022 Pride Month + All Year
Campaign Asia-Pacificrecently asked agency executives for advice on how brands can authentically celebrate the movement and avoid pinkwashing. The excellent assortment of tips included:
Make it more of a year-round effort (mentioned by multiple execs)
Use Pride as an occasion to celebrate what your brand has done to support the community every day
Start by looking at how you support your LGBT staff, or cast a LGBT role in your regular ads
Design a good product but also donate part of your proceeds to support a LGBT cause. (RED) by Apple which supports HIV/AIDS programs is a good example that shows launching a product can benefit a community
Gravitate towards unity over divide, focusing on the universal values that we all share
In a campaign that’s an excellent example of both influencer marketing and honoring Pride month, Reebok is launching its Reebok Collective program and handed creative control to its influencers. The sports brand gave activist Lazarus Lynch free reign on creating a short film, a move The Drum describes as, “challenging the status quo of traditional influencer-brand relationships.” Reebok will also donate $75K to the Sylvia Rivera Law Project in honor of transgender, gender nonconforming, and intersex youth.
USA Today compiled a list of, “55 brands that are giving back for Pride Month 2021,” which included watch brand Fossil’s limited-edition Pride collection. 100% of the proceeds go to benefit The Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ+ youth.
The Allianz Group has admirable, and extensive diversity initiatives, such as the Global Diversity Council, which ensures that initiatives to promote equality are implemented. “These range from the development of women’s talent pools, LGBTIQ + networks and the integration of people with disabilities to the creation of careers for people over 50.” Allianz Group recognizes the positive effect of employees from different backgrounds, and mentions not only gender and sexual orientation, but also age, origin, education, and physical or mental handicap.
A recent article in Persönlich also highlighted Boston Consulting as a role model. The business placed a full-page advertisement in the NZZ together with other companies, and illuminated their office in Pride colors at night during Pride week.
And Now the Don’ts
Examples of hypocritical, alleged support of LGBTQ+ rights abound. In 2020, American video game publisher Bethesda Softworks was called out for changing their regional Twitter account logos to rainbow versions… with the exceptions of Bethesda Middle East, Russia, and Turkey. This year, the brand changed the primary corporate account, but none of the regional accounts such as @Bethesda_IT and @Bethesda_DE, presumably expecting to avoid backlash. The same selective regionalization has been noted among numerous companies.
Brands with questionable global business practices, such as weapons manufacturer Raytheon and investment management firm BlackRock, seem to just invite additional criticism with their pinkwashing efforts. As Jawaharal Nehru wrote on Twitter, “American LGBTQ people should have the right to oppress LGBTQ people in other countries just like everyone else!!”
Another highly questionable choice was British supermarket chain Marks and Spencer’s new “LGBT” sandwich, named for the fillings of Lettuce, Guacamole, Bacon, and Tomato.
Conscious Influence Hub
The Conscious Influence Hub (CIH) shows solidarity with the queer community and aims to set an example and promote respect, tolerance, and empathy on social media with the campaign on the idahobit-day. The CIH podcast, “Conscious Talk,” recently recorded their first episode on the topic of discrimination and hostility towards the LGBTQ + community, with a discussion between Zeki Bulgurcu and Anna Rosenwasser.
The global infusion of rainbows that occurs in June can be affirming for queer and trans people. But executed poorly, Pride-themed marketing can make queer and trans people feel as though they’re being exploited, having a negative impact for brands. Like all messaging and campaigns, a well-structured approach is necessary. An agency like Kingfluencers can help, so reach out now if you’d like to discuss your approach.
Zurich, 01.04.2021: Brands usually make the mistake on social media of not telling their products an authentic story with a face that the audience can identify with. The result: a lot of effort in the battle for attention that cannot be won. Not so with our 7 tips that show what it takes to not only use social media as a brand but to properly harness it.
Know target groups & know where to find them
There is no such thing as the “best” platform, influencer, or campaign format. Brands need to invest time in researching possible options and making a choice that will best help them achieve their goals. Accurately identifying the target audience is an important first step, followed by deciding the best platforms to reach them.
Read our blog posts about the evolution of social media platforms and different audiences here.
For younger dance enthusiasts, TikTok is a natural. 60% of users are Gen Zers and the two TikTok accounts with the most followers are young dancers
Stay relevant
What most users do on a platform is very important to consider. The chances of brands being successful increase enormously if they provide the kind of content that the target groups on the platform actively seek out and consume, such as video games on Twitch. The platform has over 9 million active users and all of the top 5 are gamers.
Segmenting audiences within each platform can increase relevance even further. For example, on Facebook, brands can easily create a custom list of people who have previously messaged the company to re-engage potential customers.
Make campaigns interactive
Social influencer marketing offers an agile, real-time communication channel with consumers. In influencer marketing and social media in general, brands should interact with consumers and aim for effective two-way communication. Too often, however, brands playout content to their audience without bothering to listen to find out what they really want. Interactive campaigns, on the other hand, lead to more engagement, brand advocacy, and likeability, as well as more conversions and better customer retention.
Social media offers brands the unique opportunity to make campaigns interactive and collaborative. By encouraging participation and interaction and integrating user-generated content, brands can transform their campaigns from brand monologues into real conversations. The close connection influencers have with their communities is ideal for engaging audiences in conversations and making campaigns interactive. Influencers can generate interactions in a variety of ways, including:
Challenges
Competition
Surveys
Q&A Sessions
Using the latest technologies
Actually, the concept of virtual reality (VR) is nothing new, but with the new release of the Oculus Quest in May 2019, it has become increasingly popular. VR allows people to share and interact with others around the world, which seems especially important given the ongoing need for social distancing. As such, Facebook is currently testing the Oculus VR platform to create a virtual world where people can connect and play games.
Augmented reality (AR), on the other hand, is even more accessible, as it requires no additional hardware other than a smartphone. AR filters can be used to promote fan interaction or new products.
The popular Kinder chocolate brand’s “Jump into Africa” campaign allowed its consumers to discover animated 3D safari animals while in Tesco supermarkets in the UK.
Staying up to date on the chosen social media platforms
Brands should always be aware of the various changes and new features on social media platforms, as circumstances change quickly. Twitter, for example, announced paid Super Follows on February 25, 2021, where users will have to pay for tweets. Furthermore, YouTube Shorts, which is considered a competitor to TikTok, entered the U.S. market on March 18, 2021.
“YouTube Shorts was first launched in September and has undergone various beta tests in India over the past few months, where adoption of the product has tripled since then.”
In addition, TikTok recently launched “TikTok For Business” to highlight tips such as information on various elements for building a brand, including insights on creative inputs, strategies for ads, and key trends. TikTok Ads Manager supports as a simple self-service tool that allows brands to create and post their ads directly to the TikTok feed.
Focus on people & use stories
Human interest stories help audiences identify with the brand and encourage interaction, for example, by showing people currently using the product rather than just posting photos or videos of the product itself. Social media stories can create a strong emotional connection with the brand and further its purpose. A study by SocialInsider also found that images in stories have a 5.65% higher tap-forward rate than videos. Images of people using a product in relatable situations can help users* connect. For example, these people could be hired actors, paid influencers, or satisfied customers – all are beneficial.
Consumers are 2.4 times more likely to say they find user-generated content (UGC) more authentic than brand-created content. In addition, many employees at all levels are likely already committed to their employer and its products or services. Brands should embrace and build on this enthusiasm because people who make their employer’s product are highly credible sources
MensPeople like to see other people. Research published in the Journal of Advertising Research shows, “Ads with people’s faces and ‘face-like’ (i.e., illusory) images attract more attention in a short time and are preferred over other ads.”
Represent authenticity and values
Consumers want to support brands that embody their own values. As noted in Inc, Gen-Zers “want to see authenticity in marketing, including evidence and a culture that backs up claims of strong company values.” Sixty-seven percent agreed that “staying true to yourself and your values and beliefs makes a person cool,” and they feel the same way about brands.
74% of respondents to a Twitter poll want brands to show acts of kindness, and 77% feel more positively about brands that try to help society during this crisis.
While it’s tempting to focus on stats like followers and likes, it’s important to remember that interactive exchange is a two-way street. Interacting with the community also helps build trust and credibility.
Social media is just an addition to a brand’s marketing mix. False. Social media management matters for brands.
There is very little doubt or discussion about that among marketers and business decision makers. Communicating to and with their target audiences on social media is one of the most cost-effective and impactful ways for brands to connect with existing and potential clients. When done properly, it is a highly effective communication and nurturing channel. From keeping customers up to date about new product launches to staying top of mind as the number one brand with whom they established a relationship, an engaged social media following is the way to go.
But achieving this objective requires effort, dedication, expertise, and continuity, among other things. In order to continue to be successful, some requirements must be met. Among the most important ones are the following:
A clear strategy and approach, including choice of channels, content types, posting frequency, tone of voice, etc.
A structured channel-specific content framework and planning, including themes and topics
An efficient and continuous content production flow
The right foundations set up beforehand, including processes and systems
Once all the above is in place, the day-to-day detailed activities needed to keep social media profiles thriving should not be underestimated. It is a lot of work and often it makes sense to outsource this activity, especially for relatively small or globally centralized teams who want to safeguard and strengthen the connection to the local consumers.
Being Locally Relevant
This is one of the main reasons that prompted the Garden Gourmet Switzerland management team to reach out to Kingfluencers to take over the management of the brand‘s social media platforms. One of the core objectives was to purposefully localize and use the content provided to the local markets by the global Garden Gourmet team, as well as create captivating new content for Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.
The Kingfluencers mandate includes activities such as: Creating the monthly content calendar, localizing global content, writing multilingual captions focused on the Swiss audience and creating fresh visual and animated content. Staying in tune with consumers in a multilingual country like Switzerland can be challenging as it ideally requires addressing the audiences in their first languages. People generally engage more with content provided in their native language, including local cultural references and humour.
Camille Delorme
Brand Manager Garden Gourmet
“It’s a real pleasure to have started this collaboration with Kingfluencers, since they took over Garden Gourmet’s social network management, we see a very clear dynamism, and this allows us to start getting closer to our consumers. Thank you to the whole team for their dedication and creativity. I look forward to continuing to see the evolution of the brand on social networks.”
Camille Delorme
Brand Manager Garden Gourmet
“It’s a real pleasure to have started this collaboration with Kingfluencers, since they took over Garden Gourmet’s social network management, we see a very clear dynamism, and this allows us to start getting closer to our consumers. Thank you to the whole team for their dedication and creativity. I look forward to continuing to see the evolution of the brand on social networks.”
Camille Delorme
Brand Manager Garden Gourmet
“It’s a real pleasure to have started this collaboration with Kingfluencers, since they took over Garden Gourmet’s social network management, we see a very clear dynamism, and this allows us to start getting closer to our consumers. Thank you to the whole team for their dedication and creativity. I look forward to continuing to see the evolution of the brand on social networks.”
Camille Delorme
Brand Manager Garden Gourmet
“It’s a real pleasure to have started this collaboration with Kingfluencers, since they took over Garden Gourmet’s social network management, we see a very clear dynamism, and this allows us to start getting closer to our consumers. Thank you to the whole team for their dedication and creativity. I look forward to continuing to see the evolution of the brand on social networks.”
Camille Delorme
Brand Manager Garden Gourmet
“It’s a real pleasure to have started this collaboration with Kingfluencers, since they took over Garden Gourmet’s social network management, we see a very clear dynamism, and this allows us to start getting closer to our consumers. Thank you to the whole team for their dedication and creativity. I look forward to continuing to see the evolution of the brand on social networks.”
From influencer marketing agency to social media powerhouse
It is an absolute joy to work with the Garden Gourmet team and learn from them as well. They have a ton of amazing content, from recipes to visuals and social media storyboards that we can use in the mix to create a diversified and engaging social media feed. The level of professionalism within Garden Gourmet is absolute top. Furthermore, working with such an appealing brand that consumers really love is always a joy and we get a lot of great feedback from clients which makes it extra rewarding to be part of the brand’s story
Yoeri Callebaut CGMO at Kingfluencers.
The Magic Mix
For every brand there is that magic mix that helps their social media efforts become successful. For Garden Gourmet Switzerland these are some of the elements if its recipe for success:
The high relevance of their content, especially the recipes. That makes the brand and its products more real, approachable and relevant.
The colorful visual approach and use of animated visual assets also helps create high impact with the posts.
Involving Swiss influencers providing tips, tricks, recipe advice and more as part of the posts and stories. This adds an extra dimension to the content / posts.
Engaging the audience with mini quizzes, two-way communication and contests is another way to keep people connected and furthermore grow the brand‘s follower base over time.
As the world grapples with a second (and in some cases even third) COVID-19 wave, many people feel stuck, defeated and hopeless due to the numerous lockdowns they have had to endure in the space of a year. Switzerland imposed a “semi-lockdown” on 18 January 2021, causing many shops to close their doors once again since the end of the first lockdown in March. Kingfluencers, therefore, asked a few Swiss influencers to share tips and tricks to not only cope better with the situation but also to grow personally in this lockdown.
Wednesday, January 13th 2021: The Swiss Federal Council has announced that from the next Monday on, the nation will set yet another semi-lockdown in place at least until the end of February. Millions of sighs of frustration from the first lockdown last March were exhaled at that moment. Here we go again, many thought. Within just a few hours, information spread like a digital wildfire and the nation knew what to do starting Monday and streets and malls were crowded nationwide over that “final weekend”.
Now it’s been four weeks since the semi-lockdown and we have survived the first lockdown back in March. Nevertheless, many are left feeling frustrated, confused and lost since the announcement of the semi-lockdown. To help you not only survive the lockdown but also thrive in it, we have asked our influencers to give us their survival tips and tricks in their areas of expertise.
DIY and hobbies
Doris Flury presenting her fluffy freshly baked bread: All home made!
One of the few things many of us can make the best of is the extra free time. Even if you are lucky to be healthy and still employed, you may find yourself with nothing to do in the evenings whereas pre-pandemic you were normally out with your friends, colleagues, family or life partners. Take advantage of this and try out new things or reconsider your old hobbies that you never seem to have time for. Austrian-native food blogger and mother of three Doris Flury has made home-made bread during the pandemic:
There is nothing better than freshly baked bread.
Sustainability blogger and actress Anina Mutter also recommends “learning a new instrument or singing”.
Harmonie Matthey proudly posing with her home-made octopus toy that she made for her daughter
Harmonie Matthey, Neuchâtel-native blogger and founder of decoration and interior online shop Au_numero_9, had a fun DIY idea. Her daughter wanted a stuffed two-sided, flippable octopus that would indicate one’s mood. One side would show a happy face and the other a sad or mad face. “I could order it in two clicks,” said Harmonie, “but we took the chance to produce it at home! Making your own is a great way to be active and avoid contributing to worldwide mass productions. We found a DIY guide on Etsy, re-created it and posted the result. We have a really cool octopus at home now.” She also values the experience in creating the toy: “Making it at home also was a fun experience. Not only is this a new, home-made toy for my daughter but is now also a great memory for us!”
Steven Epprecht has taken advantage of the free evenings since the first lockdown to re-discover his love of reading.
You can also spend this lockdown to try out new hobbies or even re-discover old ones, like reading. Many of us have lost interest in reading over the years due to numerous reasons, including model, event host and blogger Steven Epprecht. He has grown fond of reading again since the first lockdown back in March 2020, especially since he was always out and about in the evenings pre-pandemic.
When you’re at home more often on the weekend, you get the chance to read. I also find it good for switching off.
Netflix: Our influencers’ favourite binge-watching series
For this article, we have asked our influencers which series they binge watch or are rewatching at the moment. If you are looking for new series to binge watch, see if you find something of interest for you. Two shows that came up multiple times as all-time favourites were Netflix originals Narcos and Lupin.
Moreover, most shows that influencers mentioned were ones that they either rewatched or finally were able to start watching even after they ended because they finally had enough time (especially in the evening) to catch up. The shows that were named were the following:
How To Get Away With Murder
Revenge
Friends
The L-Word and The L-Word: Generation Q
Suits
Cable Girls
Breaking Bad
24
Vikings
If you are seeking on-going shows, beauty, health and lifestyle expert Frieda Hodel highly recommends Netflix Originals Ozark and The Queen’s Gambit. TikToker and Virgin Radio co-host Younes is also a fan of Riverdale. Geneva-native TikToker Carly Réveil also recommends The Queen’s Gambit and Umbrella Academy.
Carly Réveil and Younes Saggara’s exclusive TikTok tips
There is no doubt that TikTok has boomed globally since the first lockdown back in spring 2020. According to Sensor Tower, they crossed 2 billion downloads after the best quarter for any app ever. Nowadays, the viral short video social platform has over 1 billion active monthly viewers, as Wallaroo Media reported recently. Since the first worldwide lockdown, not only did TikTok’s users increase their average watch times, users of all ages also started posting their own TikTok videos. From participating in viral dances and challenges to posting their own cooking, financial, study or fashion tips, a TikTok user has access to many genres of short videos that can be either entertaining or informative.
When it came to tips for current or future TikTok creators, we reached out to two of Switzerland’s many popular Tiktokers, Geneva-native Carly Réveil and Virgin Radio Co-Host Younes Saggara.
Carly is especially fond of TikTok “because lots of people take pleasure and invent new trends as crazy as each other.” Here we list his exclusive tips:
“Be regular and post at least once a week, because people need to get into our universe.”
“Be effective in the dissemination of content. You don’t have to make long videos but they have to be dynamic and you also have to ask yourself: If I came across this video and it wasn’t me, would I still like it?”
“Have the urge. You don’t have to make content to want to be a star but to have fun and pleasure. If we don’t have fun, we can’t stay motivated and keep making quality content.”
Younes Saggara’s TikTok top success tips: Be yourself and spontaneous!
Younes has further TikTok tips to add:
My biggest tip is to be yourself because there’s only one of you and that’s something nobody can ever take away from you.
When a cool idea comes up, just do it right then and there. As long as you don’t break any of TikTok’s rules, don’t think of what others might think. Just film and post it.
Let yourself be inspired by other TikTokers — That’s what TikTok is all about.
Steven Epprecht’s exclusive skin care tips for men
One conversation that we have seen come up often since the pandemic is of women worldwide agreeing that we finally have time to pamper ourselves and indulge ourselves in at-home spa days, whether solo or together with the people we live with. But what about men? Their skins need love too! We therefore asked Steven Epprecht for exclusive grooming and skin care tips for men.
“We have to start early with our skin care routines,” says the model and blogger/influencer. “Us men should definitely pay more attention to our skins to prevent premature aging”. He has repeatedly shared his daily skincare routine on Instagram and is happy to see comments and messages of male followers showing interest and asking for more tips. His own simple and quick routine which he follows every morning and every evening is as follows:
Wash face with a foaming cleanser
Apply serum and moisturizer
Gently apply eye cream
Occasionally: apply a mask (because why do only girls get to enjoy masks?)
Needless to say, we need to see our skin care beauty routines as complemential to drinking enough water, eating healthy, exercising regularly and reducing stress.
Mental health
According to the Swiss Corona Stress Study which was conducted by a study team of the University of Basel, “the share of people reporting maximum stress was about 11 percent during the April lockdown,” which then “rose to 20 percent in the second wave in November.” Moreover, the percentage of respondents with major depressive symptoms has increased dramatically over both lockdowns:
“While the percentage of respondents with major depressive symptoms was 3 percent before the pandemic, 9 percent during the April lockdown, and 12 percent during the May lockdown, it rose to 18 percent in November.”
According to a Swiss Corona Stress Study conducted by the University of Basel, 29% of Swiss 14-to-24-year-olds experienced major depressive symptoms in November 2020 (source)
It is therefore important to not only keep our physical health but also mental health in check. This is also an especially crucial time to check on others. Frieda Hodel states the importance of looking after others in this difficult time:
Notice which people in the environment are strongly affected by the pandemic without perhaps disclosing it from themselves, be it from an economic or private point of view — and motivate and cheer them up with sensitivity!
Frieda Hodel agrees that we shouldn’t only keep our own mental health in check but also look after others in these difficult times
Anina Mutter also recommends appreciating the little joys in life, going through these extraordinary times
step by step, with lots of self-love and acceptance for our own and everyone else’s human-ness
and putting things into perspective:
“Fresh air, exercise, cooking, reading a good book, a gentle and inspiring routine, playing guitar, gardening. All we really have is the now, so why destroy this present moment with too many worries & fears from the past or future?”
Anina Mutter: “All we really have is the now, so why destroy this present moment with too many worries & fears from the past or future?”
Younes also recommends meditating and writing in a diary. Not sure what to write in your diary? In his diary, Younes writes about how he is feeling, what is going on currently and his manifestations for the future.
It is certainly interesting when you read your diary entries 10 years later.
Younes Saggara takes the time to reflect and write down daily entries in his diary. “It is certainly interesting when you read your diary entries 10 years later.”
Moreover, spending time with loved ones has been a luxury for many but it still is crucial to stay connected in this lonely situation. With social-distance-friendly apps like Zoom, FaceTime, Whatsapp, Telegram and other social media platforms on the rise since the first lockdown, many have thought of and shared creative ways to stay connected with each other while still following social distancing guidelines. Online drinking games, Zoom Friday night drinks, simultaneous movie nights, live study sessions etc. were activities that we have only ever done together with long-distance friends, family and/or partners.
Now it seems like we are trying our best to overcome loneliness, one of the numerous secondary issues ensued from the pandemic and necessary measures implemented by our government officials. Remember that you are not alone and even though you feel lost because you have no control over what is happening currently, you can change your perspective of the situation. As Frieda said wisely: “Learn to distinguish between things that you can change in life and things that you cannot influence”. This gives you inner peace and a sense of security!
Contact your loved ones, “the how is only secondary”, said Anina.
Takeaway message
This extraordinary situation also helps put things in perspective and perhaps also makes our pre-pandemic problems seem small. Many of us learnt to appreciate the things we took for granted. As Anina says, “happiness lies in the small things”. Here we list some takeaway messages from the influencers we have interviewed:
Harmonie: “We are privileged. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to be home and to see how lucky we are. All the rest is only detail. We all learned a lot about ecology and gratitude.”
Anina: “Use this time to rethink your lifestyle and integrate sustainable changes into everyday life in small steps. Also, small acts of kindness like trying to be there for others, or smiling at strangers while walking, etc. can be so fulfilling.”
Doris: “Support local businesses and shop seasonally.”
Share your unique tips to prevent going crazy during the lockdown. Stay healthy!
Author: Sherriene Redha, Marketing and Social Media Officer at Kingfluencers
We’ve known that “Content is King” for over a decade, but content must be creative and authentic to effectively captivate and engage audiences. By taking a creative, authentic approach, brands have the opportunity to connect with their audience and drive measurable results.
Authenticity is Vital and Consumers Notice It
Consumers want to support brands that embody their own values. They expect brands to be authentic in their operations as well as marketing. As written in Inc., Gen-Zers, “want to see authenticity in marketing, including proof and a culture to back up claims of strong company values.” 67 percent agreed that ‘being true to their values and beliefs makes a person cool,’ and they feel the same about brands.
Additionally, brands must not only show authenticity but also operate in accordance with the values they espouse. “If a brand advertises diversity but lacks diversity within its own ranks, for example, that contradiction will be noticed.”, explains McKinsey and Company.
Connecting with authentic influencers is one effective way to engage audiences. Influencers can also help your brand to be more creative, bringing fresh ideas no one else inside your organization may have thought of before. According to the Swiss Influencer Marketing Report 2020, about half of the marketing managers surveyed estimate the return on investment of their influencer campaigns to date to be higher than with alternative forms of advertising.
Experiment and Determine What’s Most Effective
Experimenting is vital in the quest for authenticity. Marketers cannot just assume they know what people want to hear — they must get the facts. Test ideas and gather input from a representative sample of your audiences. As you test, vary not only the content of your message, but a wide variety of attributes, such as:
Channels: Email, social media platforms, Point of Purchase (POP) displays
Themes: Current events, holidays, leisure activities
Topics: Individuality, environmental sustainability, social justice
Media: Text, videos, images
Social media formats: lives, stories, IG TV, Tiktok and reels videos, interactive polls, forums
Step outside the box.
@thefashionfraction for Samsung Switzerland Campaign
The accessibility of measurable results enables marketers to shift gears quickly and further boost the most successful campaigns. Additionally, working with creative experts such as Kingfluencers can infuse additional creativity into your experimentation repertoire and boost your outcomes.
Highlight Sustainability
According to a Facebook-commissioned study of 11,300 people across 11 countries, 68% of Gen Z expect brands to contribute to society. Influencer marketing can be an effective medium for brands to highlight their positive efforts, such as environmental sustainability. Kingfluencers ran a campaign with Evian highlighting the brand’s sustainability efforts with the hashtag, #bottlesmadefrombottles. Posts from influencers including Elvira Legrand achieved engagement rates as high as 4.15%.
@elviralegrand for Evian Water #BottlesMadeFromBottles campaign
Patagonia, an American manufacturer of outdoor clothing, pays a “self-imposed Earth tax,” 1% of sales, to support environmental nonprofits working to defend our air, land, and water around the globe. The company also leverages user generated content to build strong connections with consumers. As one Patagonia fan writes on Medium, “I love when brands use photos from their fans or ambassadors. I think it does a really good job of creating a relationship between the brand and the consumer, and makes them feel like they are appreciated by the brand… By posting the photos and giving credit to the photographer they [Patagonia] are not only getting breathtaking photographs, but also making their customers feel like part of the family.”
Make Campaigns Interactive and Collaborative
Brands that are more creative achieve better results, specifically:
Increased engagement
More conversions
Better customer loyalty
Social media, in particular, provides brands with the unique opportunity to make campaigns interactive and collaborative. By incorporating user-generated content and encouraging participation and interaction, campaigns become conversations rather than brand monologues.
For example, CoverGirl partnered with eight TikTok influencers to boost product awareness among Gen Z. The campaign encouraged audience interaction with the content by incorporating lip-syncing, one of the central engagement drivers on TikTok. The #CleanFreshHype branded campaign generated over 6.5B impressions and a 5.7% engagement rate.
User Generated Content and Other Sources
While influencers are an effective vehicle for connecting to your audience, they can also contribute their subject matter expertise and collaborate with you to develop creative campaign ideas. Creative ideation can be done either independently by an influencer or together with brands.
Additionally, social influence marketing includes more than professional influencers and content creators.
A wide range of individuals can contribute to your marketing efforts, such as employees, CEOs and other leaders, and consumers.
User Generated Content (UGC) from brand fans and advocates can be very valuable and boost community engagement.
Most influencers have a high degree of specialized expertise. Their dedicated focus helps them earn big followings. As subject matter experts, they’re uniquely qualified to bring fresh, creative ideas to your brand’s marketing.
Creativity thrives on many platforms such as TikTok, helping the most creative users rise to the top. By tapping into their creative energy, you can collaborate to generate content that hits the right notes and truly engages.
Influencers Can Generate Content, Connect with Your Audience, + Both
And, of course, influencers can serve as channels to connect with your audience, sources of content creation, or both. For International Women’s Day, Microsoft leveraged one group of renowned adventure photographers for content creation and another group of established social media accounts to distribute and promote the images. The campaign, which aimed to encourage young girls to work in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math), featured photographs accompanied by authentic stories. The posts were sponsored on five of National Geographic’s Instagram channels, reaching 91 million total followers.
Kingfluencer’s own Chief Influence Officer Anja Lapčević, commented on the role of influencer marketing in making connections and forming relationships.
The nice thing about our work is that we always create relationships. The same principle applies here as in a love story: if the chemistry and values are right, the result is love. Love from the influencer for the brand and back results in the love message to the consumer. We want to work with this principle, and I look forward to many more love stories at Kingfluencers. But as it is in love, the way there is not always easy. Not every relationship has a happy ending and therefore we are constantly working on it. Because we believe that in the end every pot will find its lid.
Author: Yoeri Callebaut, Chief Growth and Marketing Officer at Kingfluencers
