Influencer

This continues to be a hot topic, and it will continue to be so long as brand CEOs, managers and marketing folks keep dipping into the till to pay off popular boys and girls in the hopes of being relevant to the Millennial demographic. 

It has now seeped so far into the public awareness that various sources beyond the Urban Dictionary are defining it.

noun

1A person or thing that influences another.

‘he was a champion of the arts and a huge influencer of taste’

‘genetic factors are key influencers of your metabolic rate’

‘Frank's been a teacher and cultural influencer for years’

1.1Marketing A person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media.

‘influencers can add serious credibility to your brand’

Ultimately, brands will push the envelope as far as they can until the FTC or the public at large gets tired of the never-ending game of Manchurian Candidate Kabuki theater that is the "influencer trade".  It is false, it is deceptive and it is manipulative.  And I would like to think that the powers that be could be a little less disingenuous (lacking in frankness, candor, or sincerity; falsely or hypocritically ingenuous; insincere: Her excuse was rather disingenuous.).

But I'd like to propose that the guys and gals writing the checks at HQ consider a different way to go about this whole influencer thing.  Now back at the turn of the century, there were a few people out there who were influencers before such a thing existed.  And they did it in a way that was honest, forthright, and understandable.

While it is very true that Hublot became a sensation through the tireless work of Jean-Claude Biver, there was another guy who made Hublot and its story his passion, which then became his career.  While Mr. Biver can be thought of as the father of Hublot, in many ways Mr. Margolis is the American uncle.  This did not simply happen because Mr. Margolis demanded several thousand dollars to feature Hublot in his communication.  It happened because Mike was passionate about Hublot, and his passion was contagious.  And here is the key thing - YES - he became an employee of Hublot - but that did not make his passion any less real, or his communication any less honest.  In many ways it did just the opposite.  It was a way of saying - yes, I work for these folks but I'm also a fan.  And I am going to go to every event, pour coffee, shake hands and kiss babies to spread the word because I believe in it.  

It is safe to say that in many ways Mike was the prototypical brand evangelist for the watch industry.   And I think that is the way many watch buyers and fans would like to see things evolve.  

An instafamous influencer is a gun for hire.  While they may appear in a brand's SIHH video with other instafamous influencers, they will then turn around and cash the check for yet another brand to feature them in their social media feeds.  So if you bought brand X based on the desire to be like them, you will then not be like them in next week's instagram feed ; )

Guy Kawasaki became Apple's evangelist.  And in his way he did as much (and in some cases more) than Steve Jobs in spreading the good word.

At a time where things are in flux, the industry does not need more bullshit.  It needs more transparency.  And it needs some sincere people who are truly passionate about what they are promoting, not merely bottom feeding for the next instafamous check.

Bring back the evangelists!

What Traffic, Influencers and Exclusives REALLY Mean

Is, in fact, any one's guess.  This is not a new theme here at Tempus Fugit, but it is apparently becoming a more relevant topic as more and more brands and media outlets are asking, and being asked some increasingly uncomfortable questions about how they are handling their pr, marketing and media.

So let's get one thing out of the way right from Jump Street -
Tempus Fugit does not accept any watch brand advertising.  You will note a Bell & Ross interactive clock on the site, and it is there because I personally like the feature (clock adjusts to whatever time you are tuning in from).  No money is charged in exchange for this.  Tempus Fugit does run approximately 3 fund raisers a year selling branded t-shirts and sweat shirts which brands and brand managers are certainly allowed to purchase (p.s. still time to order your Tempus Fugit Sweatshirt -

for only $45 US - Support Tempus Fugit - Get a Super-Dope Sweatshirt!)

Note how I smoothly snuck in a pitch ; )

So how do I make money?  I have consulting clients in the watch industry (ones that you will not read about here, as that would create an ethical conflict), and I work as a teacher and social worker (as I have discovered, that is also part of my calling).  And then why do I do it (I get this question a lot from PR folks), because I love it.  The point being, I found a way to make enough money at it to make it worthwhile while not having to park my ethics at the door.

Okay, so that's me, but let's have a quick whip-round to consider what is happening outside my little ecosystem.  In order to have an even passably interesting site (whether you call it a blog, an online magazine, etc.) you need to have content.  And all of us, from the mighty to the small get lots of press releases.  Interesting to relate, I noticed that more than a few brands and PR agencies would send releases in 2 waves - the first wave to outlets that the brands and PR agencies ALREADY PAID advertising money to.  In other words, the outlet not only sold the brand ad space, but as part of the deal, secured exclusive advance intel on new products in so-called exclusives.  And this really creates a false impression for the reader.  If you are the reader (or a potential advertiser) and you notice again and again how a certain outlet can manage to "scoop" the competition on a new release again and again.  You would think that outlet and their platoon of writers must have some amazing inside track.  Guess again.  Several of these sites do not write a sentence until coin of the realm has passed hands.  Ever wonder why a mid-tier group brand will suddenly be relevant exactly two times a year to one of the biggest digital outlets, and never during the rest of the year?  Yeah, I don't wonder either.  The "package" takes care of  your needs even if you are not a "known" advertiser.

Another goofy trend is the once-a-year outreach employed by some brands.  These are the brands that will never give you a BaselWorld appointment, never respond to any emails, never assist in ANY way for a story.  But out of the blue you get this warm, fuzzy, honey-laden entreaty to connect because:

"We have a story that we think your readers will be interested in..."

What I have come to understand, is that this is code for:

"We have an influencer/instafamer/instagrammer under contract and we need to push this content".   

In such cases, I request other photos not from the influencer/instafamer/instagrammer and often never hear anything further.  So in the new year, a kind message for the PR office - I am happy to write about your brand and your releases.  I am not happy to blindly promote someone you already pay money to to promote your brand, which you are now trying to get me to promote by promoting the promoter... 

Confused?  I'm not.  You hired these folks, you paid them, they are supposed to be promoting you, not the other way around.  And please stop asking me and other people to promote them for you after you paid them.

Oh, and p.s. - the FTC is taking an increasingly dim view of paid promotion through instagrammers & influencers who fail to disclose the financial nature of their relationship with the brand/brands that are featured in their social media feeds.  So as a public service gesture, I'd like share this info from the Federal Trade Commission -

https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/ftcs-endorsement-guides-what-people-are-asking
 

And now that not-so-tiny elephant in the room - TRAFFIC.

Traffic as it relates to the Internet is really one of the most misunderstood metrics out there.  On the one hand, traffic is based
on a number.  Something that is quantifiable, something easily understood by salespeople - selling 100 is far better than 50.  The bigger the number, the better!  But as we are now seeing with watch sales numbers and export numbers getting a "flavor enhanced" boost via the Grey and Light Grey market, we can see that these do, in fact represent sales numbers, but not in the sense that demonstrate sales through the traditional outlets.  Grey and Light Grey Market sales are cover for product dumping.  Well, website traffic is really not that different.  A website can have millions of hits per month, but that does not mean that millions of people are actually visiting those sites -

Click Farms via Vice News

For many of us who run these outlets, it can be a very tempting option, we get nearly daily offers to pay $15.00 for 2,000 followers!  And as the competition among click farms increases, the rates charged will continue to fall.  Pretty soon it will be 10,000 followers for $5.00.  And in fairness to the guys and gals making ad buy decisions (or editorial package decisions) at watch brand HQ, this is really all that they have to go by.  They do not generally have the time (or sometimes even the interest) to read the actual articles and postings that are generated.  Let me put this in a different context, I think despite that fact that everyone reading this is probably pretty interested in watches, we can also agree that the number of people interested in fashion would far eclipse the numbers for watch interest.  Scott Schuman's the Sartorialist - www.thesartorialist.com fetches approximately 500,000 visitors per month.  Do you really think that more people are "clicking in" every month to read about watches than fashion?  

Ever wonder why nobody ever wrote a book called "The Devil Wears an Omega", and why nobody ever made a documentary movie titled Biver: The Last Emperor (although, in fairness, I did right an opinion piece the last time he announced his impending retirement back in 2012 - http://www.tempusfugit.watch/2012/01/last-emperor-has-left-party.html), as someone did about Valentino - Valentino: The Last Emperor IMDb?

Simple, watches are interesting, but they're not that interesting.  Or put more precisely as it relates to the whole traffic conundrum - there is traffic, and then there is traffic.

As with my food, I generally prefer to keep my website traffic organic.

So another year is in the books, and we all look forward to turning the page.  I thank everyone who participated in Tempus Fugit from the brands, to the PR folks to most importantly you, the readers.  I promise you that in 2018 you will continue to get content that is "free range" and hopefully some commentary that will give you a different perspective.  And while you will probably read and hear about some of the brands that I am working for/with, you will not be reading/hearing about them here ; )


With our very best wishes for you in 2018 -

Tallulah Henderson - Executive Publisher, Tempus Fugit Media
James Henderson - Chief Messenger, Tempus Fugit Media

 
 

Game of Lawn Chairs

Or why perceptions can be misleading.

I guess you could consider this a public service announcement to watch brands, pr agencies and everyone who covers them.

Let's start out with a definition:
influencer
per Dictionary.com:

noun

1.

a person or thing that influences:

The most powerful influencer of beliefs is direct experience.

2.

a person who has the power to influence many people, as through social media or traditional media:

Companies look for Facebook influencers who can promote their brand.

influencer

per Urban Dictionary: 

A makeup, hairstyle, or fashion blogger who is instafamous only on Instagram or buys "followers" and "likes" and gets free products from companys who fall in their trap of fake fame.

Jeff: "So, what do you do for a living?"
Becky: "Im an influencer, I have 200k followers." 

Okay, the topic of influencer and what is real vs. what is horseshit has been a long running battle in the luxury industry - particularly as it pertains to watch marketing. For better or worse, marketing departments are currently staffed by Millennials who suffer from (you guessed it), millennialitis:

The belief of sales, marketing, and advertising professionals that the Millennial demographic represents a completely unique group of consumers and as such, entirely new approaches must be adopted. Even if the product you are trying to sell is intended for a completely different demographic, such as Depends Adult diapers.

I tried to explain to the Creative Director that the hipster didn't represent our customer demographic, but she's got a bad case of millennialitis.

And this has been an ongoing struggle for many of us who cover these things and try to eke out a living, or at least cover the expenses by selling the odd ad. This challenge was compounded when it became clear that several blogs and online magazines were likely employing less than transparent methods to acquire traffic that was less than organic. And then add into the mix the practice of charging fees for coverage and it became the farce that we are all now participating in.

And if we are very honest, this practice has gone on to some extent even before the digital era. Cash, gifts and nice trips are the grease that ease the wheels of watch coverage.

But then came the era of the influencer. And then marketing departments got lazy, and influencers got greedy. Marketing is a slippery and challenging field as its effectiveness is often a very hard thing to measure. And in the age of digital, the success of marketing has been down to one very simple metric - how many clicks or impressions they received.  More often than not this is a misleading or even false measure owing to click farms and other tactics used to boost traffic. Which brings us to a recent announcement and explanation from the FTC, otherwise known as the Federal Trade Commission.

The long and the short of it is this -

If the blogger, writer, influencer is being paid - they must disclose it. If they are not being paid, then they are fine. But this is currently not really how it has been working.

For those of you interested in the exact language and how this is outlined by the FTC, you can find it here -

The FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking

Maybe, just maybe we will be playing on a level playing field from here on out.

The Difference Between Shit and Shinola

Is now a little more clear.

Shinola's earlier advertising was sometimes reminiscent of the type of patter you'd hear from seemingly seasoned sharps.  And I, for one, believe that they got a bit of a well deserved rebuke from the FTC yesterday.  "Where American is Made" was codswallop, and that is putting it gently.   What I found intriguing in the letter issued by the FTC was that not only watches, but bicycles were specifically mentioned, along with other unnamed items.  This again ran counter to the assertions, both stated and implied, that Shinola was where American was made.

Here is a link to the FTC's letter to Shinola -

FTC

Having said that, I would ask you to consider a second perspective.  It cannot be denied that Shinola has done some good - albeit not necessarily for the watch industry.   The majority of their employees are (according to several reports)  making fairly scant wages but when you consider the challenges facing Detroit, Shinola does account for quite a few jobs that would not have existed were it not for them - sketchy marketing, intentionally murky origin story and all.  And in fairness, despite cries of cynical marketing (from me as well as others), it is smart marketing.  The idea of American made is something that we are enamored with at this moment in time.  But given the type of advertising and press releases that were out there before, you would expect that it was earnest, hard working artisans assembling your watch using time honored American watch making know-how.  And given the price points that was a reasonable assumption.  We now know that was not exactly the reality.

Whether you call it hipster or hype there is a market space that is rapidly growing from niche to mainstream.  When we are willing to pay $150 US and upwards for blue jeans owing mostly to their purported provenance, it is not too difficult to pitch the idea of an $800 quartz watch that you are led to believe is made in an economically challenged part of the country.

It is clear that the rigors are more arduous to achieve a justifiable Made in the USA label as opposed to Made in Switzerland, but it also places the watch making entrepreneur into a rather delicate and volatile space where words, believe it or not, matter.  Let's consider the case of Weiss in Los Angeles.  They state:

Weiss Watch Company is currently the only watchmaker in the United States designing, engineering, and manufacturing our own cases and dials, as well as finishing each movement by hand.

I am not entirely sure that is accurate.  While I do not dispute that they source their cases, hands and dials from US partners and that those items are, in fact, made in the US, they are not the only ones doing so.  If they were, this would come as news to Niall who essentially do the same thing in terms of making their own dials, cases and hands in the US.  

And more curious was a brief mention of the Weiss brand in April 2016 issue of Monocle magazine stating:

Los Angeles - based Weiss Watch Company, on the cusp of its third birthday, is becoming the first manufacturer in nearly 60 years to produce watches wholly made in the US.

Well, it seems that the Swiss are not the only denizens of "Imgonnastan".  As far as I am aware, the Vallée de Joux is not under imminent threat from the San Fernando Valley as I have yet to hear of movement manufacturing taking place between there and San Diego.  I am, as always, ready and willing to be proven wrong.

My understanding is that Weiss along with Niall also got called on the carpet with the FTC and had to make some adjustments to their statements, etc.  so we shall see what develops out of all this.

But lastly, I wonder who decided to "drop a dime" on several US based watch companies?  It certainly made for a great story.