Influencer marketing accelerates through sheer energy.

In June 2019, Instagram announced the launch of "Brand Content Ads." This development is expected to further accelerate the growth of influencer-based advertising.

This time, Junichi Nakamura of Facebook Japan and Shingo Hiraoka of Dentsu Inc. engage in a dialogue. Moderated by Akira Amano of Dentsu Inc., they explore methods for generating the "passion" that has become crucial in influencer marketing in recent years, from the perspectives of a platform provider and an advertising agency.

From left: Akira Amano (Dentsu Inc.), Junichi Nakamura (Facebook Japan), Shingo Hiraoka (Dentsu Inc.)

The Era Demands Influencers' Voices

Amano:As touched upon in the first installment of this series, "Brand Content Ads" can be seen as an additional specification designed with influencer marketing in mind. First, could you explain what kind of tool this is?

Nakamura: Previously, influencers' sponsored posts could only be seen by their followers; companies couldn't directly distribute them. "Brand Content Ads" is a tool that allows influencers' sponsored posts to be widely distributed as corporate advertisements, reaching beyond their followers. We carefully evaluated the benefits for influencers, companies, and users alike before releasing it in June 2019.

Amano: That's a truly groundbreaking tool. One challenge in influencer marketing has been the lack of transparency about whether a post was sponsored. Stealth marketing became a significant issue in Japan a few years ago, didn't it?

Nakamura: Regarding information transparency, we had extensive discussions about this right from the development stage. To ensure Brand Content advertising holds value for influencers, companies, and users alike, we established the following four core principles.

Amano: Do companies believe that messages delivered by influencers have a greater impact on users than messages coming directly from the company itself?

Nakamura: Influencers are also creators, so they have their own distinct worldview and communication style. The more an influencer conveys a message in their own words, the more it comes across to users as a message that truly reflects their strengths, leading to greater effectiveness. However, sometimes an influencer's words alone cannot fully convey everything a company wants to communicate or its intentions. In such cases, it may be necessary to supplement by simultaneously distributing the company's own advertisements.

Hiraoka: Trends also vary depending on the product or service. It's crucial to determine whether brand content ads by influencers or corporate-produced ads are more effective, or what the optimal mix should be. To achieve this, we must continue accumulating insights.

Nakamura: To build that knowledge, I believe the role of advertising agencies will become increasingly important going forward. Marketing involves numerous hypotheses, and companies face limitations in testing everything themselves. Furthermore, the values users embrace change rapidly. The scale and speed that advertising agencies possess will be even more sought after.

The "passion" for products and services spreads

Amano: Mr. Hiraoka, you've handled numerous projects with influencers. What are your thoughts on the role of advertising agencies?

Hiraoka: I see the main role of an advertising agency as matching the influencer's worldview with what the company wants to convey and the prevailing social climate, then planning the optimal posting context and creative to achieve the best effect.

Nakamura: I also believe aligning influencers' and companies' perspectives is crucial. This is because the messages influencers want to convey and the messages companies want to convey have overlapping areas, as shown in the diagram below. If the message leans too heavily toward the company side, followers will likely dislike it; if it leans too much toward the influencer side, the content becomes insufficient for the company. The process of fine-tuning to achieve a well-balanced message is indispensable.

Hiraoka: It's necessary to consider both the influencer's orientation and their followers, right? As mentioned in the second session, influencers' values have shifted in recent years. Some now prioritize their followers first, asking not just "Does this product/service align with me?" but also "Will promoting this benefit my followers?"

Nakamura: In our recent in-depth interviews with influencers, most shared this perspective. Yuko-san's insights were particularly memorable.

To get influencers to feel passion (= enthusiasm/attachment) for a product or service, companies must first communicate that passion to the influencers themselves. When that passion resonates with the influencer, it then spreads to the users who see their posts. (Yukos)

That's a very interesting perspective, isn't it?

Hiraoka: While some companies and ad agencies leave everything up to influencers,

inviting them to orientation sessions actually increases their affection and motivation toward the company's products or services. When I receive a personal letter, the project manager's genuine feelings about the campaign come through clearly, and it makes me want to deliver even better performance. (Yukos)

That was also quite memorable.

Nakamura: I don't think we should view influencers as just another "media channel." It would be exciting if influencers and companies could collaborate to generate ideas together and drive business forward.

Amano: When companies engage with influencers, "passion" becomes a key concept. Hiraoka-san, you're also involved in developing and operating the influencer PDCA management solution "Evangelist Finder." Could you share your approach regarding "passion"?

Hiraoka: As mentioned earlier, when clients actively engage with influencers, the influencers' passion for the product or service tends to increase. Furthermore, heightened influencer passion is likely to boost their followers' favorability and purchase intent toward that product or service.

Therefore, Dentsu Inc. developed a framework that: ① Regularly measures passion levels, ② Examines how these passion levels and the compatibility with products/services impact followers, and ③ Confirms how this contributes to the products/services. Furthermore, we turned this into a solution called the "Passion Cycle" (*), a virtuous cycle where feedback on follower reactions is provided to influencers. This gives influencers insights, further boosting their passion levels.

Hiraoka: We named it the "Heat Cycle" because we believed that by providing influencers feedback on how their content impacted followers, their own passion would intensify, creating a virtuous cycle. In fact, Yuko-san also learns a lot from fan reactions to her own posts, which she then applies to her next actions. (Yuko-san)

"I learn a lot from how fans react to my posts and use that insight for my next actions." (Yukos)

she commented.

※Energy Cycle: An evaluation model integrating three elements—Evangelist Score (energy), Affinity (product compatibility), and Brand Lift (fan brand lift)—aimed at measuring the impact of influencer posts beyond reach and engagement, focusing on subsequent effects like increased favorability toward products/services and purchase intent.

Toward an era where influencers, companies, and ad agencies co-create business

Amano: So the "Energy Cycle" also serves to heighten influencers' own awareness, right? Building on that, I'd like to ask both of you for insights on the future of influencer marketing.

Hiraoka: What I've strongly observed lately is the rapid emergence of high-energy communities centered around influencers. In this survey, Reina Hoshi mentioned wanting to host hair arrangement seminars in real-world spaces like beauty salons for interested participants someday. Whether real or virtual, when deep relationships form between influencers and their followers, small-scale communities—essentially "micro-markets"—will continue to emerge. Supporting these communities could become a key strategy for companies to pursue.

Amano: I also saw news that in the US, the "shopping feature," previously only available through official brand accounts, is now accessible for direct purchases from influencers.

Nakamura: I believe such features will eventually be introduced in Japan too. We want to create a platform that earns approval from all three parties—influencers, companies, and users—by carefully balancing their needs and understanding each one's requirements.

Hiraoka: The wave of "D2C Inc." (Direct To Consumer) and "DNVB" (Digital Native Vertical Brand) booms is starting to reach Japan. As this happens, the role of influencers will likely expand even further. I believe the era where influencers drive everything from building fanbase around products/services to actual purchases is approaching.

Nakamura: If that happens, I think it will become even more crucial to effectively convey that "passion." In any industry, companies must first believe in their own products and services and possess that passion themselves. Influencers then skillfully amplify that passion, ultimately forming a cohesive model.

Hiraoka: Perhaps it's better to view influencers as business partners. Then, influencers, companies, and advertising agencies can unite to build the business together. This kind of "co-creation" relationship will likely become a crucial point for companies to scale their business going forward.