Brief:

• Music video app Triller selected Influential as its influencer measurement and social data provider to give advertisers and influencers more insights into the campaign effectiveness, according to a press release. As a result, partners can measure the effect of Triller influencer campaigns on foot traffic, in-store sales and TV tune-in.
• Influential, which has a network of more than 3 million social media influencers, uses IBM Watson artificial intelligence technology to provide analytics, measurement and campaign services for influencer campaigns. The company's clientele includes Walmart, McDonald's, Pepsi, NFL, Nestlé, General Mills, Toyota, Samsung and Sony Pictures.
• Triller's partnership with Influential is part of the video app's effort to boost revenue, urge creators to develop content and expand social measurement with Influential's paid media campaigns, influencer network and technology.

Insight:

Triller's tie-up with Influential to provide data and analytics for social influencer campaigns could help marketers and content creators see the effects of their efforts on measurable outcomes like foot traffic and sales. The news shows Triller, a relatively young player in the social media space, moving quickly to build out a more credible advertising business that can help it stand out in a crowded field and give it a stronger wedge against chief rival TikTok.

Triller has in recent months lured content creators from TikTok amid a growing music-app war, as those types of influencers have proven the be a key pillar for growing ByteDance's app to viral success. Last month, Triller also tapped ad-tech startup Consumable to sell programmatic ads in between its short-form videos. Consumable's platform pairs short videos with digital display and video ads.

Influencer marketing has broadly continued to be popular as brands seek to cut through ad clutter and work with social media personalities who provide trusted advice on products and services. With social media usage surging during the pandemic, influencer marketing programs are more likely to reach online audiences, which could be an important factor for brands as the holiday shopping season gets underway.

For Triller, the Influential deal seeks to support initiatives that urge influencers to create more content for its platform. The video app market has grown more crowded, giving influencers more ways to monetize their efforts and no shortage of platforms to turn to. To stand out against rivals like Instagram, Twitch, YouTube and TikTok — which are all huge destinations for influencers — Triller needs to provide measurement capabilities that can prove influencer marketing through its services translates to concrete results.

While the pandemic has made it more difficult for agencies and studios to create new commercials, influencers operating out of their homes have proven to be more nimble in creating content that matches the public mood, Vogue Business reported. With the costs to advertise on established social media platforms like Facebook rising as marketers bid up prices, influencer marketing programs can provide a comparably cost-effective alternative to reach homebound audiences.

Influencer marketing is a potentially powerful sales tool, with about half (51%) of U.S. consumers saying they had bought a product or service after seeing it used or promoted by an influencer in the past two years, per a study by coupon company Valassis. Its survey also found that 35% of consumers made an unplanned purchase based on something they saw on social media, while 21% made an influencer-motivated purchase for the first time since pandemic started pandemic in March.