In the digital era, where traditional advertising methods are decreasing in effectiveness, Influencer offers an innovative approach to influencer marketing.
Born from the entrepreneurial spirit of Ben Jeffries and powered by the fame of influencer Caspar Lee, the agency has carved its name as a role model for connecting brands with creators.
Its rise to the top is not a coincidence, but rather a reflection of its role in redefining marketing patterns, and its client list includes major brands such as Google, Meta, Amazon, Alibaba, and others.
On the sidelines of the Web Summit conference held in Doha, Al Jazeera Net interviewed the founder of Influencer about the most important trends in the world of influencers and his journey with “Casper Lee” in creating a new model in the world of digital marketing.
Getting Started and Redefining Marketing Patterns
Ben Jeffries is the CEO and co-founder of global influencer marketing company Influencer. He started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 15 with a clothing company called Breeze. He later dropped out of the University of Bath to co-found Influencer with YouTuber, entrepreneur and actor Caspar Lee. Influencer’s strategic approach is to harness the power of storytelling through social media influencers to connect with brands.
This company relies on influencers to tell stories and tales about different brands, where stories go beyond mere entertainment, to become channels of trust and bring the consumer closer to the brand.
Access to digital marketing from a clothing company
Jeffries told Al Jazeera Net that the idea of linking influencers to advertisements came to him when he was thinking about how he could promote the clothing company he founded more than 10 years ago, when he came up with the idea of linking his company’s products to a well-known influencer.
From here, Jeffries became convinced that he could transform this simple model of promoting his company into a stand-alone business model, by attracting influencers and contracting with them to build promotional campaigns for famous brands, and for his company to be the link between influencers and major brands so that marketing campaigns turn into stories told by these influencers.
But the challenge was: How could Jeffries convince these influencers to deal with a startup company? This is where his partnership with the famous British-South African YouTuber and influencer Casper Lee came about, which Jeffries says came by chance but was based on a shared vision of the space that the influencer marketing model could fill.
Jeffries told Al Jazeera Net that Caspar’s vision of the creative economy and his business expertise led to a strong partnership that contributed to Influencer’s growth and strategic direction.
Financing the fiercest challenge
Jeffries says the most challenging moment for Influencer was securing seed funding and brand partnerships with an unproven business model, “but we overcame that hurdle by proving the ROI of influencer marketing through pilot campaigns, and leveraging our network of connections and relationships.” Jeffries sees influencer marketing becoming more integrated into brands’ core marketing strategies, driven by data and improved measurement of campaign effectiveness.
Influencer prides itself on leveraging data and technology. Jeffries says they’ve developed proprietary technology that matches brands with the right creators and provides predictive analytics to improve campaign performance. “This approach allows us to stay at the forefront of the data-driven marketing era,” he says.
Forbes Recognition and Future Influencer
Jeffries spoke about the recognition from Forbes – placing his partner Casper Lee on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, a list of 30 prominent people under the age of 30 in various industries issued annually by the magazine and some of its regional editions – saying that it was an honor and a motivation for greater ambition for him and the company.
He stressed that his hard work and vision with Casper Lee paid off, “which increased our credibility” and attracted the best staff and partners to their mission.
As for the future, Jeffries told Al Jazeera Net that they are constantly exploring new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning “to improve our platform”.He added that they are also trying to expand into new markets “on our horizon, especially in Asia and the Middle East”. There are many exciting partnerships in the works, which will be revealed soon, which is why he attended the Web Summit in Doha.
Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
Jeffries, who started his entrepreneurial journey early for aspiring entrepreneurs, says he views failure as a step forward rather than a setback. He says the digital landscape is full of opportunities for those willing to take calculated risks and stay agile with ever-changing technological advances.
He believes that all entrepreneurs should invest in continuous learning, whether through mentorship, reading, or engaging with diverse perspectives. He says he is currently developing his skills in predictive analytics and artificial intelligence to better understand “how these technologies can enhance our offerings.” In our interview with Jeffries, we explore his entrepreneurial journey, the intricacies of influencer marketing, and his vision for the future, providing readers with a comprehensive look into the mind of a young tech entrepreneur shaping the world of digital marketing.
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