You’ve all seen them. Photos filtered with tropical coral and aqua, a bathroom cabinet abundant in luxury skincare products that totally work for them. But who are they? Who’s the person taking all their photographs? The rise of the influencer is something we haven’t been able to ignore, but their power is something we are able to harness.

Influencers are an invaluable asset to brands, which is why a huge portion of their content includes the hashtag #AD. Brands are willing to pay these social personalities to endorse their products. But why? Acting as a sort of synthetic translator, influencers have the unique ability to deliver brand messaging but in their own language. If this is the only language that their hundreds of thousands of followers can understand, then a brand can directly access the hearts of a new potential audience, all without having to aggressively market their product through more traditional means.

Social media users see their favourite influencer using a product or wearing an outfit and they want it. But it’s not just the cute jumper they’re enticed by - it’s the whole persona that has been so carefully crafted by the person managing the account. Everyone wants a slice of this utopia. They think that their decision was internal, but they’re actually being influenced.

Influencers may be working with a different brand every day - more than any agency has ever had to handle. They may be selective about who they work with, and they may only agree to endorse a product if the writing and imagery is created entirely by themselves. This makes influencers like liquid gold in the advertising industry, as they’ve achieved the holy grail of appearing organic even when they’re being showered with money and free gifts.

At The Gate Films, we work closely with both the brands and the influencers to make sure the content works on both levels. We want the impact to be the maximum, so our vision is to create content that the influencer will be excited to share, and which will also communicate the brand in the correct typeface, colour palette and tone of voice. Our ultimate aim is for the content produced to ring true to the brand - otherwise these expensive collabs can end up all looking the same. Influencers are good at putting their own brand out there, but ultimately, our brands need to make sure they are cutting through the noise too. 

We have a specially adapted content studio with backdrops and sets that can be changed multiple times, allowing a plethora of content to be produced in just one shoot day. It also allows the aesthetic to be changed depending on the influencer and the client’s brief.  Being in the room means that the client can sign off on what’s shot - rather than just sending out products and keeping their fingers crossed that what comes back works for them. 

Our influencer manager Megan is also adept at reaching out to both established influencers and the up and coming talent - tailor making partnerships that really work, and deliver results. 

Campaigns where we’ve used influencers have a noticeable peak in engagement, and these accounts are present in almost every sector. Last year we worked with Love Island winner Amber Gill to launch the Topshop for Littlewoods range. It is currently one of our most successful pieces of content on their social media to date. We have also completed the management and content creation of many influencer trips - notably the Boohoo Man Spring Break trip to Miami.

Do you have a project you’d like us to look at? Hit us up on the below link.