Bauer Media’s Beauty Directory launches influencer network
Bauer Media’s Beauty Directory has entered the competitive influencer marketing space with the launch of its Influencer Network which aims to connect brands with social media influencers.
Michelle Blancato, general manager of Beauty Directory, told Mumbrella the launch of the network was about formalising a service that Beauty Directory already offered.
“The history of Beauty Directory has always been to facilitate those connections between brands and media. A few years ago we began in earnest to really work with influencers, particularly bloggers, including them in our media directory.
“When we first started I remember that people were a bit shocked; brands weren’t sure how to interpret this new media and traditional media was wondering who these new kids on the block were.
“Facilitating those connections – we were doing it more and more. We work with 400 brands on Beauty Directory and a lot of them were asking questions about who should they work with, how do they know who a good influencer is, and could we recommend anyone?
“So what we did was essentially formalise this service that we were already offering and give it a name so brands would know they could come to us.”
Blancato: Brands wanted to know who “good” influencers were
Blancato insisted the company is not getting into influencer representation, which is part of offerings like agencies such as The Remarkables.
“We are absolutely not about talent management but what we are about is working with brands, finding out what their objectives are and then helping to identify the key people they can work with in this space to help bring that campaign to life,” she said.
Blancato said the Beauty Directory team has connections with influencers in the space through the work they already do in the beauty and health space.
“It’s more asking the questions of the brand what is it that you want to achieve and then going through our database, talking to influencers, and we have visibility on if they’re working with other brands as well. It’s offering that personalised service,” she explained.
“We’re finding that’s why brands are coming to us; either they don’t have the expertise or the resources in-house to carry out these campaigns (so) we will manage it for them.
“We ask ‘what are your objectives?’, draw up a list of influencers, get sign-off and then we brief the influencers and they interpret that brief to their audience and, afterwards, we present a full campaign report back to the client.”
The Beauty Directory team has begun work on campaigns for Schwarzkopf and Kosmea.
Beauty Directory is the sister site of Beauty Heaven. Bauer Media bought the Beauty Heaven Group in February last year.
Miranda Ward worked for Mumbrella from 2013 to 2017, eventually becoming deputy editor. Miranda joined Mumbrella in September 2013 from Sky News.
Linkedin