Felicity has launched a new service that aims to give bloggers and other influencers a regular say in building the story strategies of brands.
The Felicity Content Collective aims to help clients succeed in an environment in which bloggers are demanding fees for brand placements, says Felicity president Amy Laski.
The current “pay to play” approach is often of no long-term benefit in helping brands develop a consistent image, she says.
Instead of paying influencers on a one-off basis, Felicity is developing a two-way relationship in which they’re paid on a retainer basis for an agreed-upon number of Facebook and blog posts, tweets, Instagram photos, etc.
The Content Collective “makes sense for the demands that are out there right now,” Laski says. It is also appropriate in an era in which the traditional separation of church and state between editorial and creative is disappearing, she says.
Influencers would also be paid a consultation fee for playing roles in regular strategy sessions to help brands build and develop their narratives.
Under the Content Collective scenario, meetings for a food brand could include a food journalist, blogger or YouTuber, chef and dietitian and Felicity members. A member of the marketing team, a regulatory affairs advisor and a communications leader could represent the brand side.
The meetings would also help brands address any “what ifs” before they arise.
Laski says the Content Collective was created after a series of interviews with clients, marketers, media and influencers.
The repeated message from the interviews was that the traditional outreach style “doesn’t cut it anymore,” Laski says. “Rather, ‘in-reach’ needs to be part of a brand’s core processes.”
Laski says the virtual nature of Felicity helps make the Content Collective possible.
“This is a really different approach” that “just needs a switch in mindset” in order to succeed, she says.
