Clorox CMO: Influencer marketing can’t be a ‘hobby’

Doing the laundry is often about separating things — whites from colours, delicates from regular garments — but when it comes to influencer marketing, the CMO of Clorox believes the important thing is to approach the tools and tactics collectively.

In what looks like a rather impromptu video interview at the AHAA conference focusing on Hispanic marketing in Miami last week, Eric Reynolds took a minute to talk with WebCityGirls, a social media agency. He suggested while influencer marketing is clearly gaining traction among brands — a recent study by Tomoson said it’s growing faster than search and email in terms of spending — it has to be part of an integrated whole rather than an initiative on its own.

“I would say, of course, we plan brand by brand, but this is the thing: We look at all the marketing tools available to deliver a business objective,” he said. “Influencers are a piece of that, and it’s discussed along other forms of social and other forms of connecting with consumers all at the same time. It’s not a hobby or just someone off to the side.”

Clorox has already had success in this area. Just a few years ago its “Bleach It Away” campaign with PR firm Ketchum got 11 influencers to share their “bleachable moments” online, which increased mentions of its product by 40%.

More recently, influencer marketing was among the topics at Clorox’s fourth annual iConnect conference this past January, where Reynolds and his team bring in speakers to address the needs of its business.

According to eMarketer, 81% of firms who have used influencer marketing believe it was  effective, which may be why Reynolds hinted that Clorox would be investing more heavily in this area.

“We see these types of influencers as essential to convey that authentic, real information about our brand, about our products and our values,” he said. “It’s a big piece, and it’s growing.”