Not long ago, a client informed me they were moving their influencer marketing budget to their media agency. As in those who plan and buy advertisements. 
Previous to that point, my team and I managed the growth of several valuable and productive relationships over the course of several years. There were about five or six content creators we worked with consistently. We would mix in new ones to expand reach or try new approaches with, see how that went and perhaps add them to the mix. 
The brand wasn’t unhappy with what they were getting out of the influence programs we were building for them. But someone within the corporate structure decided influencer marketing was an ad buy, so the creative agency shouldn’t be managing it.
Needless to say, the 4-5 years of relationship building kind of went out the window. A couple of them even called asking what was going on. They weren’t renewed for the next campaign. The media firm just started picking influencers based on reach rather than relationships. They paid no attention to established channels of influence.
Another client I worked with a few years back insisted that influencers were an extension of their public relations effort. They were today’s journalists so everything should run through that department for influencer activations.
Still a third person I know, not a client though, says he handles influencers on his social media team because they’re instrumental in content creation for his brand. He treats them like freelance designers and photographers creating content for his social channels.
So, where does influencer marketing lie in the org chart? Who is responsible for managing those campaigns and budgets?
I’ll tell you what I think in today’s commentary.
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