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Just three days in, the 2018 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity’s increased emphasis on influencers and creators can be felt everywhere. Cannes has made no secret of restructuring its nine staple awards, removing more than 100 subcategories. It also added categories, the net effect of which is an increased focus on the power of influencer-led storytelling. Following suit with the restructuring, two massive social platforms unveiled timely tools for advertisers and influencers.

Influencer marketing has become a key part of many communication strategies. But there’s a lot to consider to achieve the desired result. At PR News’ upcoming Social Media Summit in San Francisco, Logitech’s Krista Todd will provide some insights from the front lines in “Influencer Marketing: Activating Macro and Micro Influencers for Maximum Effect.” Here’s a sneak peek of some key session talking points.

As lines between traditional and social media continue to blur, influence is everything. And it’s important to remember that influence is not always about specific platforms and prestige, but who actually has a concrete ability to influence others. By employing data to identify and rank influencers based on their reach, relevance and resonance, you can identify who are the right people to build up your brand to the right audience at the right time.

The practice of buying social media followers has been around nearly as long as social media itself. And it’s still unclear whether platforms like Twitter and Facebook are responsible for weeding out the fake accounts. So, how can a brand separate influencer fact from fiction?

While influencers are, by definition, solo acts, working with a few influencers on a single campaign is a lot like a team sport. Different players have their roles and everyone adds something special to help the team win. Here are five steps for brands to follow when assembling a successful influencer team.

When I ask my friends in PR what they’d do with a bigger budget, their first instinct is to smile that “yeah, right!” smile. It’s hard enough to keep the budget they have much less… Continued

Influencer marketing can significantly extend a campaign’s reach, but only if it comes off as genuine—if it’s done right, it doesn’t seem like marketing at all. The trick is to ensure that the brand and product align with the influencer’s passion, says Anna Ritchie, social digital manager of integrated marketing at Pepperidge Farm. Ritchie, who will speak to the issue at PR News’ Digital and Marketing Show Oct. 17-19, in Miami, offered a couple of lessons learned in working with influencers.

Shopping for a 2017 wall calendar for my office over the holiday break, I had a hard time deciding between the zoo animals in yoga poses, all things Tuscany, or an adult coloring calendar.  My… Continued

A while back I compiled a list of annoying phrases and words we utter as communicators (and human beings), from “at the end of the day” to “guru” and “epic”. The list, via my blog… Continued

Bloggers are in the top 5 sources of reliable information, 81% of the online population trusts bloggers and 61% of the population has made a purchase based on a blogger recommendation.