Is KOL Marketing Useful?


Key opinion leaders (KOL) are people with influence whose voice reaches a specific target audience or demography. So KOL are not just limited to celebrities – they also include experts, authorities, and “influencers” or online personalities are on the rise as well. Nowadays, when KOL is mentioned, people intuitively relate them to endorsements, brand ambassadors and sponsored online posts, however, are they actually useful for brands?

The answer to that is definitely. As mentioned, KOL have an influence and a specific target or demography, hence for new or niche brands having a KOL would definitely help them boost their credibility and promote their name to the right target audience. On top of that, KOLs are also endorsed by companies as personifications of their campaigns or vision and mission, and at the same time capture multiple segments of the market at once. This is evident in Tokopedia’s marketing campaign in which celebrities and influencers of different expertise and personalities promote the application and spread information regarding codes and sales, some of whom includes Raisa, Tasya Farasya and Jess No Limit.

Having said that, however, it is debatable whether KOL marketing is the most useful tool for brands. With the emergence of social media, brand’s online presence and engagement can be just as useful as KOL or word of mouth. Consider GoJek’s Instagram and Twitter which is light-hearted and interactive, as well as their recent ‘collaboration’ with Rich Brian to promote their new slogan #PastiAdaJalan. Brands should also remember that while there is power in numbers, there is also value in honesty. Reviews and commentaries are now prominent especially on shopping sites, and they heavily affect a product or even brand’s performance as well. Since Indonesia is a high context society and values authenticity, reviews are big factors when considering what they want and need to consume.

KOL marketing is useful for brands in Indonesia, however, a company should not just focus on KOL as their strategy. With the interconnectedness of the internet, brands should use online marketing as a strategy, incorporating KOL as well as brand engagement.


Gustiaulia Nabila
1806240782

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