An influencer’s impact can be said to be its own reward—but a little recognition never hurts. Not only does it give credit where credit is due for the rewards their clients are able to reap, but it allows us the opportunity to let you all know who’s making the most noise—and there’s a lot to learn from these proven sluggers.
For the first time, influencer marketing pioneer #HASHOFF is honoring some of the top creators opted in to its platform. The annual #HASHOFFS Awards were created in order honor the creativity, hard work and originality that influencers put into generating content.
According to a recent #HASHOFF study, the majority of influencers (52 percent) on the platform spend up to three hours creating posts—and the success of a micro-influencer boils down to three key criteria: engagement, authenticity and creativity.
“Micro-influencer marketing is a powerful medium for consumer engagement, and we wanted to honor the incredible creators we’ve partnered with to help brands spread their message authentically on these platforms,” said Joel Wright, president and co-founder of #HASHOFF, in a news release. “Influencers spend hours carefully crafting each post to ensure that brand integration is as authentic as possible. These are highly talented individuals and it is important for us to highlight their content and give them the recognition they deserve.”
The #HASHOFFS Award Winners:
Overall Category
The winner is Chase McNary for his post for Bud Light.
- Engagement: In this post, Chase created an original song for Bud Light and the Broncos, which drove 121K views and engagement rates nearly 4X industry norms.
- Authenticity: Pulling off a home-brewed jingle for a product is something worth commending. The best creators invest a great amount of effort into creating content for their audiences.
- Creativity: Chase is someone who truly loves the beer. Great influencers are not actors but rather share their lives and the things they love on a daily basis. What they like matters to their followers.
Video category
The winner is Priscilla Gonzalez for her post for Estrella Jalisco.
- Engagement: Averaging about 90K engagements per post, Priscilla’s boomerang for Estrella Jalisco absolutely crushed her average, with over 275K engagements, because it resonated so authentically with her audience.
- Authenticity: Priscilla has a large Hispanic following in Los Angeles, so posting about a Mexican beer and event in Los Angeles was the perfect fit.
- Creativity: Priscilla’s excitement to be attending the event comes through in this boomerang for Estrella Jalisco.
Food and beverage category
The winners are Lily & Chloe Clem for their post for Pizza Hut.
- Engagement: Averaging 30K engagements per post is no small feat. Lily and Chloe have built an authentic and engaged fan base with content revolving around their everyday lives.
- Authenticity: What kid doesn’t like pizza and video games? While looking for influencers with a family friendly fan base, it was obvious Lily and Chloe’s account was perfect for Pizza Hut and XBOX.
- Creativity: Showing true excitement about a product is a large part of the creative process. Lily and Chloe’s enthusiasm shines through in every post.
Sports category
The winner is Dale Brisby for his post for Busch.
- Engagement: Dale received some of the highest engagements we saw for this Busch campaign. This post received 10% higher than the normal average for video posts at the time of this campaign.
- Authenticity: His audience is the exact audience that Busch was looking for this campaign-working class, small town America.
- Creativity: This campaign was perfect in terms of timing. Dale had just finished a remodel of his basement so a video about that opening for his friends was perfect for the Super Bowl.
Event category
The winner is Michele Gonzalez for her post for Poland Springs.
- Engagement: Showing support and enthusiasm for the activities and products you love can do wonders for engagement metrics. Michele’s followers responded positively to her post about the Brooklyn Half Marathon where she and her friend set a personal best time.
- Authenticity: Tapping into a specific interest, like running, helps build an authentic, genuine audience. Michele’s followers are interested in running and athletics which was key in securing the right influencer for the Brooklyn Half Marathon collaboration with Poland Springs.
- Creativity: Being creative while engaging in an event or activity can be a challenge. Michele thought hard about the type of pictures she would capture at the event as well as the copy needed to support this campaign ahead of time. The product was both creative and well planned.
Consumer packaged goods (CPG) category
The winner is Nick Coolridge for his post for PowerBar.
- Engagement: Nick has a dedicated following across multiple social channels, making him the go-to influencer for those with an interest in movement artistry.
- Authenticity: Nick is conscious about the products he consumes as his career and ambitions are predicated on his ability to perform. Nick was a natural fit for PowerBar as he personifies the major marketing pillars: active, works out in the outdoors, cares about quality supplements and snacks.
- Creativity: Nick takes his creativity to a new level each time for brands. Most often he will be upside down in one way or another-a common theme throughout his posts.
Entertainment category
The winner is Gabby David for her post for LiveNation.
- Engagement: Gabby’s custom video created for Live Nation received nearly twice as many engagements as an average daily post received the following week on her account.
- Authenticity: Gabby has a gift for inserting branded content in a highly authentic manner. For the Live Nation campaign, she created content that both appeared organic to her followers while, at the same time, conveying the brand’s messaging.
- Creativity: Gabby was able to incorporate the premise of the show she was promoting by creating her own version of the show. This allowed her community specific insight into what they can expect when attending the show.
