COVID-19 saw a spike in CSR campaigns for influencer marketing

In a year when personal responsibility - washing hands, wearing masks, keeping a safe distance - became more necessary than ever, it should be little surprise that corporate social responsibility became a key driver of influencer campaign messaging throughout Asia. This comes according to the results of a new report from AnyMind Group's CastingAsia, which handles influencer marketing as part of the group's entertainment business line.

In an analysis of over 1,300 influencer marketing campaigns across Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan from September 2019 to August 2020, CastingAsia found that in addition to an 85% rise in branding campaigns using influencer marketing through their platform, the number of campaigns focused on pandemic-related social causes, such as distancing and safety measures, saw a 130% increase.

Media for this messaging was also noteworthy: While Instagram continued to rule the day as expected, campaigns focused on Twitter and YouTube also saw an increase from March 2020 onwards. 

“We’re still in the early stage of influencer marketing, and constant evolution is to be expected. However, this report shows how marketers in Asia are increasingly embracing influencer marketing to remove physical and geographical borders with their customers, and we might actually be seeing just the ripples of the potential for social media influencers and influencer marketing," said Rohit Sharma, COO for AnyMind Group.

Marketers looking to turn these results into action going forward can download CastingAsia's report here.

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