Interviews, insight & analysis on digital media & marketing

Emma Martell, Head of Social Content of Avanti: Ventriloquism in influencer marketing is making dummies of us all

At this month’s The 99//Club Digital Festival, Emma Martell, Head of Social Content at Avanti (formerly Virgin Trains) launched a call to arms for the marketing industry to overhaul its approach to influencer marketing to rebuild trust with consumers.

“If people trust other people over brands, why is influencer marketing more despised than traditional marketing?” asked Martell in her 99-second talk below. “We do little to restore consumers faith by blaming influences for their lack of authenticity. It’s time to admit that we’re the problem.”

NDA will be publishing highlights from the Festival, run in partnership with MAD//Fest, over the coming weeks.

The week-long invite-only festival was a collaboration between MAD//Fest and New Digital Age. Over the course of five days 99 speakers debated topics across themes including media and tech, customer experience and personalisation, brand experience and creativity and innovation for growth.

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