Opinion General From social media marketing to sustainability, we learn what’s working for our panellists…
Question time
talk TI: How much of an influence do influencers and social media personalities actually have in the homewares sector?
always open to collaboration.
Denby: We are very lucky to have a dedicated influencer network who we love to work with. Influencers are Sambonet: In terms of communication, an important aspect of social media and they can help to bring awareness these personalities have relaunched to brands through using products on and reconfigured the entire home design sector, especially on social media. an organic and collaborative basis. They tend to have engaged followings Particularly as a post-lockdown effect, and so working together to create after the fashion, cooking and lifestyle interesting content can enable quality industry. So, many influencers have messaging which resonates. As home opened the doors of their homes, or and interiors is such a growing interest, told us about their kitchen and tables. more and more people on social are All of this has certainly consolidated opening up their homes and sharing and accelerated this communication trend. Influencers, creators and any user their interior spaces online. Whether they’re a micro or macro influencer, as well are becoming spokespeople they help to provide inspiration to for these experiences and, at the same social media users. For example, time, ambassadors for many brands in seeing how different influencers with our sector. contrasting styles use and present Beatriz Ball: There are so many social our ceramics is great to see – we can media influencers, bloggers, and then share this with our community vloggers out there, it is hard to keep to showcase the beauty and versatility up. By sheer numbers they’ve become of Denby. a force to be reckoned with, and one thinKitchen: Research shows that that none of us in the tabletop and over 70 per cent of brands use housewares industry can afford to ignore. On the other hand, can we afford influencer marketing or have done so in the past. An increased number them? Whether a gifted collaboration, of millennial consumers admire/trust or a paid partnership, working with an influencer is not cheap—especially one their favourite celebrities or influencers while making lifestyle purchase with a broad following. The assets and decisions. Online shopping is on the benefits derived from collaboration must be very carefully explored, and the uptrend with social media acting as a key decision driver for both men ROI evaluated. At the moment we are and women. Due to the pandemic, not working with an influencer, but are
more people are spending time at home. Consequentially, there is an uptick in Kitchenware & Homeware category. Aware consumers are putting in a lot of thought and money into decorating their kitchens & home as it is an extension of one’s personal style. The associations with the right set of influencers thus help us in reaching out to the potential buyer who are constantly looking at social media for design and décor inspiration to choosing the right kitchenware. At thinKitchen, we feel the relevance of social influencers and fitment to the brand are key success factors. For authenticity, identifying and commissioning a lifestyle influencer who recently purchased a new house to use the kitchenware and homeware offerings, makes more sense and feels like a natural fit.
TI: Which social media platform do you find most effective? Sambonet: For our industry, the favourite channel is undoubtedly Instagram. It brings together generations that represent our target focus and encourages daily interaction with our audience. That’s why it’s perfect to expand the audience and increase awareness of our brands. Another strategic channel for home design is Pinterest, which is more inspirational and aimed at
an audience that is sensitive, akin to the world of aesthetics and designoriented. Beatriz Ball: Our audience and demographic tend to gravitate to Facebook and Instagram, and we concentrate our marketing efforts on these platforms. We, of course, present stories and posts on products and trends, but these social outlets also allow us to plan and track campaigns in detail. Employing analytical tools aid us in following consumer actions like never before and guide us in our social marketing and advertising plans. The rules tend to change with some degree of frequency, but social media is a hugely important component of our marketing mix. Denby: Social media is a fantastic marketing channel and it allows us to share the Denby brand through various creative formats such as still imagery, reels, gifs and live video. We approach each platform differently and create content specifically for each channel. You can find us on all social channels from Facebook to Twitter and Pinterest. As a design-led homeware brand, we find that the more visual platforms including Instagram, Pinterest and newly launched for us, TikTok, to be very effective. These social spaces give us the opportunity to share our brand stories in a unique and inspiring way.
Meet the panellists
Kelly Wenzel
Zoe Turner
Andrea Sarasso
Anand Baldawa
Josh Rammell
national sales manager, Beatriz Ball
head of brand development and marcomms, Denby
marketing manager, Sambonet Paderno Industrie SpA
CEO, thinKitchen
marketing manager, Utopia Tableware
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