If there is one brand that has managed to relaunch itself thanks to the lever of influence marketing, it is the French ready-to-wear brand Pimkie. Kolsquare, Pimkie’s partner for their influence marketing campaigns, meets Emilie Cuenot, social media and influence manager at Pimkie, who shares her best practices in terms of influence and KOL marketing.
Hello Bérengère! I’m Emilie Cuenot, Social Media and Influence Manager at Pimkie. My role is to ensure that social media and influence are part of Pimkie’s omnichannel communication strategy. I am constantly looking for new formats and new collaborations to ensure that Pimkie maintains its unique personality on the networks!
Pimkie is a young, free brand that expresses its personality through its communities. As a result, influence plays a central role in our global marketing and communication strategies. It must be as much a carrier of the brand’s values as it is a generator of traffic on the site and in shops. From the regular promotion of collections by micro-influencers to 360°collaborations with macro-influencers, we want our strategy to be in line with the way 18-25 year olds communicate. Our managing director Yann Hinsinger pushes us to innovate, to propose and to try out new communication formats by giving a major place to influence.
The weight of social networks and influence in the global marketing and communication strategy has increased considerably this year. The COVID-19 crisis and the various confinements have accelerated the transformation of buying habits. Social networks have become a central, essential and decisive step in the customer journey, especially for our target group, the GenZ. Influencers act both as true spokespersons for brands and as opinion leaders for their communities. The job of content creator is now part of the norm, partnerships are assumed, chosen according to the affinities, interests and values of the influencer. Brands must respond to this profound transformation in purchasing behaviour.
I believe that the success of an influencer campaign depends on several pillars. At Pimkie, we work with influencers who are aligned with our values. Content creators with a link to the brand, a strong personality and stories to tell. Making sure that the influencer has a real affinity for the brand guarantees the success of part of the operation. We also study the influencer’s community: age, country of residence, to define the coherence with our target and ensure that we reach the right people. There is obviously also a question of consistency in terms of timing and quality of the product. Finally, I think that media coverage plays a key role today in ensuring the visibility of influencer campaigns.
Today, we measure the impact of our influencer campaigns through different KPIs, depending on the objectives set for each one. We analyse the performance of our media posts, through the CPM and CPC linked to our campaigns. We also analyse the reach, impressions and interactions linked to the content published as part of our influencer operations. Google Analytics is also a valuable tool for estimating the power of the traffic generated by each influencer. Finally, we work in close collaboration with our web department which analyses the performance of campaigns. Notoriety or image studies can also be set up in certain cases.
It is still difficult today to perfectly evaluate the performance of an influencer marketing campaign. We know how to track direct purchases, but it is still complicated to know the weight of the influence when the purchase takes place in a shop or on the website a few days after the content is viewed. Influence plays a major role in the brand’s image and its tone. It gives it power, a direct relay to customers. Beyond the automatic tracking of campaigns, I think it is necessary to set up regular studies, to question the audience in order to have a clear idea of the impact of influence on the attraction of customers and prospects for the brand.
Influencer marketing has completely taken hold in the fashion and accessories sector. Partnerships are assumed, claimed, influencers become brand ambassadors in the same way as actors, sportsmen, singers can be. Some influencers have revolutionised the codes of communication. The 18-25 year olds use social networks as their main purchasing channel. Customers can visualise a product being worn, discuss with the influencer about the size, the material, the cut. There is a logic of credibility, of transparency of the influencers with their communities. They act as role models, big sisters, advisors.
Both of course !
Kolsquare is Europe’s leading Influencer Marketing platform, offering a data-driven solution that empowers brands to scale their KOL (Key Opinion Leader) marketing strategies through authentic partnerships with top creators.
Kolsquare’s advanced technology helps marketing professionals seamlessly identify the best content creators by filtering their content and audience, while also enabling them to build, manage, and optimize campaigns from start to finish. This includes measuring results and benchmarking performance against competitors.
With a thriving global community of influencer marketing experts, Kolsquare serves hundreds of customers—including Coca-Cola, Netflix, Sony Music, Publicis, Sézane, Sephora, Lush, and Hermès—by leveraging the latest Big Data, AI, and Machine Learning technologies. Our platform taps into an extensive network of KOLs with more than 5,000 followers across 180 countries on Instagram, TikTok, X (Twitter), Facebook, YouTube, and Snapchat.
As a Certified B Corporation, Kolsquare leads the way in promoting Responsible Influence, championing transparency, ethical practices, and meaningful collaborations that inspire positive change.
Since October 2024, Kolsquare has become part of the Team.Blue group, one of the largest private tech companies in Europe, and a leading digital enabler for businesses and entrepreneurs across Europe. Team.Blue brings together over 60 successful brands in web hosting, domains, e-commerce, online compliance, lead generation, application solutions, and social media.
