Dive Brief:
- According to Ad Age, Edelman and United Entertainment Group (UEG) have partnered on a new global influencer service called Starling.
- The partnership combines Edelman’s marketing and media expertise with UEG’s influencer identification and contracting.
- According to Jess Clifton, U.S. managing director of strategic growth and development at Edelman, Starling will "use a tech stack to leverage who the right person is" rather maintain a roster of influencers.
Dive Insight:
Influencer marketing has risen quickly among the ranks of tactics brands are looking to for help reaching niche audiences. But as it gains popularity, brands and marketers will have to find ways to mitigate against some of the issues it has, such as with metrics or cost.
Research from eMarketer from February found that 67% of respondents reported using influencers for content promotion and 59% reported using influencer marketing tactics for product launches and content creation. Video was most common type of influencer campaigns.
UEG was formed out of a joint venture between Edelman and United Talent Agency which gives Starling immediate access to UTA’s celebrity talent. The new company will also have a somewhat unconventional structure with Clifton and Adam Smith, president of entertainment at UEG, co-sponsoring Starling with no plans to name a president in the near future. Rob Jones, senior VP-video strategy and programming at Edelman, has been named the head of Starling’s development.
Starling officially launched yesterday, but brands such as Petco, Disney Parks and Western Digital have been testing the service for several months.