[Part 1] Liddell's careful strategy that drives "influencer marketing"

Toyota, Amazon, Shiseido, Uniqlo. LIDDELL is a leading

influencer marketing

company that has been promoting the products and services of these famous companies. Liddell is a known figure in the

marketing

world. We have a total of 7,000 customers so far. Many companies and organizations use Liddell’s services, and many MarketTrunk readers will know about them.

So what is Liddell doing? Many people may have the misconception that it is a talent management industry that gathers influential influencers and casts them for necessary events, product launch promotions, etc.

There is certainly a business model where people who are essentially amateurs and have other day jobs manage influencers as if they were celebrities or models to earn profit margins. When promotion through Instagram first became popular, this kind of management industry was in the spotlight, and it still is.

However, Liddell’s unique feature is that it is not a management business. “Our concept is “Personal Driven Marketing (marketing that makes full use of personal influence)” and has not changed at all since our founding in 2014. The value lies in the fact that it shines,” says Koichi Fukuda, president and CEO of Liddell, who asserts that this role is servant leadership (a concept that is the opposite of dominant leadership).

Liddell’s method is said to be the complete opposite of the management style of entertainment agencies, which lock individuals in through affiliation contracts.

What I learned from the Yomimo, charismatic sales clerk boom

Around the year 2000, Fukuda, who was based in Shibuya, Tokyo, saw a business opportunity in the business of staffing and student marketing, and saw up close the momentum of girls’ culture that was taking off in Shibuya. Popular reader models and charismatic store clerks have become a hot topic as characters symbolizing Shibuya culture. Through magazines and other media, she began to attract the attention of girls across the country who are interested in fashion.

This is not a talent created by television. He is an ordinary person who “loves fashion.” It was a time when products with various new proposals were selling like hot cakes through these women.

Liddell’s current slogan is “Personal Power to the People,” and Fukuda first noticed this concept around 2000 when he saw a charismatic store clerk in a reading magazine. It has its roots in inspiration.

Rather than trends created by major media such as magazines and television, “attractive individuals” attract consumers, create trends, and create hit products. Fukuda, who had seen this kind of phenomenon in the Shibuya area up close, started a culture branding company that hired fashion leaders who gather in the Shibuya area. Twin Planet was founded in 2006.

“Back in 2000, a phenomenon occurred in the Shibuya area that changed the concept of marketing.The marketing space, which was centered around individuals with the ability to communicate, turned to blogs due to social changes, and then Twitter (X). Influencer marketing, which has continued to this day, led to SNS such as Instagram.In that sense, the essence of influencer marketing has not changed since then. They have an explosive ability to communicate with people they empathize with.So, how can we make use of their power?I’ve been looking for ways to do that.”

To bring out the “charm of an individual”

A sense of discomfort that Fukuda remembered. Isn’t the method of tying and binding individuals to agencies through exclusive management contracts the best way to build long-term relationships of trust with influential talent? It was born out of this question.

Is it really possible for an agency to “manage” individuals who have influence that does not require the power of organizations or media? Even if they are enclosed, it may result in the loss of the charm of individuals who were free to express their own tastes.

Therefore, while following the business model of an entertainment/modeling agency, Twin Planet sought a way to allow its talents to work as widely and freely as possible. Because we used a method similar to “grazing,” which valued independence rather than micromanaging, we were able to build good relationships and grow with readers who were not available to existing agencies at the time, but there were limits to this as well. Fukuda noticed this.

“Influencers have the power to spread information and create trends without relying on other organizations.For example, powerful people, whether they are actors, musicians, or athletes, belong to an agency and are in charge of sales.” Instead of hiring an agent who understands you, you want to have a fair relationship with influential individuals rather than an agency managing talent. The reason we bought the influencer marketing department was to establish this new style of business.”

What is an influencer? Background to the acceleration of influencer marketing

personal driven marketing

As mentioned above, the business Liddell is conducting is described by the term “personal-driven marketing.” Although this term has been established in recent years, the concept is similar to the one that Fukuda was convinced of even before he founded Twin Planet.

There were several hurdles in establishing a personal-driven marketing business driven by individuals. Liddell’s path has included overcoming such hurdles. For example, many influencers are not aware of the magnitude of their own influence. Furthermore, they did not have the means to conduct business directly with companies. Although companies also want to utilize the power of influencers, they have been hesitant to build direct relationships with individuals.

Therefore, Fukuda created an environment where influencers could become independent business owners and work with companies in a fair relationship. We have created an educational program that connects influencers and companies and allows influencers to work together on projects with companies.

“Instead of binding influencers with affiliation contracts, it’s a partnership relationship. We thought about creating new value together with influencers as equals.” Fukuda explains that thorough “servant leadership” is the best way to build partnerships with talented individuals.

We maintain a style of “Liddell serving” in order to provide influencers with an environment that keeps them motivated and interested, in other words, where they can demonstrate their abilities to the best of their ability and encourage their growth.

Rather than a contract, the relationship is created by being a presence that the influencer can empathize with. This was exactly what Fukuda was aiming for, a new type of marketing that leveraged individuals with influence.

35,000 influencers registered

Currently, 35,000 influencers are registered with Liddell’s service, which explores new marketing methods. Among them, approximately 350 influencers who are particularly influential or have a strong sense of collaboration are jointly providing services for companies.

The level of granularity and depth of involvement varies, such as managing a company’s SNS accounts in a better manner or developing products that evoke consumer sympathy, but influencers are now entering into areas that would not have been penetrated in the past. I’m getting into it. Alongside that is the support of Liddell.

Influencers who are now able to do business with companies autonomously may eventually become independent and no longer need Liddell’s help.

However, Fukuda said, “I think that’s fine. We don’t want to be forced to exist as an intermediary when it’s not needed.” We believe that relationships with influencers must always be fair. What we need to do is to amplify the power that these women have and help them derive even greater value.”

In the second part (

Liddell has created a marketing platform that allows companies and individuals to co-create

), Liddell, which has been successful as a word-of-mouth marketing company, will talk about its business and marketing plans with an eye to the future. (Title omitted)