As COVID-19 restrictions shut down advertising shoots around the world, the creativity and value in influencer content has soared.
To recognise the outstanding work of creators – and the integral part they have played during lockdown – influencer marketing platform Vamp has launched their Creator Lockdown Awards this week.
Ten creators in their global community who have shown ingenuity and originality in lockdown are being celebrated with individual awards.
“All too often influencers’ abilities are underestimated and their skills are overlooked.” said Vamp’s Co-Founder Aaron Brooks. “We’re in awe of the creativity and resilience our community has shown this year and wanted to showcase their work and celebrate them as the sophisticated marketers they truly are.”
Throughout the pandemic, creators have had to completely change the way they create content. Far from being a barrier, it has sparked some incredible innovation. Like Italian creator @glindaizabel who continued to create beautiful surrealist content while at home in lockdown. Or @nando_kuschel who, finding he couldn’t travel, got creative, spray painting a miniature toy van to match his own and recreating outdoor scenes at home in Germany.
“In the beginning, I felt crushed because I was not able to do what I loved.” said creator @monicadong who experienced some of the world’s strictest lockdown restrictions in Melbourne, Australia. “But it has given me the time to explore different shooting techniques and allowed me to be more creative in editing. It has forced me to be versatile and improvise with the space I have.”
“I am completely overjoyed with this award. Restrictions have been hard and I lost a lot of work. It is huge for me to know my efforts are being recognised. It’s so important to stay positive and motivated.”
While traditional media agencies struggled to deliver assets due to production shutdowns, restrictions on crew and lack of locations, influencers became a reliable and valuable source of content.
With their help Vamp has completed more than 613 campaigns in lockdown, including the biggest in the platform’s history which ran across nine European countries at the height of the pandemic, included 184 creators and generated 1,117 pieces of content.
Their content isn’t just engaging, it performs. For their brand partners, battling COVID-impacted sales and reduced marketing budgets, that’s been more important than ever. Their proven ability to generate high ROI for brands (reaching 200x ROAS for some clients) has made influencers an integral part of marketing in 2020. Compounded by the trend of advertising spend being diverted from traditional outlets to more flexible digital channels.
“We’ve always known we work with the best creators in the world, but lockdown has really proved that point.” said Aaron Brooks. “The benefit they have brought to the industry and brand partners can’t be overstated.”
See the full list of winners here.
