In this episode of Revenue Boost: A Marketing Podcast, titled Full-Funnel Impact: Integrating Influencer Content Across Your Media Strategy, host Kerry Curran talks with Jaime Cohen, Head of U.S. Influencer Marketing at GOAT agency, about the evolving power of influencer marketing. Jaime shares insights on leveraging creator content to fuel not only brand awareness but also lower-funnel conversions and sales. She reveals how brands can maximize their influencer investments by integrating this content across social, programmatic, digital out-of-home, and even retail media. Jaime also emphasizes the importance of giving creators flexibility to connect authentically with audiences, balancing brand guidelines with creative freedom.

Whether you're new to influencer marketing or looking to refine your approach, this episode offers actionable strategies to amplify reach, build trust, and drive real business growth through influencer integration.

Podcast transcript

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:01.366)

So welcome, Jaime. Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background and expertise.

Jaime Cohen (00:07.388)

Thank you so much. It's great to be here. I'm Jaime Cohen. I lead US influencer marketing at the GOAT agency, which you know is part of WPP and Grubhub. I've been in the influencer space for about 12 years. I started on the media side of the business where I created and led the influencer department at Time Inc and Meredith through the transition. I moved to the talent side of the business and now I'm on the agencies and brand side. So I come at the creator economy from a few different perspectives.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (00:40.46)

Excellent. So we had the benefit of working together a couple of years ago. And even in that short time, I feel like the influencer and creator space and the economy have really evolved. So talk about what brands are asking today when they call you?

Jaime Cohen (00:45.203)

Yeah.

Well, it varies, right? So we look at Influencers as a media channel so we can achieve goals across the funnel. All brands have different goals. Some want awareness for new products, especially more established brands, really aim for a refresh and others want a stronger focus on consideration and sales. In some cases, influencers are also integrated into broader strategies that include affiliate marketing to scale through some of those smaller nano-influencers and cleansers.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (01:31.404)

So really becoming more of a full funnel solution and kind of tool for those brand clients.

Jaime Cohen (01:39.442)

Yeah, I think the false notion about working with influencers is that measurement of ROI isn't possible or that influencers only work as awareness drivers. We're seeing a lot of brands increasingly request CPA and lower funnel conversion goals instead of those solely upper funnel awareness programs. So some are looking for those measurable sales drivers through more accurate measurement of a company's success, really directly linking it to more tangible results.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (02:10.506)

Yeah, no, and it definitely gives it a bit more credibility when it comes to kind of being part of the overarching media strategy. And so you've talked about some of the benefits being full funnel and it is more measurable. What are some of the other aspects of influencer and creator campaigns that are beneficial to a brand's performance?

Jaime Cohen (02:34.079)

Well, there are so many different ways that we can work with creators. But one of the things that's important to us and our goal is to make influencer content work harder for brands. So I always recommend weaving the creator content into cross-channel planning across things like social and programmatic and digital out-of-home and ZTV. It makes the influencer investment work harder. It maximizes a brand spend and it also makes the creator content feel more like an integrated solution.

Versus appearing more like a supplemental one-off strategy. I think also taking the creator content outside the walled gardens of social really ensures that your influencer campaigns are woven into your broader and holistic marketing strategy.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (03:20.868)

Yeah, you know, we're seeing that across the board with consumer trends and engagement of having that more user-generated content or that more kind of authentic creator influencer content helps aid in that connection that consumers tend to have with a brand, especially when it's new to the consumer brand getting that endorsement from somebody that they I always joke at some of the influencers or even celebrities that I follow, feel like they're your friends because they're sharing so much of their lives and that you do kind of lean in when they're recommending a product or a solution that will be beneficial to you, whether you're in the market or not. And so I love that you're kind of seeing that content elsewhere in the media funnel and or in the media planning and the consumer journey, the full-funnel approach.

So talk a bit about how well or how the challenges are to getting that kind of influencer content voice to be part of that broader media plan and where, you know, what are some of the successes you've had there?

Jaime Cohen (04:36.89)

Well, I think that one of the things that you want to think about is that influencers provide brands with a level of trust for their audiences, right? So you want to lean into their creativity and give them a sense of control over the content. Sometimes I see brands hold tightly over the messaging, and I think it's important to give them specific guidelines that you want them to follow, the dos and don'ts. But you also want to give them the flexibility to interpret the message in a way that's going to be authentic to their audience. Sometimes when brands hold too tightly to that, it can come off as a brand ad versus authentic and engaging influencer content. And that can really hurt the performance of the influencer content. And it can really backfire on brands themselves.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (05:25.972)

Right, that is something that we've been talking about for so long and it's worth reiterating, right? It's like the creators create, they know what's going to resonate with their audience, they know what their audience responds to, and it is different from other planned creative content that goes through multiple iterations. The benefit is letting the creator take their spin on it and kind of knowing what's going to work.

Jaime Cohen (05:56.88)

And it also really works. It's one of the most cost effective and efficient ways for brands to reach their target audience. 63 % of audiences trust what influencers say about brands more than what brands say about themselves. And 58 % of consumers have purchased a product in the last six months because of an influencer. So, you know, they have that level of trust with their audiences. So the more you can kind of find the right content strategy and carve out a place for your brand in the space. It's beneficial.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (06:28.948)

Yeah, no, I agree, especially being one of those people that has purchased something recommended by an influencer. It's very true. And so I know we know we can, it can align with brand goals, whether it's kind of awareness driving, or even just engagement and kind of building that introduction to broader product lines and driving that conversion. So how do you work with your clients on really aligning to the brand goals and making … 

Jaime Cohen (06:34.61)

Yeah.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (06:58.894)

… sure that the creator, influencer content is aligned.

Jaime Cohen (07:02.87)

Well, I think it's important to understand what the KPIs of the program are. That's one of the most important factors when developing a program. And then it's identifying the right creators for the campaign. So there are many ways that we go about that in addition to being able to look at the performance of the creator. We look at historic performances as well. We look at engagement. We look at the style of content and things like that. But then we'll also layer in additional pieces like retail media that are appropriate to really make sure that we're driving either those upper funnel awareness goals or those lower funnel targets as well to drive the sales or leads or things like that. So it depends on what their goals are.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (07:47.948)

Right, and I know we've talked a bit about the kind of integration of having affiliate links to align more with those lower-funnel goals. How are you seeing or how are those conversations happening and how are you seeing your clients kind of consider that as part of their approach with their programs?

Jaime Cohen (08:11.29)

Yeah, CPA is becoming a hot topic these days. So very important to the conversation and also strategic paid media as well. So we're always looking for ways that we can reach those lower funnel targets. Strategic paid media I want to highlight as well. It's an important investment for all brands because of how the platform algorithms really prioritize content with organic content only reaching a fraction of the audience and your core consumer. So I think it's really important to tap into a creator's … 

Kerry Curran, RBMA (08:32.811)

Okay.

Jaime Cohen (08:41.226)

… organic audience and also combine that with a highly targeted amplification plan that hones in on those specific methods of measurement. So whether that's the lower funnel goals as you were mentioning of consideration and conversion. But what we also do is we'll test things out. We'll do A-B testing of creative and creative strategies. We'll use retargeting data and we'll also make real-time optimizations to make sure that we're reaching qualified consumers down the funnel.

So all of that's important. Another element of measurement techniques that we use for brands, especially full funnel actually, is we'll use brand lift studies. So we can provide other trackable metrics to really underscore the impact of influencers on things like brand recall favorability and purchase intent. So really kind of looking at that full funnel performance objective.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (09:36.331)

I love all of those aspects because really, again, the core goal is to build that likeability, and familiarity with your brand, whether it's a shorter purchase cycle or a longer-term investment that the consumer is looking to make. And I know I think we've talked about this in programs that I've been involved with as well as to your point, you take the creator content, you're amplifying it within either the paid media channels kind of keeping it as it is. Or you can take that video content and mix it into multiple different variations to kind of then make it a pay-a-video ad, whether it's native or programmatic. And I think that's such an important, very important role of the creator and influencer content.

Jaime Cohen (10:32.402)

Yeah.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (10:34.272)

Are you seeing that more brands are leaning into that as their content beyond just the social channels?

Jaime Cohen (10:42.43)

Absolutely. So we're extending the reach of influencer content to targeted audiences across digital and retail media. So that's a real priority of ours and our clients. So we work with four of the leading DSPs, including Amazon DSP, the Trade Desk, DV360, and Walmart Connect, for example. And we can access retail media data to showcase influencer content in a display format to drive action. And we can also optimize to many different objectives as well.

Because we are part of WPP, we also have an exclusive contract with Amazon ads. So we can push influencer content out programmatically across the DSP. And it means that we can also preserve the authentic influencer aesthetic. So that's very unique to us. So the content actually appears as social feed content, which is unique. And as I mentioned, influencer content performs better than brand ads themselves. So it leverages the trust of audiences.

We can also use Amazon purchase data, for example, to target audiences, which is great for reach and awareness campaigns, but we also use commerce intelligence to drive and measure impact on sales as well. We're also partnering with platforms to develop video-first influencer solutions that can pair content with AI-powered ad formats. So there's so many ways that we're doing it. The influencer industry continues to evolve and it's such a great clip there are so many ways that we can integrate it into other areas across your planning.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (12:22.132)

No, I love it. And we've talked about the evolution that's been so fast. It wasn't that long ago that we were really just looking for reach and maybe some engagement, but being able to tie that into the broader media strategy, especially retail media, and tying it to consumer behavior and using that to target just opens up a whole new spectrum of opportunity …

Jaime Cohen (12:29.094)

Yeah.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (12:51.998)

… and should lead to taking the influencer and creator content more seriously and prioritizing it more in that broader strategy. What else are you seeing in the AI space? You talked about using that for content creation, but what are the other new features or opportunities that AI brings to the influencer and creator content?

Jaime Cohen (13:21.054)

Yeah, AI is the hot-button issue or topic these days, right? What we're seeing is that about 50 % of creators are already leaning into Gen. AI to develop content ideas. They can actually discover the latest trends. They can find suggestions to make content go viral. And they can even have AI write engaging social media captions or scripts for them. So brands are also using AI to not only engage but to also help them better resonate with their audiences on an emotional level.

So I think it's more important than ever to strike a balance between transparency and authenticity and also responsible AI deployment. So there are so many ways that we can use it, right? It can help you create culturally sensitive and locally relevant content. We are a global influencer agency, right? So it can help you analyze those social conversations to understand the cultural trends, the sentiments, the preferences, and then you can use those insights to create content that resonates with cultural context, right? You can also use it to create a more inclusive and accessible experience for users like those who are non-native or maybe deaf or hard of hearing. So that can include things like closed captions, and subtitles. You can design visuals like infographics, simple layouts, and alt text for users who have visual impairments to help them better understand the context of images.

And also, honesty breeds trust right between a creator and their audience. And I think one of the things to look at is the AI retouching tools, right? They go beyond what's historically been available. And I think that can also potentially undermine the trust that audiences have with the creator. So I think it's important for creators to label the AI-edited content and be transparent about those enhancements. The one thing to watch out for for brands is that AI content can also inadvertently … 

Kerry Curran, RBMA (15:00.01)

Mm-hmm. Right.

Jaime Cohen (15:20.778)

… and fringe on intellectual property rights. So it's really important that brands and agencies get familiarized with copyright laws and ensure creators are attributing sources and that the content is unique. So I'd say overall, flexibility and agility are key. And brands that can adapt, collaborate and prioritize authenticity will thrive.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (15:45.802)

Yeah, I know that's so important to point out. I think the benefits, as the conversations and AI continue, are the benefits of getting that deeper content. Or as you said, I love being able to really customize and connect with your audience with that additional level of data of what is sensitive or valuable to that audience plus the adaptability and accessibility.

But the watchouts, think having a point making sure that when you are using those filters to label it, but keeping it authentic, is so important. Now, with the evolution of influencers, we also see the rapid evolution of the platforms and the shop ability within the platforms. I would like to talk a bit about where you see the most growth and tick tock and TikTok shops, the features and benefits of getting your content on TikTok are, you know, again, also rapidly growing. But what else are you seeing from the kind of platform perspective and landscape?

Jaime Cohen (17:01.094)

Yeah, they're continuing to evolve quickly. We are a TikTok creator exchange partner. have relationships with Snap, Google, and all of the platforms. You can see with TikTok the evolution of shops that's very successful. Also, they're branching out into the phone. So, you know, they're trying to kind of compete with out-of-home as well. So each of the platforms is evolving at a greater clip to kind of understand better how to reach consumers and how to create that 360 experience. I think Snap is one of the stickier platforms as well. The content is very relatable, so we are starting to work with them a lot more as well and integrate them into a lot of the plans. But I think all of them you can see in how we identify the creators as well that they are driving a measurable impact for brands and brands are reaching audiences that they wouldn't necessarily reach otherwise. So it's a really important part of all media plans these days.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (18:07.05)

Are you seeing that you need to create specific content for each platform or is there a scale opportunity to kind of test if you're already on TikTok to test into Meta.

Jaime Cohen (18:24.252)

Yeah, that's interesting. We are seeing a lot of crossover. So creators that are posting shorts on YouTube are posting that to TikTok and vice versa. Same with Reels, for example. It really depends on the type of content, but we are able to test out certain pieces of content across multiple platforms to test performance.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (18:45.676)

Excellent. It really is, I think, one of the most rapidly evolving platforms or solutions or whatever category content, channel solutions that we've seen in a long time as fast as retail media grew. I think influencers and creators are eclipsing that at a rapid pace. It's especially with, as we talked about the evolution of TikTok, and the popularity there. So definitely it's been amazing to have that front-row seat. I'm sure like what is your biggest kind of takeaway that you've seen over the past few years with evolution?

Jaime Cohen (19:32.764)

I think it's the brands that need to evolve. I think that influencers can feel very risky to them because they have a lack of control. But those who are willing to take that ride with creators and really and really trust them that they understand their audience a little bit and be able to lead into some of those new technologies, the better that they do perform. 

So being able to lean into what the platform some are able to release as well. They're developing so many new technologies. The more adaptable that you can be, the more creative and the more open you are, the better your performance will be. You need to test and learn some of this stuff, especially if you're not sure, especially if you're an early adopter or new to the space and you're not sure which platform it should be on, what is the right strategy, and which creators are working for you. We always recommend testing. 

Some creators and then also you can transition them into long-term brand ambassadors for you, the top reformers. So taking it slow, but identifying the right platforms and the right space to be in. I think that the misconception also is that you need to be everywhere all at once.

Kerry Curran, RBMA (20:51.813)

Great. Well, thank you so much, Jaime. We're very lucky to have you on today. We appreciate all of your expertise and insights. So thank you very much. Yep. And we'll talk soon. Thank you.

Jaime Cohen (21:00.126)

Thank you. It's great being here.