International study gives insight into how influencers celebrate Valentine’s Day, their shopping habits and who they look to for inspiration.

The study reveals that while 91% of influencers have celebrated Valentine’s Day at some point in their lives, days like Single Awareness Day or Galentine’s Day are increasingly popular.

It’s also about more than just romantic love: 42% of influencers bought a gift for their friends, 38% for themselves, and 12% for their pet.   In January 2019, over 1000 influencers participated in global influencer marketing platform indaHash’s Valentine’s Day study.

84% of influencers said that besides gifting their significant other, they spend money on friends, family, themselves, and their pets on Valentine’s Day. The study further reveals their shopping behaviours alongside new and different ways to reach audiences by harnessing the power of influencers around this time. 72% of influencers said that they look to other influencers for gift inspiration over TV ads, magazines, and brand websites.

This very much confirms the findings of indaHash’s holiday study, where 92% of influencers said their followers ask them for gift recommendations - proving that it’s not only followers looking to influencers, but also influencers looking to other influencers for spending inspiration. The majority of influencers (91%) claimed that when they’re in relationships, they love celebrating Valentine’s Day but not all of their followers always feel the same.

Alternative movements like the tongue-in-cheek ‘Singles Awareness Day’ (S.A.D.) and ‘Galentine’s Day’ are also widely celebrated, with only 9% of influencers choosing not to celebrate at all around this time. While many celebrate the romantic love associated with Valentine’s Day, it can also be a painful reminder of love lost or loneliness. Others think it to be a day adopted by brands to push people to buy, buy, buy. Such conflicting sentiments create the perfect opportunity for brands to think outside the box and connect with their customers in new, meaningful ways. 60% of influencers prefer experiences over material gifts for Valentine’s Day.

While everyone loves material presents, experiences are becoming a clear preference among millennials. 40% of influencers treat themselves with gifts or experiences when single and spend the day with friends and family.  Another millennial priority? Beloved pets! Millennials are crazy for their pets and with many having their own pet influencer Instagram accounts, they too are being treated with gifts - 12% of our survey group admitted they purchase Valentine’s Day gifts for their animal friends.

The indaHash study shows that 63% of influencers wait for Valentine’s Day deals before they buy, with 54% of influencers shopping for gifts online. Valentine’s Day is a great opportunity for brands to stand out and run engaging campaigns that speak to those in love, as well as to those who feel out of sorts around this time. For more on influencers' Valentine’s Day shopping behaviours and data-informed ideas on how to reach audiences through influencer and brand collaborations, go to the report.

ndaHash, a global technology influencer platform, continues its exponential growth into the African continent with its expansion into Nigeria. This move forms part of the global platform’s strategic plan to provide full coverage across Africa with Morocco, Tanzania and Kenya set to follow from early 2019. The Nigerian office will be led by Olatomi Kolawole who will be based in Lagos, and will be supported by Federico Dedeu, Vice President: Middle East and Africa indaHash.

Kolawole has numerous certifications to her name along with an impressive career history. Her roles include social media manager, account manager, customer relationship manager and head of strategy at the digital marketing agency she co-founded. She brings a wealth of skills and expertise to the Nigerian office. “Having offices in South Africa and Nigeria, and soon in Tanzania and Kenya, will provide us with strong footholds in Africa that will allow us to operate seamlessly across the region,” says Federico Dedeu, Vice President: Middle East and Africa, indaHash. “Nigeria is an extremely dynamic and challenging market that we felt was critical for the continued growth of indaHash in Africa.

The people are go-getters and trendsetters making them a superb fit for the indaHash ethos.”In addition to the vibrancy of the people and the market, Nigeria also presented a strong business opportunity for indaHash. The company considered many economic, demographic and technological data points in it’s business case before making the move. The reality is that Africa is a challenging market when compared to more established and mature ones such as the United States and the European Union but that should not stop any business from taking advantage of fresh opportunities.indaHash’s vision is to connect brands, social media influencers and content creators across the African continent and the globe.

Today, anyone with a smartphone, internet connection and a story to tell is able to grow an audience, which can be a very valuable asset.“Nigeria is one of those very complex markets when it comes to operationally doing business, however, the opportunity was there,” adds Dedeu. “The timing, the network and the right people were not only aligned, but ideally placed for this expansion. We felt that all these elements had come together perfectly for Nigeria, making it the ideal time to fully commit and enter this massive market.”

The company’s goal is to support the growth of the African social media entrepreneurs, influencers and content creators, helping them to maximise this business opportunity by collaborating with the world’s most amazing brands. Brands are able to benefit by leveraging a single partner to easily run campaigns across markets, while authentically having their message delivered in a localised and authentic way. “Nigeria will be one of our key strategic office hubs from which we will manage our West African markets,” concludes Dedeu.

“The plan is to scale up the team from a business development and delivery perspective so we have on the ground support. This will ensure we continue to build the best influencer marketing platform while providing brands with strategic advice and guidance in establishing their influencer marketing programmes.The indaHash Nigeria branch officially opened in November 2018 and has already started collaborations with new brands and influencers.

(Johannesburg, South Africa) June 28, 2018 - indaHash, a global technology influencer platform with an extensive user base, worked closely with AB InBev Carling Black Label to ignite conversations around their #NoExcuse campaign.

The carefully crafted and brilliantly constructed campaign by Ogilvy Cape Town and MSports Marketing won a Cannes Lions 2018 Grand Prix. The campaign kicked off, literally, at the Soweto Derby where the client, Carling Black Label, decided to take a stand against women abuse. “As the match was about to begin, a group of women formed a circle in the centre of the field and raised their voices into song,” says Federico Dedeu, indaHash Business Development Leader, EMEA. They sang “Asambe Nono” - the song that has become South Africa’s soccer anthem and they changed the lyrics to highlight the abuse of women, especially after soccer matches. The chorus sang words that emphasised how there was no excuse for the abuse of women.

“We had positioned carefully selected indaHash influencers at the stadium capturing the event as it unfolded, posting reactions, photos, videos and stories across Instagram and Twitter amplifying this whole experience past the stadium boundaries.” adds Federico Dedeu, indaHash Business Development Leader, EMEA.

These influencers played a significant role in sending the hashtag #NoExcuse viral and in raising awareness around the crucial issue raised by the campaign, publishing 130 pieces of content with more than 7,000 interactions across platforms and 1.7 million more people heard the Songs of Change making the hashtag #noExcuse trend at the top spot in South Africa. Why soccer? Because 40% of South African men assault their partners daily [South African Medical Research Council 2017] and this number spikes dramatically after soccer games. AB inBev Research and Insights found that alcohol abuse was the leading excuse for this behaviour.

We are acutely aware of the link between men who abuse alcohol and men who sometimes abuse women,” says Andrea Quaye, Carling Black Label Vice President of Marketing, “We chose to present one of the world’s most important messages at one of the country’s biggest events. We reached a greater audience than the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup. It is not a campaign for men. It is a societal one.” The campaign saw brand mentions rise by 823% and brand sentiment achieve an 86% positive increase with a total reach of 45 million. It is now being rolled out in five other countries.

To view the  of the campaign Canne entry video visit here: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6414914299369709568/

To view the indaHash case study video visit here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOJOMaizCmo

World’s fastest growing influencer marketing platform focuses on building a strong local team to deliver targeted services to the South African market(Johannesburg, South Africa) April 09, 2018 - indaHash, the global technology platform that connects more than 600,000 digital influencers has committed to expanding its South African footprint by investing in strong local talent. The team brings unparalleled strategic value and influencer marketing expertise to the South African market having already delivered successful campaigns for well-known global and local brands such as Coca-Cola, Telkom, Sony Mobile, Shell and Magnum.

“We believe it is key for us to develop a highly skilled local development team that specialises in influencer marketing and allows us to drive the business in a positive direction,” says Federico Dedeu, indaHash Business Development Leader, EMEA.Federico Dedeu is an experienced manager with more than 18 years of experience in the disciplines of marketing and advertising. He’s held senior roles at some of South Africa’s most prominent organisations, such as Wunderman and Mediacom, and has taken the lead on accounts for brands such as Coca-Cola and Standard Bank. Led by Federico, the new team comprises Hayley Wessels and Faheem Ahmed as the new Business Development Managers - both bringing extensive experience to the business.

The company will also be welcoming additional new members over the next few months to meet the exponentially growing demand for indaHash’s services. Faheem Ahmed has more than 12 years of experience in the advertising and media industry and with more than four years of hands-on influencer marketing expertise. He understands the South African landscape and has significant expertise in campaign execution and client management.

Hayley Wessels has more than eight years’ experience in the digital media industry with an extensive network of marketers, media buyers and brands. She understands how to deliver on the value and return on investment of influencer marketing and is focused on growing the business in South Africa.“While influencer marketing is still in its infancy, indaHash brings years of working experience to the market as the key members of our team have been involved since it began,” says Federico.

“We bring unparalleled strategic value and execution know how – recognising opportunities and pitfalls and advising our clients appropriately. We leverage the indaHash platform to provide our clients with bespoke campaigns and brand ambassador deals.”Brands and agencies will have direct access to the indaHash team, receiving the latest information about influencer marketing, trends, insights and even upskilling workshops.

The South African landscape may well be in the early stages of influencer marketing trend, but indaHash has created a team that assures brands, influencers and marketers of exceptional campaigns and support.“Our strong local team, supported by our advanced campaign management dashboard, will create personalised campaigns with extensive reach and engagement that will deliver unparalleled transparency, measurement and results” concludes Federico.