Detavio Samuels: The Future of Media Is Influencers

Philip McKenzieamp160 How would you describe your vision and how culture connects to growing your businessesDetavio Samuelsamp160 Culture is at the root of the visionamp160 The space we are trying to own and be the primary source of is for those who are urban enthusiasts in the digital spaceamp160 So if you39re a brand that wants to reach an audience that is connected to black culture and wants to consume that in the digital world we have a very clear perspective on how we want to tell these storiesamp160 There is an African proverb quotUntil the story is told by the lion the hunter will always be the heroquotamp160 We want to make sure that culture is at the center of our storyamp160 The dominant voice controls the narrative and we want to be that dominant voice culturallyMcKenzieamp160 Culture comes from the marginsamp160 How do you feel digital platforms have leveled the playing field to make sure new voices are being heard Samuelsamp160 I think digital has leveled the playing field in one way and complicated it in anotheramp160 The leveling has helped eliminate middlemen which is important especially when most of those middlemen primarily had the same perspective and the same gazeamp160 As a result many voices that did not fit that cultural perspective were leftamp160 Now everyoneamp160has the capability to create content and get it out into the worldamp160 The complication is the current content explosion makes it hard to discover those new voicesamp160 For us that is an opportunity because as a trusted source for both audiences and brands we are part of that discovery phaseamp160 We work directly with content creators and have positioned ourselves as meaningful players in that fieldMcKenzieamp160 In my first column I mentioned that back in the day people were artists musicians and filmmakers and now they are quotinfluencersquotamp160 With your involvement in the discoverycuration process do you feel you are also acting as an influencerSamuelsamp160 Currently iOne Digital touches 20 million people each month so by that measurement we are connecting to a huge audienceamp160 Our scaled engagement is happening daily based on those numbersamp160 The other piece is who is influencing the influencersamp160 A brand might not be aware of new people so it39s our job to show them that Chance the Rapper is following this person Drake is following this person this might be someone you want to be aware ofamp160 You take that knowledge combined with our scaled engagement and you have a very powerful mixMcKenzieamp160 iOne Digital is an extension of a legacy brand but has also built new extensions with Cassius and purchased others like Bossipamp160 How have you maintained the high level of trust between your brand and your audienceSamuelsamp160 We are part of the incredible legacy of Radio One which was founded by pioneeramp160Cathy Hughesamp16035 years agoamp160 The powerful history of the company and what it means in the community is a great base for us to leverage in the digital spaceamp160 Other parts of our brand portfolio have been around for over a decade so even if we build something from scratch like Cassius we have a history of speaking to these audiencesamp160 What we are doing is extending into new formatsamp160 Going deeper it informs our choice on who to work withamp160 Our editors makers writers video creators andamp160partners are very much a part of the cultureamp160 We get to borrow that credibility and reflect it back to our audienceamp160 We have earned that trust and build on it consistently as we extend our brand offeringsMcKenzieamp160 What do you look for when you build influencer relationshipsSamuelsamp160 We are just at the beginning of that process but right now our phase one is very organicamp160 Our team is smart and has their finger on the pulse of cultureamp160 We scour the internet to identify makers and see what people are creating that might resonateamp160 In the broadest sense possible we are creating a flavor profile across multiple genresamp160 We attend industry events where influencers existamp160 We make sure we are always around influencers in a very seamless wayMcKenzieamp160 How do you balance the traditional metrics of engagement against authenticity which might not register through those standard measurementsSamuelsamp160 Our influencers need to have a vision and proof that whatever audience they are trying to connect to exists and is viableamp160 Because our focus is on black culture we don39t need to deliver general population numbersamp160 But what we are driven by is the ability for influencers to connect to their audience and then we feel we can be an amplifier to their reachamp160 That is what maintains the authenticity while also driving engagementamp160 In our minds that is not an eitheror choiceMcKenzieamp160 Would you say you39re optimistic or pessimistic on the role of influence in the current media landscapeSamuelsamp160 I couldn39t be more bullishamp160 Culture has always been what moves usamp160the smartest brands and the best advertisers have always made a big bet on culture as a way forwardamp160 Influence is only growing as a part of the equationamp160 It is the brands that aren39t leveraging culture that are significantly reducing their potential impactamp160 The future of media is influencersamp160 The affinity we used to have for networks ABC NBC etc has been replaced with a love of brands and in some cases influencersamp160 Someone like Will Smith or Cardi B can reach millions of people in a moment with exactly the content they want to consumeamp160 When a single video of Will Smith can do double or triple the views of some networks during primetime you know you have a powerful tool that is intrinsic to the futureamp160 That is the new model that is going to be dominating media going forward Influencers are essential to that futureClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe 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Detavio Samuels: The Future of Media Is Influencers

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Philip McKenzie

FEMA and the Ad Council Encourage AANHPI Communities to Enhance Disaster Preparedness in New PSAs - Ad Council InSites

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