With roughly US$2 billion spent on influencer marketing campaigns in 2018 and a spend projection of about US$7 billion and US$10 billion for 2019 and 2020, respectively, the influencer marketing industry is on an impressive upward trajectory.
At the centre of this remarkable industry stride, are indigenous companies like Plaqad, an influencer and content marketing startup founded in 2017, which boasts of over 2000 top content creators and influencers across various niche and interests.
As part of its efforts to solidify its position in the industry, Plaqad recently partnered with leading Blogger and Influencer, Tosin Ajibade (Olorisupergal) on the Influencer Marketing Masterclass and with Africa’s leading tech platform, Techpoint on Build 2019.
Its partnership with Olorisupergal was particularly interesting as both parties collaborated to host an influencer marketing masterclass for budding influencers. The class, which held on Saturday, January 19, saw over 20 participants present. Speakers at the event included Plaqad CEO, Gbenga Sogbaike, founder of the Global Brand Network, Queen Esohe Igbinoba, and Olorisupergal herself.
In line with the brand’s plans to collaborate better and directly with clients and other stakeholders in the ecosystem, Plaqad exhibited its product offerings at Techpoint Build 2019, the largest Tech conference in Nigeria that connects the startup and SME community with industries.
The event featured discussions on running a successful business, a startup competition (Pitch Storm), exhibition for several businesses and training for SMEs.
With over 300 startups present, Plaqad showcased its offerings at the venue, where they connected with other SME brands, offered critical advice on how to run cost-effective marketing on a shoestring budget, while interacting with members of the ecosystem.
The CEO of Plaqad, Gbenga Sogbaike commenting on strengthening Plaqad’s brand positioning, said, “This is the second year of Plaqad’s existence in an industry increasingly connected to the latest technology. For us it is important that we spark collaborations and partnerships across all stages of our development, to enhance our position within our niche market. In line with our corporate strategy for the year, we are heavily investing in partnerships and initiatives that helps us better collaborate with brands and also grow the ecosystem.”
Plaqad is known to employ a data-based and brand-specific approach to influencer and content marketing rather than the more popular one-size-fits-all approach typically used.
In the past two years, Plaqad has worked with top multinational brands in Africa including the Nigerian Breweries, MTV, MTN, Heineken, Opera, SureRemit, and Interswitch among others, managing several campaigns in different verticals including Media, FMCG, Beauty & Fashion, Technology and Healthcare.