My first influencer marketing project involved selecting some social media influencers or what I prefer to call, content creators to go to Kwahu for the 2022 Easter and simply have fun as they show their millions of followers, what the area had to offer as far as tourist attractions are concerned.

The project was designed so that by showing their followers the various sites and attractions, the followers will desire to visit these places sometime in the future. We also had an influencer-led marketing communications agenda for Vodafone, Rock City Hotel, Vtalia, HD Plus, and Pepsodent.

The task is to leverage the content creation ability of the influencers to highlight Easter at Kwahu while also featuring the brands in natural brand placement opportunities in those videos. The goal was to help the brands market to an audience that would not naturally be receptive to clear-cut paid advertising communication.

Our strategy paid off. We promised to take #TravelXAbetifi to 3 million accounts and we more than doubled that target by reaching 7.5million accounts online.

Kwahu was exposed to the millions of followers the content creators have and the content they created is being shared and will be shared for some time to come. This is creating post-activity amplification for the brands and the Kwahu community as well.

These followers got to know about this part of Ghana, where they could get a four-star hotel, whose facilities could match any in the world while offering proximity to a landscape and horizons that are simply spectacular.

This project brought in new perspectives to influencer management which went beyond selecting people with following and asking them to post branded content.

The success of TravelX, provides new opportunities to brands in that it provides a fully immersive experience for influencers. This was done by creating real-life situations where the influencer would utilize the brand’s offering without it feeling forced by the influencer.

Providing context also really matters. In this instance, getting the influencers to become just high-profile consumers of the product instead of for-hire marketers really helps the brand to reach more people and create top-of-mind awareness of the value they are offering to consumers. It amplifies the need for the product and service while at the same reinforcing the good old marketing tactic of word of mouth, albeit in the age of social media.

Furthermore, brands that fit their marketing communication message within a wider socio-cultural context are able to stay relevant. They become part of the lifestyle choices of consumers who would have recognized their modern-day opinion leaders naturally patronize those products.

Optimizing influencer engagement for brands and cracking the best way to engage influencers without it coming off as purely advertorial brings the unmatched potential for brands to reach consumers with their branded messages without the message feeling out of place within the consumer’s immediate context and familiarity.

To the travel collective, DanceGod Lloyd, Ama Governor, Nana Tea, Portia Wekia, Claude and Ekow Mclean, thank you for cooperating to make this first trip a success. This is just the beginning as we have more wins ahead. Continue to be each other’s keeper as we plan our next trip to wherever we decide to go.

To everyone else, keep following, liking and sharing the content we are releasing from TravelX and who knows, we may invite some of you to come along for the next trip.

If you haven’t already liked the Influencer Africa social media handles, please do and subscribe to our YouTube channel where we will be releasing the full Travel X Abetifi documentary including my interview with Nana Kwaku Ansong who told me about the rich history of Kwahu from his Final View Restaurant on top of the Odweanoma Mountain at Atibie. In the meantime, do enjoy this teaser.

About Israel Laryea:

Israel Laryea, a Ghanaian broadcasting icon, is the Business Head for Influencer Africa. Influencer Africa is an African influencer management agency that recruits influencers to help brands achieve their marketing