The Motherhood Joins the University of Pittsburgh for Micro-Influencer Workshop and Certification Program

The Motherhood recently joined the two-day workshop, The Power of Working with Micro-Influencers, hosted by the University of Pittsburgh Katz Graduate School of Business Center for Branding. This immersive experience helped attendees navigate the dynamic world of influencer marketing and equip them with the tools to elevate their brand.

The Motherhood worked in tandem with the university to develop the exam for the micro-influencer certification at this workshop and our CEO, Cooper Munroe, moderated the brand panel for the event. 

 Influencer Panel

This panel was moderated by Merkle Senior Manager, Customer Strategy, Julie Kirsh. The influencers dove in on what it takes to become a successful micro-influencer and experiences with brand partnerships and what goes into them, such as disclosure, payment, usage rights, creativity and more. 

Panelists:

• Brenasia Ward-Caldwell, @c0debre
• Amanda Karp, @JoyfullyYoursAmanda
• Kristina Wiggins, @Seeking_Nourishment
• Sydney Carver Snyder, @summerwind41490 

Academic Panel

This panel included research professionals who focus on influencer marketing. They discussed AI influence and how micro-influencers have changed marketing and branding.

Associate Dean for Strategic Initiatives, Thomas Marshall Professor of Marketing at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Director of the Center for Branding at Pitt Business, Vanitha Swaminathan, moderated the academic panel.

Panelists:

• Alexander Bieler, Frankfurt School of Finance & Management
• Giovanni Luca Cascio Rizzo, University of Southern California
• Aman Soni, University of Pittsburgh
• Roman Welden, Indiana University
• Freeman Wu, Vanderbilt University

Branding Panel

Our CEO Cooper Munroe moderated this panel, where brands explained how they find right-fit creators to tell their brand stories. The panel also elaborated on the theme of the day, which was the power of working with micro-influencers.

Panelists:

• Melinda Burdette, Burdette Consulting
• Lynne Lescott, Thermo Fisher
• Mike Pernice, The Stoop Digital Agency
• Ed Ribar, P&G/SAE

Legal Keynote

Stanley D. Ference III is one of Pittsburgh’s Leading Patent Attorneys and principal of Ference & Associates, an Intellectual Property Law firm. With his extensive background in intellectual property law, including online counterfeiting, he went over how patent, trademark, and copyright law impacts influencer marketing.

Content Creation Panel

This panel discussion, Understanding your audience and delivering something they can’t resist, was moderated by Rebecca Farabaugh, Marketing Consultant

Panelists:

• Angie Carducci, PNC
• Jonathan Kersting, Pittsburgh Tech Council
• Jamie Orlando, LifeScience Connect
• Channing Powell, @madeinpgh
• Marissa Rosen, Climate Social Marketing
• Diane Walter, 412 Food Rescue

Strategic Management of Integrated Campaigns Panel

This panel, moderated by Sarah Weber of Sweb Marketing, explored how to use analytics to measure success of integrated campaigns.

Panelists:

• Meredith Goode, DICK’S Sporting Goods
• Haley Seifert, Wayfair
• Lexi Sigesmund, Chobani

Closing Keynote: Protection of Digital Assets in the World of AI

The closing keynote was from Kelly Carlin-McCall, a thinker, writer, talker and doodler. The daughter of George Carlin, she explored the ethical and creative risks of AI in art, using her opposition to an AI-generated comedy special mimicking her father as a lens. She discussed the importance of preserving artistic authenticity and the human essence in creativity amid advancing AI technologies.

Takeaways

These two days were full of constructive and thought-provoking discussions on how the world of influencer marketing has evolved to a standard business practice.

What is clear is that brands and influencers alike need to develop even stronger relationships to produce content together that stands out and makes an impact, all while staying true to the influencer’s authentic self and adhering to brand messaging and parameters. A few takeaways:

• It’s important to not only adhere to FTC guidelines (and guidelines set by highly-regulated, industry-specific entities such as the FDA or FDIC), but also be aware of copyright and intellectual property laws. Content ownership should be a part of every agreement.
• Follower count is less relevant today than it ever was. No influencer is too small. Even the most nano of creators have tapped in audiences who trust their authentic content and storytelling. Look for more quality metrics when selecting influencers such as average engagement rate or video views/view rate.
• Influencers are still not getting enough information on campaigns when they work with some brands. It’s important to tell them what the campaign goals and KPIs are, as well as give them feedback on their performance.
• There is still a need for more consistent standards across the industry (this includes metrics and reporting methods, streamlined creator payments, and even disclosures, as these guidelines can even be a bit gray).
• Influencer agreements are also becoming more of a standard practice, and something micro-influencers should be very cognizant of before they sign anything.

Thank you to Terri Gregos Fitzgerald and her team for producing a great event on the power of working with micro-influencers!

Hear more from The Motherhood!

The Entrepreneur Gene Podcast
The Power of Influence – Cooper Munroe
Cooper discusses the unique challenges and attributes of women entrepreneurs, the evolution of influencer marketing, and her commitment to paying influencers for their valuable work.

Three Rivers Leadership Podcast
Cooper Munroe, CEO of The Motherhood: Leadership Wisdom and Career Evolution
Cooper – a true pioneer in the world of influencer marketing – shared her inspiring journey and groundbreaking contributions to influencer marketing.

Nonprofit Hub Radio Podcast
Deanna Tomaselli of The Motherhood: Harnessing Influencer Power: Transforming Nonprofit Marketing for Social Change
Deanna discussed how nonprofits can leverage influencer marketing to create meaningful social change.

Transform Labs’ Transform Tales Podcast
Deanna Tomaselli of The Motherhood: From Memes to Marketing: Mastering Social Media’s Evolution in 2024
Deanna shared how social media has transformed dramatically and how to leverage it for your brand.

Check out our company podcast series: The Motherhood: Influencer Marketing Podcast