Influencer Spotlight- Abby Asselin and Gymshark: Social Media Marketing Gold
“Hey everyone, welcome back to my channel! If you are new here, welcome, my name is…” If you’re an avid Youtube watcher, you have probably heard this line from what seems like every Youtube creator that has sprung up in the past 10 years.
Influencer marketing has become arguably the most popular marketing strategy for companies and businesses looking to expand their markets relatively quickly, and to a broad variety of prospective customers.
For context, according to an article written by Jenny Chen and published by Sprout Social Influencer Marketing is defined as,
“At a fundamental level, influencer marketing is a type of social media marketing that uses endorsements and product mentions from influencers–individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche. Influencer marketing works because of the high amount of trust that social influencers have built up with their following, and recommendations from them serve as a form of social proof to your brand’s potential customers.” (Chenn, 2020)
Just from the above definition, the first thing that comes to mind when I think influencer marketing are “Youtubers”- people that got their social media following from posting video content to Youtube. More than likely, if you engage with a “Youtubers” video content, you probably follow them on other social media channels such as Instagram as well!
Now, depending on what type of videos or content you like to consume, everyone has a different type of person that comes to mind when they think about the term “influencer”. Really ask yourself “Who could convince me to buy something or engage with a company that I follow on social media?” That right there would be who you define as an influencer!
Personally, I am an avid fitness lover. Everything from running, heavy weight lifting, yoga, spinning, hiking, and everything in between. Almost my entire wardrobe is athletic wear! So a lot of the brands I love to use have to do with fitness products, apparel, and supplements. In this case, lets take the athletic wear apparel company, Gymshark. I first found out about Gymshark through Instagram about 5 years ago in 2016.
According to the company site,
“Gymshark is a fitness apparel & accessories brand, manufacturer and online retailer based in the United Kingdom, supported by millions of highly engaged social media followers and customers in 131 countries.
Created in 2012 by teenager Ben Francis and a group of his high-school friends. Gymshark has grown from a screen printing operation in a garage, into one of the fastest growing and most recognisable brands in fitness. This growth comes from a devotion to producing innovative, effective performance wear and an ever-expanding social presence, and above all a commitment to the Gymshark vision.
In their about page, they talk about their heavy influence where they practically capitalized on Social Media Marketing! A majority of their audience and marketing initiatives come from advertising on sites like Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, and partnering with popular users with a large following on the sites in order to promote their products.
One person I watch on Youtube and follow on most Social Media channels, is Abby Asselin. She is a 22 year old college and lifestyle influencer who got her start back in 2015 on Youtube. A current graduate student at The University of Alabama, she has over 95k Youtube subscribers, and 25k followers on Instagram! Some of my favorite content she posts has to do with her fitness journey that she has been on for about 3 years now, in addition to her lifestyle content and vlogs that she posts weekly.
Gymshark is often known for partnering with influencers who wear their apparel, and the first person I think of when I think of someone who fits the “mold” of Gymshark is Abby. They would be a great partnership because Gymshark is designed for the “on the go” type of person. The type of person who needs to go from the office, to the gym, and then to drinks with friends in a time crunch, but still wants to look put together, stylish, and comfortable at the same time.
For someone like Abby who not only is in grad school full time, but is also working a full time career as a social media influencer, podcaster, and still maintains her personal life, If I worked for Gymshark, I would reach out to her and ask her to become part of the team as a Gymshark athlete. Or, get a deal signed with her to advertise with the brand. The amount of times she highlights their products without a sponsorship or partnership deal already just proves how perfect she would be for Gymshark. Wether its on Instagram or showcasing her outfits in her Youtube videos, she is constantly talking about and showcasing the brand! It proves she genuinely loves the clothing and how functional it is for someone with her type of lifestyle. She also has a fitness instagram page where she highlights her meals, outfits, and workouts, and often tags Gymshark in the photos she posts.
In the end, understandably, companies HAVE to partner with social media influencers that have a strong enough influence on the type of target market their aiming to expand their markets to. In Gymsharks case, it would be a very smart idea to partner with Abby because her subscribers and followers fall into the same market that Gymshark appeals to: men and women between the ages of 16 and about 30, who are active and busy, but like to be cost efficient compared to brands such as Lululemon.
Now- if you’ll excuse me, I need to go buy some more vital seamless leggings and catch up on Abby’s latest vlog she posted this week!
