NutraCast Podcast: Ancient Nutrition doubles down on influencer program despite budget shifts

For many influencers and brands, the coronavirus signaled a time to pivot. Bailey Dumont, director of brand marketing at Ancient Nutrition joined the NutraCast to explain how they’re investing in their most loyal online influencers. 

“For us, we decided to double down on our ambassador program specifically. We started looking at who is giving us the most value, as we really wanted to make sure we’re leaning into our most loyal, long-term relationships first.” ​

Dumont said the team decided to use their reduced budget on their online influencers, which they call ambassadors, who continuously went above and beyond. The company started the year with about 700 ambassadors, but cut that number in half through their selection process. 

“Impressions are definitely the biggest thing that we’re looking for right now. So we're finding that our ambassadors are not just posting for sponsored posts, but throughout the entire cycle of the product they had.” ​Dumont added that outside of their paid online sponsored posts, about 80% of their impressions each month are coming from their unpaid ambassador posts. “That repeat exposure has been so valuable to us.”​

Dumont said the ambassadors would talk a lot about Ancient Nutrition's proteins and collagens and a few mentions of probiotics and herbals, "but now that the pandemic is here, we've seen a lot of them actually switching and getting really authentic about their gut health. We've seen a really, really interesting shift in people just getting very real about the different digestive issues that they've had and the types of supplements they take to combat that."​

Without the use of makeup artists and professional photographers, many influencers are getting real in other ways too, resulting in a shift from highly produced photos to more natural looking posts. 

Looking ahead, Dumont said she thinks this trend is here to stay: “I think we probably will see some return to the more polished posts, but I think there’s going to be a lot [of influencers] who really keep that authentic look going. I think a lot of them have really enjoyed being able to let that guard down a little bit and be able to show more glimpses into their real lives.”​

To hear more about which products are doing best, brand-influencer dynamics and digital trends, listen to the NutraCast. You can also subscribe on iTunes here.​ 

NutraCast is a podcast that focuses on insights from inside the nutrition industry. It is a production by NutraIngredients-USA​. Music by Kevin Macleod.