We are all used to influencer trips – a company flies out a bunch of influencers on a holiday or planned event whilst showered with PR products leading to flooded TikTok for you pages. For those of you who missed it, Refy took a group of their customers on a ‘community trip’ to Mallorca last weekend. Refy’s customers were encouraged to apply through a link in their broadcast channel for a chance to be selected.
I remember reading a theory a while back that we will eventually exhaust the use of influencers, and I can understand the idea behind it. Ultimately, this would mean people trusting ‘micro influencers’ / people who just do socials on the side for reviews and opinions, rather than those who do the same as a career. Why? Because they seem more relatable and not out of touch.
Even though influencers were first introduced as people who are like us so we can connect with them, we’ve recently taken a turn into almost feeling tired of influencers (which is ironic since we are the ones who enabled them to build their platforms in the first place). Is it fair to say influencer trips have already had their moment? I think so. Think of the Tarte trips, ‘The Influencer Olympics’ (legally named Coachella) and all the other events in between. It’s time for something new.
The makeup brand Refy offering a community trip to Mallorca is a brilliant business move for several different reasons-
1) This is something different. Whilst being a simple idea, it’s not something we’re used to seeing in the industry. Maybe a giveaway for a person or two, sure. But a trip for a group of ten or so (who aren’t famous)? That’s new.
2) It thanks the customers. Fans of the brand want to be rewarded and appreciated for their support. Refy’s move is essentially a big ‘thank you’ to people who genuinely care about the company. The customers feel seen and will now have even more warm thoughts towards Refy.
3) It’s still PR. As kind and sweet as this is, it’s still a marketing move – a clever one. Guests will be posting about their experiences, people will be searching for information, I’ll be writing about it. This pays Refy in good press and stronger relationships which lead to more sales.
I think we will see a shift in how businesses communicate and connect with their clients. The use of broadcast channels to show sneak peaks of new collections and exclusive discounts will grow. Same with founder based content, focusing not only on the company itself but the person behind it. We definitely have an exciting time ahead.
Thank you Refy for thinking outside of the box,
K x