LTK, the platform that underpins a large portion of the creator economy and is formerly known as LiketoKnow.it, is transforming into a standalone ecommerce platform with the help of its new agency of record, Deloitte Digital, and it wants to let the mass market know. It edged toward that goal today by launching its first national ad campaign.
Earlier this year the company handed the consultancy exclusive rights to its creative, media and measurement business. Deloitte prevailed over other independent agencies and holding companies that participated in a pitch, although LTK declined to name them.
The consultancies—still the new kids on the block in the ad community—might not have the same kinds of creative legacies to offer potential clients, but they do have world-class digital expertise and industry experts which means more to clients seeking a streamlined experience. LTK felt Deloitte, with its broader understanding of business, could deliver on that front. Handling media, creative and measurement for the company gives the consultancy, which operates under a single P&L model, a holistic look into the company’s strategic plan. LTK found it important that its partner be central to its operations, and chose not to “bifurcate” when selecting an AOR, according to Megan Tobin, head of consumer marketing at LTK.
“You take the deep technical and data knowledge that Deloitte and Deloitte Digital have brought to market for over a decade, and you merge that with an infusion of creative talent. You get an offering that services the modern C-suite with a high level of effectiveness,” said Kenny Gold, managing director, head of social, content and influencer at Deloitte Digital.
A platform on its own
LTK is a global digital marketing platform serving both creators and customers alike. It helps customers find out how to buy influencer-backed products, and provides a streamlined way for influencers to get paid. Historically, a customer could simply “like” an influencer’s social media post and then visit the LTK site to learn where to buy the products.
The trouble, according to LTK co-founder and president Amber Venz Box, is that the rise and fall of other social media platforms presents a risk for creators. She intends for LTK to meet the creators’ need for a home base. “Whether it’s policy decisions, or algorithms or other things that impact the creator’s business, this is a platform that’s built just for them. You can kind of think of it as a Shopify for creators,” she said.
Even without an investment in an agency of record or big ad campaigns, LTK is already well known by its approximately 200,000-large creator base and many of their followers. Millions of people last year used the platform to purchase $3 billion in products.
Broadening its audience means it must go beyond other social platforms to advertise. Its new campaign features its first linear TV spots, streaming and social video, plus a full digital, social and out-of-home approach. With the creative, it wants to break down the “fourth wall” separating creators from their audiences, said Tobin. “There’s a whole group of people that we believe don’t really understand what is happening, or that this is even available to them,” Venz Box added.
In the ads, which Saturday Night Live’s Hannah Levy directed, well-known influencers encounter comical wardrobe mishaps at the park, at a play and in the classroom. The ads are mutually beneficial to LTK and its influencers, who gain exposure by playing themselves in front of a national audience.
“One of the hard lines that we gave Deloitte, and as a team that we aligned on, is that our creators will be the heroes of [the campaign]. They will be at the center of it,” said Tobin.
LTK ads features creators’ social media handles, and in the out-of-home digital social work, the campaign features real posts and an invitation for consumers to shop with the creator.
“We’re not just promoting LTK,” Tobin added.
Deciding on Deloitte
LTK kicked off its agency pitch process late last year and invited holding companies and independent agencies, before eventually deciding on Deloitte Digital. The process, according to Deloitte, included a Q&A and then a creative and strategy session. In addition to the marketing team, Deloitte pitched directly to the company’s founders, Venz Box and her husband, Baxter.
Deloitte leans into its consultants’ expertise to craft marketing strategies informed by industry trends and designed to drive business outcomes. “Before we get started on thinking about anything creatively, we sit down and say, what are the business challenges? How do we make sure that whatever we’re building can be not only digested and appreciated by the creatives in the house, but also the business runners in other parts of the domain?” said Stacy Kemp, principal for Deloitte Consulting’s marketing and customer strategy practice.
Though not a marketer, Kemp’s knowledge of the space helps guide the agency’s perspective.
“When we say full service, we are talking the entire business—not just above the line, but across the board. And that’s what makes us powerful,” said Gold, noting that the full power of Deloitte’s creativity and consulting, as well as its technologists and engineers, are at LTK’s disposal whenever it needs them.
