News UK launches new influencer marketing agency The Fifth
Media giant News UK today said it has launched The Fifth, an independent full-service influencer marketing agency.
The Fifth, which will be led by News UK’s former director of digital strategy and partnerships Oliver Lewis, will work with both established stars and emerging talent in a bid to deliver brand campaign across social media channels.
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The publisher of The Times and The Sun said its new venture will combine audience data with creative storytelling.
“Influencer marketing is one of the most exciting and fast-growing areas in brand communication, but the space is still in its infancy and as with any industry in rapid growth, challenges persist,” said Lewis.
“The Fifth helps brands elevate influencer marketing into multi-channel campaigns. We immerse ourselves in cultural trends and we build connections with the tribes defining them to help brands join the conversation at the right time and in the most genuine way.”
The firm said it plans to move away from the traditional understanding of the term ‘influencer’. Rather than dividing influencers into micro, macro and celebrity categories, The Fifth said it has identified nine different types of social media stars, including humourists and tastemakers.
The Fifth has teamed up with data platform Corq to help drive its audience analysis, and said it will ensure transparency of follower growth and standardisation of reporting among it social media stars.
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Sara McCorquodale, Corq founder and chief executive, said: “The Fifth embodies everything Corq stands for: understanding human stories, why they are so compelling on social media and how brands can be part of this new media in a positive way.
“There has to be more to this than ephemeral sponsored content and with Oliver and his team, we are excited to help brands and influencers build lasting partnerships which produce exciting work of true substance.”