Exclusive interview with Alex Burgess, Managing Director APAC of award winning influencer marketing agency Goat.

Marketing can be tough these days, but the team at The Goat Agency seem to have influencer marketing down to a fine art, so we figured it’d be good to have a chat with Alex Burgess, their Managing Director APAC.

As one of the world’s fastest growing marketing agencies, with a list of clients including some of the world’s best known and most exciting brands including UEFA, adidas, Malibu, Jameson, Lidl, New Look, Glenmorangie, DHL, Majestic, Formula E, graze, gousto and many more across the gaming, sport, technology, lifestyle, parenting, food & drink, and fashion sectors, Goat is at the sharp end of contemporary marketing, and its lively crew have consistently proven they know what it takes to deliver results.

First up, just how the heck did you manage to go from a startup to an industry-leading agency with offices in London, New York, Singapore and Monaco, in just three years?

We have a unique business offering. We work to deliver results and brands are looking for creative influencer strategies on a scale that only we can deliver. I suppose we’ve grown as we’re bringing actual value to brands so the size of the company scales in tandem with the campaign we are delivering.

Social is an inherently global business and as we’re running global campaigns we’re expanding internationally to support our clients across the markets. Our 4 offices allow us to service in every time zone which is exciting and exhausting at the same time.

If you could give some key advice for resource-short startups looking to make a name for themselves what would it be?

• People – surround yourself with good people who you trust and who live and breathe the product
• Find a niche – look for that gap in the market and build your offering to exploit it
• Value – Look at what is delivering the best value and then can scale this.

At AYO.NEWS we’re fascinated by the world of esports marketing and it seems made for influencers. As an agency that deals with both esports and traditional sports influencers, do you notice many differences in terms of engagement?

Very tough question as the engagement rate depends much more on the influencer, the content, calls to action, time of post etc. The esports/gaming community are hyper engaged and very loyal which is why this industry is valued so highly.

Dealing with igaming and sports betting companies, we often feel like we’ve fallen into a time vortex and gone back fifteen years. Their long-time love affair with affiliate marketing seems ridiculous in today’s world. What would you say to operators who are still sinking most of their resources into affiliate marketing?

Think outside the box, think about your life time value and think about your brand perception.

In the numbers obsessed industry that is gambling, we’ve found many decision makers are afraid to commit to social and influencer marketing because the results are assumed to be too difficult to forecast. What would you say to those who are nervous?

We forecast the results before a campaign and then guarantee these results to our clients as we find the world of estimated delivery a bizarre one. We understand social so well we are happy to put our necks on the line to give the client reassurance about working with us and the channel itself. When you’re working with experts who know how to deliver the campaigns then there’s no need for nerves. Influencer marketing is more trackable than other marketing channels and not only delivers hard results but does a lot for the brand too.

What’s the biggest fuck up you’ve had?

Horrible question, thanks! I got caught in traffic and missed my train to a fairly substantial pitch – still haunts me.

Do you see a place for AI in creative marketing, or are machines too sane?

AI can have a place in creative marketing, however it will be sometime before it becomes a mainstream feature. As the software becomes increasingly sophisticated I’m sure first-movers will take advantage, whether it delivers results is yet to be seen.

What’s your take on Article 13? Do you think it will end up backfiring and hurting the smaller content creators it is supposed to help?

Article 13 is quite simple when analysed, however how platforms are going to implement this is yet to be seen. There has been a heavy backlash from the creator community as the internet is seen as a collaborative creative space. How these creators are affected will be revealed by how each member state applies Article 13 in their own legal systems, as well as how the platforms react.

Why goat?

‘Goat’ was named for several reasons, first the acronym Greatest Of All Time as we first founded as a sports focussed influencer agency. Secondly, goats are incredibly viral, and lastly because it’s memorable.

As you’ll see from Goat’s vlogs, Alex and the team are some of the busiest people on the planet, so it’s a huge “thank you” to him from us at AYO.NEWS for taking the time to talk with us, and we hope to catch up again soon.

In the meantime, why not get inspired at  https://goatagency.com/ – their blog is full of valuable influencer marketing tips and tricks.