“I can only speak from my experience, but I’ve seen so many within my community of followers thanking me for my content creation during these difficult times and that was no different during the ad placement.” LeJuan James
With the COVID-19 pandemic slowly becoming our new normal, influencers are analyzing the landscape and pivoting to adjust their content strategies to continue entertaining their audiences during this time.
LeJuan James, one of the country’s top bicultural and bilingual social media influencers, a comedian, and content creator with nearly 6 million followers across his platforms, who has partnered with leading brands like McDonald’s, Norwegian Cruise Lines, NASCAR, and Amazon’s Audible, answered some of our pressing questions on how brands can reach and connect with the Hispanic segment in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
When thinking from the lens of your followers, what do they need right now?
I think now more than ever, it’s a crucial time for brands to be present. They play a pivotal part in trying to establish some normalcy amidst all of this chaos. It’s an unfortunate time we are currently living in, however, consumers are still consuming: people are still shopping (although mostly online), eating, and entertaining themselves. I understand that conveying a message through advertisement can be challenging given the current state of the world’s economy, but I believe there is always a way to get these messages across.
Does your audience want to hear from companies right now? What should companies be communicating?
I definitely encourage brands to be proactive in finding ways to help the community. Continue looking into philanthropic initiatives that can alleviate some of these difficult circumstances. However, I do feel it’s important to not lose sight of regular ways they (brands) interact with the community. From an online perspective, people are on their phones more than ever and it’s an important time to be present. Going back to what I mentioned earlier, it’s all about how the message is conveyed – finding creative ways for product mentions and product placement.
How have you and influencers in general adjusted your content strategy to the current situation?
During this pandemic, I had the pleasure of working with one brand and saw very encouraging results not only for the brand, but for myself, as well. I believe brands partnering with influencers and their established audiences is an easy way for brands to get their message across in an authentic way, without it being misinterpreted.
I can only speak from my experience, but I’ve seen so many within my community of followers thanking me for my content creation during these difficult times and that was no different during the ad placement. For me, it’s easier than others because humor is always a kind and lighthearted way to get people’s attention. The opportunity is definitely there for brands to capitalize on the eyes of our community with smart and thoughtful campaigns developed in partnership with agencies and talent.
What is the best way for brands to reach you?
My agent, Alix Gucovsky from WME, and I are still working and paying attention to our emails. Brands can reach us by emailing us at teamlejuanjames@gmail.com and AGucovsky@wmeagency.com.
Michelle Kawas, Account Executive
michelle@bodenagency.com
