Faceless marketing strategies are nothing new. Think about radio and podcast advertisements or text-only print ads. Large companies often use the faces of owners, employees, or ambassadors to promote their brands, but is it necessary? Do small businesses need a face central to their names, or is it enough to focus on what products or services are being offered? In this article, our team here at Quantus Creative will explore the benefits and the costs of faceless marketing, helping you decide what’s best for your own marketing strategy.
Pros
Cost Effective
Hiring influencers or celebrities to represent your brand can get very pricey. By only showcasing your brand or products, you will save money while also maximizing the amount of content you produce. Product shots and copy can always be repurposed to use during different campaigns. Faceless marketing may be useful if you have a limited budget for content creation.
Product and Value-Focused
By not attaching a face to your content, you have the opportunity to focus on what your brand has to offer the world in terms of products and values. In fact, 62% of consumers report that a brand’s values “heavily influence” their purchase decisions. Without the distraction of an ambassador, you can highlight what your company stands for. Additionally, your product or service will be at the forefront of your campaign, allowing consumers to familiarize themselves with what sets you apart from others. Sometimes the boldest statements are made using only product shots or copy.
Flexibility
Rather than electing a particular ambassador to market your product, faceless marketing allows you to utilize different content creators that may help you reach a wider audience. You’ll also be able to pivot if you realize that your current strategy isn’t quite working. Think of luxury fashion brands such as Prada and Dior who choose celebrity ambassadors to represent them in commercials, on social media, and at live events. If that person has entered a contract with that company and then loses popularity, the brand may suffer the consequences. Remaining faceless provides the freedom to quickly adjust your strategy based on performance.
Cons
Lack of Personal Connection
If you are a small business, you may be seeking traction in your particular vertical. In this case, having a specific face behind your company can prove beneficial. When you think of large brands like Wendy’s or Duolingo, they have already established themselves as recognizable companies with connections to their audience. A new company or small business should focus heavily on building personal connections with their audience that may be difficult to establish without a real person behind the brand.
Difficulty Building Trust
Consider this, 81% of consumers claim they need to trust a brand before they consider buying from them. Also consider that it is much easier to gain the trust of your audience by speaking to them person-to-person. By remaining a faceless brand, you may miss out on the opportunity to build a genuine relationship with your customers. If you run your own business and will be the one interacting with your customers daily, you may want to introduce yourself as the face of your brand so that people feel they know you before even entering the door.
While some of the costs of faceless marketing are significant, there are ways to make your efforts successful by keeping content engaging and relevant to your brand. Also keep in mind that just because you’re using a ‘faceless’ marketing strategy, you can still incorporate people in your campaigns. The term simply means that there is no particular person or persons acting as the face of your brand. If you are a small business, you may benefit from having a designated ambassador to build relationships and brand trust. If you are having trouble deciding whether or not faceless marketing is beneficial for your brand, reach out to our Quantus Creative team here, and we will guide you to make the best decision for your company.
