If you like sipping on sweet tea and snacking on comfort food—and looking effortlessly cool while doing so—then Southern Made Simple is your essential one-stop-shop! The stylish woman behind the southern-infused lifestyle destination is Laura Tucker, CLEVER’s Featured Influencer for September, and we have behind-the-scenes details for you to check out! At Southern Made Simple, you’ll find everything you need to keep the whole family well-fed, entertained, and looking fly. Need a few … Read Full Post »

Don’t believe the #programmatic hype.

Kristy Sammis, CLEVER Founder and Chief Innovation Officer, provides industry insight on the great programmatic vs. influencer marketing debate to top trade publication Campaign US. The article, Why marketers should bet on influencers over programmatic, illustrates the CLEVER position that programmatic is a waste of money and influencer marketing is always the best choice when it comes to brand-safety, authentic engagement, and cost-effective marketing with major results. … Read Full Post »

Years later, the power of #SFBatkid is still in full-effect!

Millions of people all over the world tuned in on social media to watch Miles Scott save Gotham (a.k.a. San Francisco) in 2013, generating two billion impressions! Powering the social media behind the #Batkid initiative is CLEVER’s proudest work to date. We are thrilled to see #SFBatkid featured in Ad Age’s 2017 article, #Hashtag10: A Look Back at the 10 Tags That Shaped Advertising as … Read Full Post »

I’m at the salon. I flip through the pages of a glossy magazine and find myself coveting the perfect-for-fall lipstick shade that the flawlessly skinned, airbrushed-into-oblivion model is wearing… but, I know even if I buy the lipstick, I won’t look like she does.

Later, I scroll through my Instagram feed and watch a normal-looking person do a quick makeup tutorial that transforms her from everyday to movie-star-esque, just by using ordinary makeup products in … Read Full Post »

BACK-TO-BACK!

This morning, CLEVER was announced as one of Inc. 5000’s Fastest Growing Private Companies in 2017!

For the second year in a row, Inc. magazine has included CLEVER on its highly-coveted Inc. 5000 list—the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies with CLEVER ranking 1,706. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment— its independent small and midsized businesses.

In … Read Full Post »

Virtual show of hands: Women in business, have you ever been ‘cupcaked?’ Probably.

CLEVER CEO & Founder, Cat Lincoln, breaks it down on Fit Bottomed Girls’ aptly-titled podcast series: Like a Boss. Proud to #runitlikeagirl, the must-hear podcast touches on numerous empowering and insightful topics—check it out!

Fun Fact(s): Fit Bottomed Girls is one of our favorite CLEVER members to work with *and* Cat’s episode is co-hosted by former CLEVER, Kristen Seymour!… Read Full Post »

In the early days of influencer marketing—long before the industry even had a name—my co-founders and I recognized an opportunity: Brands wanted bloggers to talk about their products, but they had no idea of how to do it. We did.

Of course, it was more complicated in practice. To unpack the power delivered by this fresh form of marketing, we had to question the very future of advertising. It was a risky move, but one … Read Full Post »

“Thoughtful, creative, compelling content doesn’t need ‘gamification’ in order to help it catch fire. We also believe in authentic engagement.” — Stefania Pomponi on Instagram pods for Marketing Tech.

The influencers have spoken: Authenticity continues to reign supreme when it comes to #sponsored content.

Calling out CLEVER’s Inside the Influencer Mind: 2017, [A]–List Daily highlights the study’s major findings that make it clear: Influencer authenticity cannot be bought.

Leveraging industry-leading insight from over 700 active influencers, CLEVER’s study is essential in navigating the world of influencer marketing. Make sure to follow [A]-List Daily’s direct link to gain full access to … Read Full Post »

“If you think ‘influencer’ marketing is a joke or a passing fad, it’s time to reconsider.” — PR Daily.

As the industry-defining influencer marketing agency, CLEVER has long recognized the power of the influencer. Our recent white paper, Inside the Influencer Mind: 2017, is a deep-dive study focused on the world of the influencer, offering revealing insights on how brands should navigate the relationship-driven marketing tactic, straight from the source: The Influencer (700+ … Read Full Post »