DIARY directory recently caught up with Pip Wass and Aundrea Worsley, Co-Founders of Talent Management and PR agency, Flourish Management.

Before founding the agency in 2017, Pip (pictured, left) had a marketing career working at brands including Argos, Dunelm and Sports Direct. She recognised the potential in influencer marketing at the very beginning and began using her free time to work with influencers, shooting content and building relationships.

Drea (pictured, right) is originally from Australia, and before setting up Flourish, managed projects for the likes of Universal Pictures, Mastercard, Volvo, KFC and Diageo Group. Drea also had her own fashion label which she showcased at NYFW in 2014.  In 2017 she was headhunted by I Saw It First UK and relocated to London to take up the role of Senior Marketing Manager. She was responsible for building a team to launch the brand to market. It was at I Saw it First that both Pip and Drea met, and within a year started their own agency. 

Pip and Drea are both under the age of 30 and now work with some of the biggest high street brands in the UK, such as Topshop, PLT, I Saw It First, Hawaiian Topic and Wilkinson Sword, as well as managing some of the best emerging influencers, including Tia Lineker, Nakita Johnson and Charlotte Emily Sanders. They have travelled to many beautiful locations across the world managing influencer trips and shooting incredible content for brands. 

You manage leading UK fashion, beauty & lifestyle influencers as well as Influencer, PR and Creative Marketing campaigns for brands - tell us more!

We believe marketing across various platforms should work cohesive and strategically. Having a really strong team of specialised marketing professionals with experience in PR and Creative allows us to offer a 360 service to our clients. We work very closely with our clients - from campaign conception, shooting content, developing an event for marketing, to press & influencers, booking talent & models from our in house portfolio to retargeting website visitors with digital ads. 

What factors are at the top of your list when looking for influencers to join your books?

Professionalism, USP, similar values to our brand culture and ultimately ones who we feel we can add true value to their growth. 

For brands and campaigns, is influencer engagement still at the top of the list of what brands are looking for - do you work with them to manage ROI?

For many brands, engagement is a very high factor in terms of KPIs, however we do not solely rely on engagement across instagram for our clients but more so the ‘true influence’ in regards to their ROI, authenticity, genuine brand love and the quality content they produce for repurposing. The majority of the work we are contracted to will be focused around strong ROI as sales are, of course, incredibly important.

Since lockdown what's changed in terms of what brands are approaching you for?

We’re naturally seeing more requests for virtual/digital experiences but in particular brands are being much more considered when it comes to their corporate social responsibility - i.e. ensuring that every campaign has a strong essence of inclusivity & diversity, as well as leaning more towards sustainability and eco-friendly impacts. I think lockdown has taught the industry that consumers are now being more culturally and environmentally aware and they are actively choosing which companies to invest their money based on those that have a similar ethos to them.

What sets you apart from other influencer marketing agencies out there?

There are some really fabulous influencer agencies out there, however the service we provide our talent is heavily focused on the individual’s career growth. We genuinely believe in helping influencers excel in this rapidly growing industry and will provide them with all the necessary tools to guide, mentor and nurture them. We also help shoot their content, offer them opportunities for travel, establish their dream goals with them and work on a career plan with each influencer individually. 

Most of your talent has a great Instagram presence - is it still the top social media platform in your eyes?

Instagram is still a very relevant social media platform, however it’s also super important for our talent to develop their own identity across various platforms to offer a point of differentiation between who they are on each channel. This is why we encourage our influencers to be creating unique content across Youtube, TikTok and Pinterest. 

Are you finding brands are paying attention to TikTok more - If so, how does this fit into your business?

TikTok is an amazing social media platform to help showcase a “personality”, for both influencers and brands, that is different to the polished aesthetic of Instagram. As marketing evolves, it’s crucial for companies to be tapping into platforms where the younger Gen z audience are highly engaged and active.

How has having access to DIARY directory helped your business and what do you find it crucial for?

Having access to DIARY directory has been key in seeking out opportunities for our talent and is a great way to stay in touch with what is happening in the industry, in particular during such unprecedented times such as COVID-19. 

Other than Dd, are there any other key tools out there that you use day to day? (to track campaigns, as an example)

We have several other tools we use to track content, sales and help to streamline campaigns so that we can work more efficiently. 

What does the future of influencer marketing look like in your eyes?

Influencers are here to stay! We are seeing a hugely popular industry worth billions that will see companies steering away from very traditional marketing channels, such as TV & OOH, towards marketing with influencers who have a powerful & highly engaged audience/following. I’m excited to see the rise in Nano-influencers and also authenticity across social. The industry as a whole is starting to celebrate ‘realness’ and move away from heavily aspirational content and more towards influencers who are able to showcase their ‘normality’ and authenticity.