Employee Perspective: Transcending Cultures with Influencer Marketing

in Influencer Marketing

Sideqik Director of Business Development Andy Cabistan takes a multicultural view on influencer marketing. He pointed out that the song of the summer this year teaches a great lesson in how to expand your reach through influencers.

Entering international markets is one of the biggest challenges that consumer companies face in recent years. While the internet has brought different cultures much closer together, people still want a commonality before they embrace an idea or a product — something that they can relate to. Pop culture has recently taught us a big lesson on how an influencer can transcend cultures and break walls.

“Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Justin Bieber recently broke records with 16 consecutive weeks as number 1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100. The last Spanish song that had such massive success in the United States was “La Macarena” in 1996.

What led to this success?

“Despacito” was already a successful hit in Latin America following its January 12, 2017, release. As someone who grew up in Costa Rica, I knew and liked the song. However, I remember playing the song for several of my American friends and they couldn’t care less about it.

Fast-forward 3 months and — so the story goes — Justin Bieber is at a nightclub in Colombia when “Despacito” comes on. He sees how the house went down with everybody dancing and singing along and decides he wants to collaborate. Justin’s people got in touch with Luis Fonsi’s people and together they made entertainment history. They arranged to make a remix of the song.

The remixed version started dominating charts in the U.S. shortly after it was released on April 17, 2017. That led to 16 consecutive weeks of #1 song in Billboard Hot 100. By this time, my friends and their grandmas were in love with the song. They would sing along in their broken Spanish accents.

The Spanish-language song became a hit because American audiences found something in common with their Latino neighbors. In this case, Justin Bieber helped transcend cultures.

Who’s your Biebs?

The best way for a brand to enter a new market is to partner with a trusted influencer there. Sideqik has access to more the 10 million influencers around the world. We can help you discover the perfect Biebs for wherever you want to go. Get in touch with us so we can help you take influencer marketing to a whole new level.