Influencers have become a huge part of brand marketing, with their services costing millions of dollars in the Caribbean. And Darren Hosang-Rudder and his team at Restayge believe the use of influencers as a marketing tool is only going to increase.
Restayge is an influencer-led hybrid agency that aims to help businesses find influencers to help them achieve their campaign objectives.
“Within the Caribbean and Latin America, influencer marketing has grown by about 14 per cent for the last three to four years, and it is projected to grow at that rate for the next four years or so as well,” he predicted.
Hosang-Rudder has been in the media industry for 17 years, having spent many of them in marketing and advertising management. He told Business Guardian, in 2021 he and his team developed a model that helps brands find the right influencer to market their products and services.
“So the online space or the marketplace, which is our website, hosts about 500 influencer accounts, and about a thousand business accounts,” allowing business owners to be able to find influencers efficiently. Among the brands that use the marketplace are Wendy’s, Massy Stores, Domino’s, Victoria’s Secret, Papa John’s, Courts, CTS College and Dilma.
“Influencers are the supply and the brands are the buyers…Our first client was actually the Commonwealth Youth Games back in 2023.”
How it works, Hosang-Rudder explained, is that influencers create an account on the Restayge website. They input their information on the industries they work in, include their URL to their social platforms, and the packages they offer.
“And that allows us to get an understanding of their following and their audience metrics.”
Influencers, as entrepreneurs, have different price points – some as low as $200 a video, while some could go up to $30,000 a video.
Hosang-Rudder said he is pleased that Restayge can offer small businesses the opportunity to find influencers within their budget.
He explained that when brand owners create an account on the site, they are able to browse the database of influencers to find people to work with.
“And that, from a marketer’s perspective, may tell you this influencer might suit you and their audience overlaps with your target customer. And the style of content matches your brand, so therefore, they’re a good fit.”
There is no cost to sign up, Hosang-Rudder explained. Restayge is paid a percentage of the cost of the transaction between brand and influencer.
“Both brands and influencers pay us a little bit of what they earn or what they spend.”
He said once the brand owner has decided on which influencers they wish to use, they indicate how much they want to spend, the requirements, the platforms to which the content will be posted, and they send it to the influencer for acceptance. If the influencer accepts, payment is made to Restayge via online transfer or credit card, and the funds are held until the job is finished.
“So after they make a payment, they’re able to talk to the influencer, receive content and concepts for approval before the influencer posts. And then when the influencer posts, the client clicks ‘job complete,’” and Restayge and the influencer are paid.
“So there’s a bit of payment security as part of the platform as well. We take both sides into consideration to make it as safe as possible.”
The company also provides strategy services at flat rates.
“Many businesses come to us and have an idea of what they want to create or what they want to do. We help them kind of craft it into something that’s more holistic and fully fleshed out;all the details, all the T’s crossed and the I’s dotted.”
The Restayge story began when one of its co-founders was having a challenge finding someone to work with him on his small business.
“We started with the idea, and we built a version one, and version one was not great. And then we built a version two. We paid developers to help us build it; we still have a developeron the team full-time, and we have a technical director that oversees what we build.”
So far, he said, he hasn’t seen any business like Restayge in the Caribbean, but there are many in other markets.
“When we originally had the idea to try to create something better, we looked to other markets for inspiration…To bridge the gap, much like other large marketplaces in different niches, like Airbnb, Uber or Lyft. They are just connecting buyers and sellers.”
He said as first-movers in the region, Restayge has the advantage of being first to market with no competition.
“But it also means you have to explain yourself, you have to let people understand what you’re doing and how it makes sense and why to take a chance on this instead of just putting your eyes on the radio, or boosting a post on social media.”
He believes while there will always be a place for marketing in traditional media, “People consume what they want, where they want. And for the most part, you have to meet people where they are at if you want to have a conversation with them. We at Restayge are just trying to cater to people who want to use influencers as part of their marketing mix.”
