for brands through the eyes of
influencers, which are then shared
in a variety of formats — photos,
videos, articles — across social
channels like Instagram, Facebook,
Pinterest, Twitter and blogs. This
gets brands in front of large target
audiences, those who look to the
influencers they follow for advice,
tips and recommendations.
The original BabbleBoxx “box”
program, which still exists today,
started out as a co-op whereby
like-minded brands could join
forces to create seasonally- and
theme-inspired social promotions.
There are many benefits to
“partner marketing” or “cross” or
“co-marketing” that are rarely max-
imized and which BabbleBoxx set
out to offer to our clients. It’s on
those lines that BabbleBoxx allows
brands to be more cost-effective by
pooling together marketing budgets
and reaching new audiences of
people who already qualified as
potential customers.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of
BabbleBoxx is that it has simplified
the influencer sampling process for
brands by allowing them a quick and
affordable way to get their products
in the hands of individuals who are
guaranteed to share the message.
WAS IT HARD TO GET THE
BUSINESS OFF THE GROUND?
WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID YOU FACE?
It certainly has been a journey!
When I started out, few marketers
would consider influencer marketing,
and those who did see the value did
not want to pay for play. The indus-
try has matured significantly in the
past few years, bringing on a whole
new set of challenges. The business
probably would have been easier to
build had we sought funding, but
we take pride in the fact that we
bootstrapped to get to where we are
today. We are extremely grateful.
WHAT’S THE PROCESS LIKE WHEN
CREATING A BABBLEBOXX FOR A
SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER? WHAT
EXAMPLES CAN YOU GIVE
Bachelorette for a collaboration
with Earth Brand Shoes. And then
there are always our local favorites
like Momma Lew, Suburban Wife
City Life, MyPixieBlog and Angela
Ricardo.
WHAT’S THE MOST FULFILLING
PART OF YOUR JOB? AND WHAT
IS THE MOST CHALLENGING?
Time is always the biggest
constraint. There are simply never
enough hours in the day to bring
all the new ideas we have to life.
And still we keep dreaming, which
is the most fulfilling part of the
process and what I love most about
being an entrepreneur.
FUN IN A BOX A selection of holiday-themed
treats for influencers to sample
OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS/
COMPANIES YOU WORKED WITH
IN THE PAST?
Bringing brands and influencers
together for a promotion is tricky
because you must consider both
stakeholders and make sure each of
their requirements is satisfied. For
our brand partners, we must ensure
we select the right influencers —
ones who match their specific criteria
for selection and who agree to
participate in the campaign and
complete the assignment successfully.
On the influencer side, we must
ensure that they receive proper guide-
lines, are fairly compensated and
have the support they need through-
out the duration of the promotion.
We have had the good fortune of
working with a broad spectrum of
brands, from Under Armour and
Whole Foods to local, New Jersey
based companies such as Jersey
Mikes, Audible and The Children’s
Place.
As for influencers, our agency
works with vetted candidates at all
levels. Most recently we partnered
with Catherine Giudici from The
HOW DO YOU HOPE TO SEE
BABBLEBOXX GROW IN THE
FUTURE?
Our signature box program,
where we design bespoke kits for
brands, is where we are experienc-
ing the fastest growth. Not only are
brands leveraging these kits for cus-
tom influencer marketing campaigns,
they are being utilized across other
marketing channels like e-commerce,
shopper marketing, public relations
and more. Here are a few of our
favorite [signature box] designs:
Oreo, Healthy Choice and Whole
Foods.
WHAT DREW YOU TO MOVE TO
SOUTH ORANGE?
When my son turned two, we
decided to move out of New York
City. Like many, I wanted my child
to grow up with fresh grass, a safe
street on which he could play with
other children and, selfishly, I longed
for a kitchen that would be larger
than a closet. Moving to SOMA
(South Orange and Maplewood) has
been the best decision we ever made.
From the moment the moving truck
pulled in front of our home, we were
embraced by new neighbors and
now, five years later, the community
continues to provide an environment
that is warm, welcoming and nurtur-
ing to my family and local business
owners like me. ■
MILLBURN & SHORT HILLS MAGAZINE MAY 2019
39