Sometimes described as the human version of TINDER, “matching people to brands” we look back to the day we registered the company in 2018 with gratitude, excitement and even more faith in the future that we are heading in.
To clarify our story, we officially opened our doors in 2019 and have specialized in conceptualizing and executing 360 degree Influencer Marketing Campaigns ever since. Matching incredible people to brands is what keeps us up at night and working with brands from Zara, to Reebok, to Hisense, to L’Oreal South Africa, and British American Tobacco - we wouldn’t be where we are today had it not been for our brands.
Then to our loyal influencers who have supported us since day one. You’ve shown us the POWER OF PEOPLE and the strength in staying true to no one else but YOU! For this, we thank and salute you!
As our fearless leader, CEO & Founder, , Philippa McCann (more well known as Phi) points out: “In order to be the best, we focus on our niche and on what it is that we believe in - PEOPLE! The company is not called ‘Influencers have Influence’, the company is called ‘People Have Influence’ for a reason. Because at its core, we believe in people and the power that they have, when sharing their truth online.”
Now to share our truth…
Phi didn’t just make it Facebook Official, she made it legal, opening People Have Influence in 2018, after noticing an opportunity to fill a gap in the South African market for a specialised influencer marketing agency.
Then came the viral success of Zara’s #DearSouthAfrica campaign which got people taking note of P.H.I. and the role we could play in bringing brands to life, with authentic storytelling through influencers.
As a small team we managed over 600 micro-influencers (reaches for coffee) which resulted in “Africa’s Largest and Most Successful Influencer Campaign to Date.” For more deets on the campaign, check out this post.
“A lesson that I (Phi) learnt in 2018, that still applies today would be: If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together.”
We all know what happened in 2020, and unfortunately for P.H.I., many of our clients were in the tobacco and alcohol industry. This meant, no campaigns for the foreseeable future.
But our SHE-EO Phi made a plan: “In 2020 the best thing I did was to sit and ask myself, what is in my control and what is out of my control?
What was out of my control was COVID, what was in my control was how I let it affect me and the company. I could have sat around and watched everything crumble, or pivot, adapt and focus on channeling the fear into fire.”
For 6 months, Phi worked closely alongside Lauren Dallas BTS and built an online course to help people around the world on how to build a successful personal brand online. With over 250 members completing the “Unleash Your Inner Influence” program, the pivot was successful and kept the lights on.
“A lesson I learnt when launching P.H.I. [that still applies today] is to have GRIT and never give up. With every problem, there is a solution, you just have to have grit. Grit is the power of perseverance and passion and is extremely powerful when put into practise - daily.” - Phi McCann
Our first year was exciting, then we hit the terrible twos (thanks Covid), and then in our third year, things started to really look good for us. The industry began to open up again, and yet throughout it all, our team never lost sight of our ‘WHY’ - the reason we do what we do - which is to value people and the worth that they bring.
So in 2021, we launched campaigns for Aperol Spritz, Hisense South Africa and Yaga. All these new always-on campaigns meant that we were able to grow our team to include 8 new members - love that for us!
Let’s just say that 2022 made up for 2020. P.H.I. was on a role. We ran multiple different campaigns which were so successful that clients came back for more and more…
Our not-your-average CEO, Phi kickstarted the year by adding new members to the team. We were officially a family of 10, and we were no longer a female-only agency.
The new lads (check them out here) at P.H.I. brought the banter to an already vibey place to work, and we also realised the truth in the saying, “Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.”
Watch this space…
We’ve got new things coming up and this year looks like it is going to be a goodie!! New campaigns and exciting brands to work with. While we share as much as we can on just about everything on our Instagram, be sure to check out our TikTok channel for BTS moments and all the fun of our P.H.I. team. When we are not working hard and achieving our goals for the week, we do like to have fun as a team, and our Tik Tok shows just this.
Thank you to everyone for the Birthday wishes this month and for celebrating either in person, or digitally with us. It means the world and here’s to another trip around the sun!!
Much Love, always,
The P.H.I. Fam x
Sometimes described as the human version of TINDER, “matching people to brands” we look back to the day we registered the company in 2018 with gratitude, excitement and even more faith in the future that we are heading in.
To clarify our story, we officially opened our doors in 2019 and have specialized in conceptualizing and executing 360 degree Influencer Marketing Campaigns ever since. Matching incredible people to brands is what keeps us up at night and working with brands from Zara, to Reebok, to Hisense, to L’Oreal South Africa, and British American Tobacco - we wouldn’t be where we are today had it not been for our brands.
Then to our loyal influencers who have supported us since day one. You’ve shown us the POWER OF PEOPLE and the strength in staying true to no one else but YOU! For this, we thank and salute you!
As our fearless leader, CEO & Founder, , Philippa McCann (more well known as Phi) points out: “In order to be the best, we focus on our niche and on what it is that we believe in - PEOPLE! The company is not called ‘Influencers have Influence’, the company is called ‘People Have Influence’ for a reason. Because at its core, we believe in people and the power that they have, when sharing their truth online.”
Now to share our truth…
Phi didn’t just make it Facebook Official, she made it legal, opening People Have Influence in 2018, after noticing an opportunity to fill a gap in the South African market for a specialised influencer marketing agency.
Then came the viral success of Zara’s #DearSouthAfrica campaign which got people taking note of P.H.I. and the role we could play in bringing brands to life, with authentic storytelling through influencers.
As a small team we managed over 600 micro-influencers (reaches for coffee) which resulted in “Africa’s Largest and Most Successful Influencer Campaign to Date.” For more deets on the campaign, check out this post.
“A lesson that I (Phi) learnt in 2018, that still applies today would be: If you want to go fast, go alone but if you want to go far, go together.”
We all know what happened in 2020, and unfortunately for P.H.I., many of our clients were in the tobacco and alcohol industry. This meant, no campaigns for the foreseeable future.
But our SHE-EO Phi made a plan: “In 2020 the best thing I did was to sit and ask myself, what is in my control and what is out of my control?
What was out of my control was COVID, what was in my control was how I let it affect me and the company. I could have sat around and watched everything crumble, or pivot, adapt and focus on channeling the fear into fire.”
For 6 months, Phi worked closely alongside Lauren Dallas BTS and built an online course to help people around the world on how to build a successful personal brand online. With over 250 members completing the “Unleash Your Inner Influence” program, the pivot was successful and kept the lights on.
“A lesson I learnt when launching P.H.I. [that still applies today] is to have GRIT and never give up. With every problem, there is a solution, you just have to have grit. Grit is the power of perseverance and passion and is extremely powerful when put into practise - daily.” - Phi McCann
Our first year was exciting, then we hit the terrible twos (thanks Covid), and then in our third year, things started to really look good for us. The industry began to open up again, and yet throughout it all, our team never lost sight of our ‘WHY’ - the reason we do what we do - which is to value people and the worth that they bring.
So in 2021, we launched campaigns for Aperol Spritz, Hisense South Africa and Yaga. All these new always-on campaigns meant that we were able to grow our team to include 8 new members - love that for us!
Let’s just say that 2022 made up for 2020. P.H.I. was on a role. We ran multiple different campaigns which were so successful that clients came back for more and more…
Our not-your-average CEO, Phi kickstarted the year by adding new members to the team. We were officially a family of 10, and we were no longer a female-only agency.
The new lads (check them out here) at P.H.I. brought the banter to an already vibey place to work, and we also realised the truth in the saying, “Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up.”
Watch this space…
We’ve got new things coming up and this year looks like it is going to be a goodie!! New campaigns and exciting brands to work with. While we share as much as we can on just about everything on our Instagram, be sure to check out our TikTok channel for BTS moments and all the fun of our P.H.I. team. When we are not working hard and achieving our goals for the week, we do like to have fun as a team, and our Tik Tok shows just this.
Thank you to everyone for the Birthday wishes this month and for celebrating either in person, or digitally with us. It means the world and here’s to another trip around the sun!!
Much Love, always,
The P.H.I. Fam x
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