influencer marketing as a strategy
what three georgian brands are doing right
Whether the goal is awareness, promotion of a new product or service, or boosting sales—chances are, unless you’re in a highly specialized niche, your brand is leveraging influencer marketing.
In a previous article we shared insights from local influencers—what’s working, what’s not, and where influencer marketing in Georgia stands today. This time, we flipped the perspective. We sat down with three brands—PSP, Setanta Sports, and Bank of Georgia—to understand how they work with influencers, what their selection criteria are, how they brief creators, and how they measure success.
influencer marketing as a strategic pillar
Sometimes influencer marketing is a small piece of the puzzle—other times, it's the entire engine. We've even seen recent campaigns where influencer marketing wasn't a supporting tactic but the main strategic approach.
But not all partnerships work. A mismatch between brand and creator can damage both. So, how do Georgia’s leading brands make it work?
Mariam Tsanava & Nino Okropiridze, (Bank of Georgia, Marketing Team)
“Influencer marketing has become an inseparable part of our campaigns.”
Before any campaign, the team evaluates which platform—and which influencer—can deliver the message most effectively to the target audience. They don’t limit themselves to one platform: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn—it all depends on the campaign scale and context.
Crucially, they prioritize alignment with brand values. The ideal influencer for Bank of Georgia is someone with a clear personality, who believes—and proves—that possibilities are limitless.
They also recognize that the influencer’s tone of voice doesn’t have to mirror the bank’s. If the values match, the communication can still work.
“We work with macro and micro influencers. When we needed to promote our investment tools, there were barely any creators talking about it. So, we helped build the category.”
Salome Kalichava & Keta Karchava, (Setanta Sports, Community Impact Team)
Setanta realized that while their core audience was solid—sports fans—they were struggling to grow beyond that. So, while building their community strategy, they asked: “Who are we missing?”
One audience segment stood out: the scroll addicts. People who may not care deeply about sports, but constantly consume content. To reach them, they pivoted:
“Instead of working only with sports influencers—because let’s be honest, Kvaratskhelia, Ilia Topuria, and Merab Dvalishvili are already huge—we looked for curious, storytelling-driven creators.”
One creative approach? Sending custom creator packs to handpicked influencers, which resulted in significant organic engagement.
“Our internal team members are now part of the strategy. We encourage our commentators and team to build personal brands—on TikTok and Instagram, our following tripled without any paid media.”
Ani Tugushi, Influencer (PSP Pharmacy, Marketing Lead)
PSP's approach emphasizes authenticity and value alignment. They look for influencers whose audience connection feels natural.
“We analyze their tone, their community, and how they communicate. Our goal is for the brand to feel like a natural part of their content.”
PSP even launched a contest in a Facebook group to discover and nurture beginner TikTok creators. Why? Because audiences often trust newer creators more—they feel more genuine.
what makes a good influencer (and why it depends)
Each brand defines influencer selection differently—depending on campaign goals like:
- Increasing brand awareness
- Growing followers
- Driving views
- Boosting sales
- Introducing product features
Setanta’s Criteria:
“Trust is non-negotiable. We won’t work with someone who’s been involved in misleading promotions. It’s not about follower count anymore, especially on TikTok where anyone can go viral.”
They once partnered with an influencer with just 1,000 followers—because of their consistent, insightful sports commentary.
PSP’s Criteria:
“We want creators who share our values. Their communication must be clear and distinguishable. Georgia’s market is small—mixing up brand messages is a real risk.”
collaboration chain: how the process actually works
Influencer collaboration isn’t plug-and-play. It requires structure, clarity, and respect.
Setanta Sports:
They built a custom influencer guide outlining brand identity, tone of voice, and do’s/don’ts. Every influencer receives it. The result?
“Influencers became brand advocates.”
They communicate primarily via email, provide deadlines and briefs—but then step back. Minimal interference, maximum trust.
“If we chose them, we trust them to know what works.”
PSP:
They send monthly calendars, deliver products and messaging points, and then let the influencers do their thing.
“After a few campaigns together, they understand our voice—we trust their creative judgment.”
Bank of Georgia:
No templates here. Every influencer gets a personalized brief and feedback loop.
“If the content promotes a product, we might ask to mention it earlier in the video—say, at the 15-second mark—based on viewership data. But we never force messaging that feels unnatural to the creator.”
short-term vs. long-term collaborations
Which is better? It depends. But the key is balance.
PSP:
“Long-term collabs are more effective. Influencers get to know the brand better, build trust with their audience, and deliver more impactful results.”
Still, they engage in short-term partnerships when visibility is needed fast.
Bank of Georgia:
“We do both. A few long-term ambassador contracts, and many campaign-based collabs. Fewer contracts = more room to discover new voices.”
measuring what matters
Tracking results is essential. Brands use custom links, performance metrics, and sometimes even mid-campaign assessments to see if they need to tweak the brief or pivot the strategy.
Likes? Not enough. The real data lies in:
- Engagement quality
- Saves & shares
- DMs
- Comments
- Pre/Post campaign analysis
common mistakes brands should avoid
Influencer marketing has matured—but missteps still happen. Based on our interviews, here are the top mistakes brands make:
- Focusing only on follower count - Ignoring niche relevance in favor of reach = wasted budget.
- One-off ads instead of relationships - Good influencers rarely accept single promos. Audiences need consistency to trust a message.
- Forcing scripts or over-editing - When brands micromanage, content feels fake—and audiences notice.
- No campaign objective - If there’s no goal beyond “just show up in a video,” the results will reflect that.
- Generic briefs - One-size-fits-all briefs lead to unoriginal, ineffective content.
- Reusing the same influencers - Yes, long-term partners are great—but freshness matters too. Best practice? Blend consistent ambassadors with short-term collabs.
- No measurement system - “Likes” aren’t enough. Evaluate based on storytelling impact, community response, and actual conversions.
in conclusion: influencer marketing as a strategic tool
In Georgia, influencer marketing is evolving into something smarter, deeper, and more structured.
PSP, Setanta Sports, and Bank of Georgia show that influencer marketing isn’t just an ad channel—it’s a strategic instrument. One that, when done right, delivers on awareness, engagement, trust, and sales.
Brands that invest in strong briefs, choose the right voices, and give creators creative freedom are already reaping the rewards.
Because here’s the truth: influence only works when it’s real.
The less control you exert, the more impact you create.