Lee Houston believes that brands are not reaping the full benefits of influencers and the access they have to their communities. 

Speaking at MAD//Fest London as part MAD//Fest’s ‘MAD//Fest Moments series’ in partnership with THE FIFTH, Houston said, “ I think influencer marketing is just going to become more of the fabric of how we do social media. But if I'm still being honest, we're learning about the right way to do that.” She added, “I think there's still quite an old school brand approach regards our way of doing things with influencers. And actually, that's not the value they bring. They bring real value in the connection they genuinely have with consumers. It's about how do you work with them rather than trying to force things in that."

Houston also talked out how she wants to see brands use purpose, feeling that a lot use it to win awards. However, she believes that brands “have a responsibility to do this. I'd love to see it genuinely happen.”

Watch her full, short interview here. 

‘MAD//Fest Moments’ is a series, in partnership with THE FIFTH in which prominent industry leaders share emerging trends, challenges and opportunities. We’ll be covering these interviews over the rest of the year in MAD//Insight.