Influencer marketing is becoming a hot commodity these days, fueled in part by new data-privacy laws and Google's resulting decision to stop using cookies in its browser. That leaves social -media influencers and brand collaborations as a key way that companies can still extend their online presence while getting access to good audience data. That's just one of the  lessons from my recent conversations with former long-time Nike marketing executive Drieke Leenknegt and CreatorIQ CEO and founder Igor Vaks. 

Leenknegt and I did a fireside chat during the Influencer Marketing Conference and Expo in Los Angeles, and grabbed the separate conversation you'll hear on this episode. After 20 years with Nike in both marketing and operational roles in China, Europe and the United States, Leenknegt is now a Portland-based consultant helping brands do a better job telling their stories, both on their own and with influencers and other collaborators and creators. 

And Vaks'  Los Angeles-area company helps big brands such as Disney and Unilever run campaigns that may involve 30,000 influencers or more. He's seen influencer marketing  evolve from something that was paid for out of the experimental part of a company's budget to becoming a central part  of big, integrated marketing campaigns.