HOW INFLUENCER MARKETING HAS CHIPPED AWAY AT CONSUMER TRUST
As the spend pouring in to influencer marketing continues to soar, so to do predictions that the bubble is about to burst. A lack of transparency about when money has changed hands, fake followers and even fake engagement generated through “pods” has chipped away at consumer trust. Authenticity is what differentiates influencers from other paid media so what happens when it starts to disappear? While the impending death of influencer marketing has been greatly exaggerated, we are seeing a reckoning of sorts.
From the health food influencer hawking Cadbury Chocolate to the dairy-free influencer promoting the latest release from Lewis Road Creamery, social media stars are cashing in. Too many #collabs have all the authenticity of the Rolex watch your mate started wearing after his last trip to Thailand. The selection process influencers use to decide whether they want to partner with a particular brand has become a little lax. We are in a black hole of product promotion where it seems like everyone can be bought. If social media really is the “living room” that Zuckerberg imagines it to be, influencers are the pushy friend hawking Tupperware and Avon. Back off Denise, I’m only here for the wine and snacks!
There is a growing concern from marketers that the stamp of approval from some influencers rings a little hollow. At the end of last year, Holden Australia announced cuts to their roster of influencers in an effort to move away from aesthetically-pleasing people posing with cars to a more “authentic” approach. Overseas, big brands like P&G have taken a stand against influencers that purchase followers while others are starting to ask questions about the ROI of this marketing spend. A recent survey from media agency, UM, found only 4% of consumers believe influencer marketing. It would be easy to blame social media stars for “selling out” but brands are equally culpable for the breakdown of consumer trust.
Huge amounts of cash are being spent on partnerships that lack brand alignment or longevity. Too many companies are buying media, rather than buying influence. There should be a significant distinction between the two. The requirements for creating an ad to run on Instagram or on a high street billboard are pretty simple. You need correctly-sized creative, a few lines of copy and a chunk of media money. The selection criteria for buying space on an influencer’s feed, should be much more stringent.
Brand alignment is key to successful influencer marketing. Is it believable that this personality is really using your product? It’s not credible to suggest that a highly-paid social media star is using $19 Prepay or that a health-food addict has suddenly developed a chocolate addiction. Understand that each influencer has a personal brand and asking them to compromise this by speaking in an unnatural way or doing something out of character does a disservice to you both. Like any relationship, if you begin by wanting to change everything about the other person, it’s probably not the right fit. Longevity is another key part of any good brand partnership. Developing a multi-post campaign or bringing on board long-term ambassadors provides a level of authenticity that is missing from one-off sponsored posts.
The mass PR product mail out and subsequent simultaneous “unboxing” across twenty different Instagram accounts is the most common example of influencer marketing that delivers minimal value for all parties involved. The practice does little to build consumer trust and content creators devalue their offering by providing exposure for free. Surprise, surprise, most women don’t believe that the influencers they follow are swapping out their skincare range every second week (that’s a guaranteed way to bring about a return to the skin of your high school years). Perhaps instead of showing “unboxing” of products influencers should show their empty bottles. The value of influencers is in the credibility and the level of social proof that they lend to a product. If your brand #collab doesn’t look authentic, save some time and money - just run paid ads.