How are brands and advertisers using
social media influencers to target audiences? What are the pluses and minuses
of using Instagram stars and YouTubers to promote products?
In today’s time, brands and advertisers are utilizing social media influencers in order to target specific audiences. With the rapid growth and expansion of social media, has come a mass following of certain public figures. With this, comes the ability to exploit their following on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. In many ways, this to me is a perfect way to advertise. It allows brands to reach the exact audience they intend to in a way like never before. I would say that the only negative that I can think of about brands and advertisers utilizing social media influencers is that it may result in lac of originality from influencers if it is overdone. To be honest, I don’t see that happening in too many cases unless their content starts to become saturated with ads. According to data from Statista, ad spending in the social media advertising segment amounts to $38,393 million just in 2020. It is expected to show an annual growth rate of seven percent up until 2023. I personally think that this will only continue to sky rocket due to social media influencer presence we are seeing. Instagram, YouTube, social media influencers, as well as ads, they are here to stay. One of the main trends with social media advertising we are starting to see is that shopping and payment options are being integrated onto social media platforms. With this in mind, as well as the advancement of targeted ads via social media, I see nothing but huge potential for brands and advertisers to use social media influencers more and more. Aaron Winston from Bazaarvoice Blog states that, “In the beginning, brands would look at a person with a large following and send them free stuff to promote. That’s changed, and it’s become a much more mature market — brands are more particular and savvy about choosing who to work with. Marketers now set goals and desired outcomes and pick the influencers most likely to deliver on those.” I thought this to be interesting because I think it points out the true potential of advertising this way. There are endless positives in doing this in my opinion. It is advertising in a way that has never been seen before, in an extremely cost effective way as well. I do think that social media as well as social media advertising will continue to change and evolve. With that, some negatives of brands and advertisers using social media influencers in order to target audiences may arise but I really do think that the positives will always far outweigh the negatives. It seems to me in all honesty that using these advertising tactics, the possibilities are endless, advertisers can reach the exact audience they want to.
Works Cited
“Social Media Advertising - United States: Statista Market Forecast.” Statista, www.statista.com/outlook/220/109/social-media-advertising/united-states. Winston, Aaron. “Inside the Billion-Dollar World of Influencer Marketing: Q&A with @DanChiz.” Bazaarvoice, 4 Sept. 2019, www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/influencer-marketing-danchiz/?npclid=Cj0KCQiAkKnyBRDwARIsALtxe7iX_a2v2l9ONTXzG88NQ5gJOTtU7mrPJ-rcKKViCSZWItiNeE2G-LoaAppPEALw_wcB&aid=sc33520b2&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Nonbrand%7CRatings%2B%26%2BReviews_DSA_USA.
Nick Carrozza Professor Burns MSS 495 2/18/20 Week 4 Blog
Question 3: Lifestyle and Niche Blog
In recent years, social media has definitely taken a turn into a new direction. Companies have quickly partnered up and realized how much advertising they could display on websites and apps which people use every day. YouTube is a prime example of a website which has been completely filled with advertisements. In almost every YouTube video there are several or more ads throughout the video. This depends of the content creator and how many ads he or she wants in their videos. Despite the hatred from the social media community, ads will never go away. The only way to fully get rid of ads is to buy the elite version of the app. This is an option which every social media platform has. Unfortunately for YouTube content creators, they rely on sponsors for a form of income. A prime example of this is one of the biggest YouTube stars out there, David Dobrik. David is huge on not only YouTube but all forms of social media. He has a massive following of mostly young people who love him and watch every video. David has almost become synonymous with advertising for the company called Seat Geek. In almost every video he produces, at some point there is about a 30 second period where David thanks Seat Geek for sponsoring the video and he describes what the company is. He also gives a promo code for people to use. This is such a smart advertising tactic because millions of people are being exposed to this sponsor. Some negatives of using Instagram, YouTube and other social media stars would include their lack of control, and unpredictable nature. An example of this is a star like Logan Paul. Logan is one of the biggest social media influencers out there. Logan is a spokesperson for many products and sponsors and he unfortunately was involved in a scandal a few years ago which still is brought up frequently. Paul’s reputation was damaged along with any sponsor relationship. No company wants to be associated with a person who is controversial. This is the risk you take when partnering with social media stars.
The rise of the Internet has quickly given rise to the Internet influencer, especially on Instagram and YouTube. This results in many promoted products on these platforms. Instagram has over 1 billion users and there are projected to be over 6.1 million sponsored posts posted on the platform by 2020 (MediaKix).
YouTube stars are more personable and relatable than celebrities who can seem out of touch with regular people. This in part because influencers may be more likely than celebrities to show the realities of their life, which includes the low parts of their lives as well as the good parts of their lives. There is an incredible amount of trust that influencers must build with their audiences through curating a “perception of authenticity” (Abad-Santos). People are more likely to listen to a product recommendation from a “friend” who they trust than from a celebrity who they do not relate to. However, even influencers can seem out of touch, especially once they become large and have amassed a sizable net worth. In general, people tend to trust smaller influencers for this reason.
However, influencers have to be careful about what they do online. Once they break the trust they have with their audience, they can struggle to recover. Mistakes can not only be costly for influencers’ image; it can also hurt them monetarily. Laura Lee, a YouTube beauty influencer who had about 5 million subscribers in August 2018, lost an estimated $65,000 because she lost 500,000 subscribers due to controversy surrounding racist tweets she posted years ago. Additionally, Morphe, Ulta, and Colourpop stopped selling her makeup on their sites (Abad-Santos). Brands have to be careful who they partner with because who they partner with reflects on their brand. They also must choose someone who reflects the brand’s values and would be likely to use their product.
While many people generally trust influencers more than traditional celebrities because they feel more like a friend, many influencers have been under fire for not disclosing sponsorships according to FTC guidelines. The FTC guidelines are “extensive and include a variety of requirements based on endorsement type. And if influencers don’t properly abide by the rules, it can cost them big-time in the form of fines… and lawsuits” (Mic editors). The guidelines say that people “will be able to see and understand the disclosure… place it so it’s hard to miss… [and] use simple and clear language” (Federal Trade Commission). Additionally, the FTC states directly that “if you’re paid to talk about a product and thought it was terrible, you can’t say it’s terrific” (Federal Trade Commission). Many influencers have been criticized for promoting discount codes they share with their viewers and not clearly disclosing that the they get commissions when someone uses the code at checkout. This is also true for sponsored links in the description of YouTube videos where influencers get commissions when a consumer buys a product through that link. This has all led to some consumers not trusting influencers, especially when they are sponsored.
Recently, some Instagram stars, such as James Charles, have been accused of heavily Photoshopping their photos and even using an app called Snow to do real-time Photoshop effects in videos. Snow allows users to edit the shape of the nose, the shape of the chin, the size of the eyes, and any other feature on the. James Charles posted a skincare routine video on Instagram and when he moves his hand in front of his face, you can see the app glitch and see his nose change shape. This isn’t fair, especially when an influencer heavily edits an image or video in which they are promoting a product; this leads to false impressions of what the product can do. For example, influencers can use filters in videos and smoothing tools with Photoshop and Facetune to smooth their skin to make it look flawless. Especially if the influencer is promoting a foundation or a skin care product, this can be incredibly misleading. Because influencers have a wide reach, they must be aware of the influence they have on others. If influencers use heavy photo editing, this can translate into regular people having a negative view of themselves because they do not look like the impossible beauty standard that influencers promote.
Works Cited:
Abad-Santos, Alex. “Laura Lee, Jeffree Star, and the racism scandal upending the YouTube beauty community, explained.” Vox, 31 Aug. 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/8/28/17769996/laura-lee-jeffree-star-racism-subscriber-count
Federal Trade Commission. “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers.” FTC.gov, Nov 2019, https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers
MediaKix. “30 Top Instagram Influencers Who Rise Above the Rest in 2020.” MediaKix, n.d., https://mediakix.com/blog/top-instagram-influencers/
Mic editors. “How Much Do Influencers Actually Make?” Mic, 13 Feb. 2019, https://www.mic.com/articles/192799/how-much-money-do-influencers-actually-make
Social media is a huge influence globally. The digital landscape has impacted us dramatically. The world all interacts and enjoys the platforms, Instagram and YouTube. Platforms like these continue to create cultural touch points and actively have billions of users involved. This significantly helps brands and advertisers reach target audiences in ways like never before. They are using social media influencers in significant ways. “320 new influencer marketing focused platforms and agencies entered the market over the last 12 months. Back in 2015, there were just 190 influencer platforms and agencies. This grew to 335 in 2016, 420 in 2017, and 740 in 2018 – more than twice the number that existed just two years previously” (Influencer MarketingHub). This shows how strongly the influencer marketing has adapted into our culture. It is almost its own industry; it is created so much power in connecting to what its advertising. Companies are spending a lot of time to find the fitting influencer to promote the products offered. It isn’t easy but they know finding the right person will create a huge impact to their targeted audience. Instagram uses influencers to reach engagement and connect to the audiences. “While factoring in the niche appropriate for your brand’s campaign is important, it’s worth knowing the top Instagram influencers across the board. These Instagram stars take the meaning of sensational to new heights, partnering with major brands to work on creative and impactful influencer marketing initiatives” (Mediakix). This quote shows the power these influencers receive. They are looked up to as a real celebrity. It can be a lot of responsibility for an influencer still in High School or college. But this shows how the brands are using people we can relatable to as much as possible. It is wise marketing strategies and really connects to a lot similar emotions. For example, “Formerly known online as GETTOxFABxFOREVER, Andrea Russett is a 23-year-old vlogger posting from Los Angeles. She started her vlogging career early at only 13 years old, but her fame didn’t take off until years later. Today, her YouTube channel has over 2.9 million subscribers and 240 million video views, while her Instagram account reaches more than 4 million followers.” Andrea Russett has to maintain this image for her fans. She connects to an audience on YouTube by just showing off her life and how she got there because she worked hard at it. Moreover, connecting to an audience on a similar level is a positive. But these influencers can create a lot of negative actions on these beloved platforms. Since they have a lot of trust they need to continue to develop that and not destroy it. These influences can easily slip and create a wrong reputation for the company and themselves. A lot of users look at these influencers as role models. “More than other social media platforms, Instagram dominates the influencer marketing game. And time spent on Instagram — and in particular, time spent viewing “idealized” beauty- or fitness-related images — is associated with lower levels of self-rated attractiveness and a greater risk for depression symptoms, anxiety, and body dissatisfaction, finds a 2018 study from Australia’s Federation University” (Heid). This quote is extremely powerful. It shows the impact on how these influencers can destroy emotions so quickly in our society. Many are not focusing on the real beauty of what they are promoting but just the beautiful image of the influencer. Its creating fake relationships and images that is so far from natural. Even though influencing markets are creating a new outlook on opportunities for young adults, it is not ideal for big companies because they want to portray a real image. They have a great reputation for their brand or company so they want the promoting to continue to reflect the same. It is sad how they are forgetting what the main goal is. Influencers are a huge part of social media platforms. They are continuing to create a lot of positive and negatives on Instagram and YouTube.
Heid, Markham. “The Case Against Following Social Media Influencers.” Medium, Elemental, 6 May 2019, elemental.medium.com/the-case-against-following-social-media-influencers-5aa745c6583f.
“The State of Influencer Marketing 2019 : Benchmark Report [ Infographic].” Influencer Marketing Hub, 19 Feb. 2020, influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-2019-benchmark-report/.
“Top Instagram Influencers: 30 Instagram Stars to Follow in 2020.” Mediakix, 31 Jan. 2020, mediakix.com/blog/top-instagram-influencers/.
As social media has become a very prominent part of everyday life, brands and advertisers have taken advantage of these platforms to sell and promote their products. Brands and companies hire social media influencers to promote and sell their products through Instagram posts, YouTube videos, ect. As stated in an article on CBS Moneywatch, a brief definition of an influencer is, “Influencers can be fitness gurus, gaming addicts, beauty bloggers, fashionistas, foodies, travel experts, etc. They offer an authentic presence on social media based on their copious numbers of followers and level of engagement”(Meltzer, 2018). These influencers are chosen carefully to make sure they match the aesthetic and are passionate about the product, while also maintaining a large following on all social media. When I scroll through my social media apps I find myself always faced with a post from an influencer promoting a product. These products range from health products, makeup, clothing or accessories. These messages are effective because these influencers spread awareness of the product differently than the typical advertisers. Influencers are like friends to their audiences. It is like they are giving their own personal opinion of the brand while also providing the proper information. This creates a more personal advertisement that resonates with the audience better. This strategy has become so popular within the social media community that even celebrities have hopped onto this trend. According to the article from Mic Editors, “Mega-stars like Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner pull in $800,000 and $1,000,000 per post, respectively (they both have more than 100 million followers), while those with the smallest following on the list (a mere one million) charge $1,300 to $3,000 per post”(Mic Editors, 2019). Its crazy to think that someone could make that much money just by posting a picture with a clever caption onto Instagram. This strategy has had such a huge impact on the brands and the influencers themselves. Not only does it expand the product awareness, but it also expands the influencer awareness even further. I only follow a handful of influencers on Instagram and it is because I am a fan of the clothing product they promote.
While influencers have a positive impact on brand endorsement, there are also some downfalls to this strategy. There have been many cases where influencer marketing has gone downhill for a variety of different reasons. There could be a lack of communication between the influencer and the sponsor, lack of education of the product, a sense of inauthenticity and restrictions on influencer creativity. All of these reasons are why influencer marketing can be tricky. But despite these issues, influencer marketing is still dominating the media. According to an article in The Guardian, “The influencer marketing industry is estimated to be worth $6.5bn this year…”(Stokel-Walker, 2019). Becoming an “influencer” is something that kids aspire to be. As children are constantly exposed to these influencer posts of their perfect lives on social media, it becomes a desired lifestyle. I’m curious to see how these influencers will evolve in the upcoming years and if it will still be prevalent in the future.
Maltzer, Lauren. (2018). Social Media ‘Influencers’ Add a New Twist to Advertising.” CBS Moneywatch. Retrieved from: https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-2019-benchmark-report/
Mic Editors. (2019). How much do influencers actually make? Mic. Retrieved from: https://www.mic.com/articles/192799/how-much-money-do-influencers-actually-make
Stokel-Walker, Chris. (2019). Instagram: Beware of bad influencers. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/03/instagram-beware-bad-influencers-product-twitter-snapchat-fyre-kendall-jenner-bella-hadid
Brands and advertisers for corporations have evolved strategically, and adapted with modern times. Many brands have now shifted away from televised marketing, and have focused a majority of their advertising budget on social media promotions. The key target demographic for most advertisers is 18-35 year olds, and implementing promotions on social media is now the number one way to reach this core demographic. Many companies will pay influencers with a big following on social media to take a picture promoting their product, and pay them based on how many views that particular influencer receives on the ad. For example, the Kardashians can be paid north of $100,000 just for posting a picture holding a certain product. Corporations are willing to spend this money because certain influencers garner millions of views to their channel every time they post. According to Mediakix, “Many top brands are running Instagram influencer marketing campaigns – 89% of marketers list Instagram as the most important influencer marketing channel.” Instagram has definitely become one of the most valued destinations for marketers to spend money from their company’s budget. Unlike televised advertisements which disappear after one viewing, Instagram posts can stay up on an influencer’s page for weeks. This allows for more viewership to the advertisement, and overall traction of the product. Social media influencers have added an entirely new twist with regards to online advertising. Suddenly a company’s product can be viewed as the next hip thing because Ariana Grande decided post a picture using it. Lauren Meltzer of CBS Money watch wrote, “Brands hire influencers and pay them to endorse their products or services within photos and videos, which essentially act as word-of-mouth opinions similar to what you might seek from a close friend. Many consumers value the opinions of influencers, which subsequently makes them more inclined to purchase the product that’s being advertised.” Not only are brands focused on using influencers for a positive word-of-mouth pertaining to the product and their audience, but they are also looking for critiques on the product from the influencer.
Alfred Lua of Buffer wrote, “Traditionally, brands look at the potential reach of an advertising channel to decide how much to pay for an advertisement. Hence, the number of followers of an influencer became a consideration when deciding how much to pay the influencer.” This makes a lot of sense because corporations are going to pay more money if their advertisement can reach a lot of people. An influencer with 100 million followers is going to get paid considerably more money for an advertisement than an influencer with only 100 thousand followers. All in all, social media marketing has taken over as one of the top marketing strategies used by companies across the globe. Corporations are able to reach their intended audience, and track the numbers in real time.
Lua, Alfred. “How Much Does Social Media Influencer Marketing Really Cost.” Resources, 4 Apr. 2018, buffer.com/resources/influencer-marketing-cost. Meltzer, Lauren. “Social Media ‘Influencers’ Add a New Twist to Advertising.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 8 Feb. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-influencers-brand-advertising/. “Top Instagram Influencers: 30 Instagram Stars to Follow in 2020.” Mediakix, 31 Jan. 2020, mediakix.com/blog/top-instagram-influencers/.
Brett DiSalvo
ReplyDeleteIn today’s time, brands and advertisers are utilizing social media influencers in order to target specific audiences. With the rapid growth and expansion of social media, has come a mass following of certain public figures. With this, comes the ability to exploit their following on platforms such as Instagram and YouTube. In many ways, this to me is a perfect way to advertise. It allows brands to reach the exact audience they intend to in a way like never before. I would say that the only negative that I can think of about brands and advertisers utilizing social media influencers is that it may result in lac of originality from influencers if it is overdone. To be honest, I don’t see that happening in too many cases unless their content starts to become saturated with ads.
According to data from Statista, ad spending in the social media advertising segment amounts to $38,393 million just in 2020. It is expected to show an annual growth rate of seven percent up until 2023. I personally think that this will only continue to sky rocket due to social media influencer presence we are seeing. Instagram, YouTube, social media influencers, as well as ads, they are here to stay. One of the main trends with social media advertising we are starting to see is that shopping and payment options are being integrated onto social media platforms. With this in mind, as well as the advancement of targeted ads via social media, I see nothing but huge potential for brands and advertisers to use social media influencers more and more.
Aaron Winston from Bazaarvoice Blog states that, “In the beginning, brands would look at a person with a large following and send them free stuff to promote. That’s changed, and it’s become a much more mature market — brands are more particular and savvy about choosing who to work with. Marketers now set goals and desired outcomes and pick the influencers most likely to deliver on those.” I thought this to be interesting because I think it points out the true potential of advertising this way. There are endless positives in doing this in my opinion. It is advertising in a way that has never been seen before, in an extremely cost effective way as well. I do think that social media as well as social media advertising will continue to change and evolve. With that, some negatives of brands and advertisers using social media influencers in order to target audiences may arise but I really do think that the positives will always far outweigh the negatives. It seems to me in all honesty that using these advertising tactics, the possibilities are endless, advertisers can reach the exact audience they want to.
Works Cited
“Social Media Advertising - United States: Statista Market Forecast.” Statista, www.statista.com/outlook/220/109/social-media-advertising/united-states.
Winston, Aaron. “Inside the Billion-Dollar World of Influencer Marketing: Q&A with @DanChiz.” Bazaarvoice, 4 Sept. 2019, www.bazaarvoice.com/blog/influencer-marketing-danchiz/?npclid=Cj0KCQiAkKnyBRDwARIsALtxe7iX_a2v2l9ONTXzG88NQ5gJOTtU7mrPJ-rcKKViCSZWItiNeE2G-LoaAppPEALw_wcB&aid=sc33520b2&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Nonbrand%7CRatings%2B%26%2BReviews_DSA_USA.
Nick Carrozza
ReplyDeleteProfessor Burns
MSS 495
2/18/20
Week 4 Blog
Question 3: Lifestyle and Niche Blog
In recent years, social media has definitely taken a turn into a new direction. Companies have quickly partnered up and realized how much advertising they could display on websites and apps which people use every day. YouTube is a prime example of a website which has been completely filled with advertisements. In almost every YouTube video there are several or more ads throughout the video. This depends of the content creator and how many ads he or she wants in their videos. Despite the hatred from the social media community, ads will never go away. The only way to fully get rid of ads is to buy the elite version of the app. This is an option which every social media platform has. Unfortunately for YouTube content creators, they rely on sponsors for a form of income. A prime example of this is one of the biggest YouTube stars out there, David Dobrik. David is huge on not only YouTube but all forms of social media. He has a massive following of mostly young people who love him and watch every video. David has almost become synonymous with advertising for the company called Seat Geek. In almost every video he produces, at some point there is about a 30 second period where David thanks Seat Geek for sponsoring the video and he describes what the company is. He also gives a promo code for people to use. This is such a smart advertising tactic because millions of people are being exposed to this sponsor. Some negatives of using Instagram, YouTube and other social media stars would include their lack of control, and unpredictable nature. An example of this is a star like Logan Paul. Logan is one of the biggest social media influencers out there. Logan is a spokesperson for many products and sponsors and he unfortunately was involved in a scandal a few years ago which still is brought up frequently. Paul’s reputation was damaged along with any sponsor relationship. No company wants to be associated with a person who is controversial. This is the risk you take when partnering with social media stars.
The rise of the Internet has quickly given rise to the Internet influencer, especially on Instagram and YouTube. This results in many promoted products on these platforms. Instagram has over 1 billion users and there are projected to be over 6.1 million sponsored posts posted on the platform by 2020 (MediaKix).
ReplyDeleteYouTube stars are more personable and relatable than celebrities who can seem out of touch with regular people. This in part because influencers may be more likely than celebrities to show the realities of their life, which includes the low parts of their lives as well as the good parts of their lives. There is an incredible amount of trust that influencers must build with their audiences through curating a “perception of authenticity” (Abad-Santos). People are more likely to listen to a product recommendation from a “friend” who they trust than from a celebrity who they do not relate to. However, even influencers can seem out of touch, especially once they become large and have amassed a sizable net worth. In general, people tend to trust smaller influencers for this reason.
However, influencers have to be careful about what they do online. Once they break the trust they have with their audience, they can struggle to recover. Mistakes can not only be costly for influencers’ image; it can also hurt them monetarily. Laura Lee, a YouTube beauty influencer who had about 5 million subscribers in August 2018, lost an estimated $65,000 because she lost 500,000 subscribers due to controversy surrounding racist tweets she posted years ago. Additionally, Morphe, Ulta, and Colourpop stopped selling her makeup on their sites (Abad-Santos). Brands have to be careful who they partner with because who they partner with reflects on their brand. They also must choose someone who reflects the brand’s values and would be likely to use their product.
While many people generally trust influencers more than traditional celebrities because they feel more like a friend, many influencers have been under fire for not disclosing sponsorships according to FTC guidelines. The FTC guidelines are “extensive and include a variety of requirements based on endorsement type. And if influencers don’t properly abide by the rules, it can cost them big-time in the form of fines… and lawsuits” (Mic editors). The guidelines say that people “will be able to see and understand the disclosure… place it so it’s hard to miss… [and] use simple and clear language” (Federal Trade Commission). Additionally, the FTC states directly that “if you’re paid to talk about a product and thought it was terrible, you can’t say it’s terrific” (Federal Trade Commission). Many influencers have been criticized for promoting discount codes they share with their viewers and not clearly disclosing that the they get commissions when someone uses the code at checkout. This is also true for sponsored links in the description of YouTube videos where influencers get commissions when a consumer buys a product through that link. This has all led to some consumers not trusting influencers, especially when they are sponsored.
DeleteRecently, some Instagram stars, such as James Charles, have been accused of heavily Photoshopping their photos and even using an app called Snow to do real-time Photoshop effects in videos. Snow allows users to edit the shape of the nose, the shape of the chin, the size of the eyes, and any other feature on the. James Charles posted a skincare routine video on Instagram and when he moves his hand in front of his face, you can see the app glitch and see his nose change shape. This isn’t fair, especially when an influencer heavily edits an image or video in which they are promoting a product; this leads to false impressions of what the product can do. For example, influencers can use filters in videos and smoothing tools with Photoshop and Facetune to smooth their skin to make it look flawless. Especially if the influencer is promoting a foundation or a skin care product, this can be incredibly misleading. Because influencers have a wide reach, they must be aware of the influence they have on others. If influencers use heavy photo editing, this can translate into regular people having a negative view of themselves because they do not look like the impossible beauty standard that influencers promote.
Works Cited:
Abad-Santos, Alex. “Laura Lee, Jeffree Star, and the racism scandal upending the YouTube beauty community, explained.” Vox, 31 Aug. 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/8/28/17769996/laura-lee-jeffree-star-racism-subscriber-count
Federal Trade Commission. “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers.” FTC.gov, Nov 2019, https://www.ftc.gov/tips-advice/business-center/guidance/disclosures-101-social-media-influencers
MediaKix. “30 Top Instagram Influencers Who Rise Above the Rest in 2020.” MediaKix, n.d., https://mediakix.com/blog/top-instagram-influencers/
Mic editors. “How Much Do Influencers Actually Make?” Mic, 13 Feb. 2019, https://www.mic.com/articles/192799/how-much-money-do-influencers-actually-make
Social media is a huge influence globally. The digital landscape has impacted us dramatically. The world all interacts and enjoys the platforms, Instagram and YouTube. Platforms like these continue to create cultural touch points and actively have billions of users involved. This significantly helps brands and advertisers reach target audiences in ways like never before. They are using social media influencers in significant ways. “320 new influencer marketing focused platforms and agencies entered the market over the last 12 months. Back in 2015, there were just 190 influencer platforms and agencies. This grew to 335 in 2016, 420 in 2017, and 740 in 2018 – more than twice the number that existed just two years previously” (Influencer MarketingHub). This shows how strongly the influencer marketing has adapted into our culture. It is almost its own industry; it is created so much power in connecting to what its advertising.
ReplyDeleteCompanies are spending a lot of time to find the fitting influencer to promote the products offered. It isn’t easy but they know finding the right person will create a huge impact to their targeted audience. Instagram uses influencers to reach engagement and connect to the audiences. “While factoring in the niche appropriate for your brand’s campaign is important, it’s worth knowing the top Instagram influencers across the board. These Instagram stars take the meaning of sensational to new heights, partnering with major brands to work on creative and impactful influencer marketing initiatives” (Mediakix). This quote shows the power these influencers receive. They are looked up to as a real celebrity. It can be a lot of responsibility for an influencer still in High School or college. But this shows how the brands are using people we can relatable to as much as possible.
It is wise marketing strategies and really connects to a lot similar emotions. For example, “Formerly known online as GETTOxFABxFOREVER, Andrea Russett is a 23-year-old vlogger posting from Los Angeles. She started her vlogging career early at only 13 years old, but her fame didn’t take off until years later. Today, her YouTube channel has over 2.9 million subscribers and 240 million video views, while her Instagram account reaches more than 4 million followers.” Andrea Russett has to maintain this image for her fans. She connects to an audience on YouTube by just showing off her life and how she got there because she worked hard at it. Moreover, connecting to an audience on a similar level is a positive. But these influencers can create a lot of negative actions on these beloved platforms. Since they have a lot of trust they need to continue to develop that and not destroy it. These influences can easily slip and create a wrong reputation for the company and themselves. A lot of users look at these influencers as role models. “More than other social media platforms, Instagram dominates the influencer marketing game. And time spent on Instagram — and in particular, time spent viewing “idealized” beauty- or fitness-related images — is associated with lower levels of self-rated attractiveness and a greater risk for depression symptoms, anxiety, and body dissatisfaction, finds a 2018 study from Australia’s Federation University” (Heid). This quote is extremely powerful. It shows the impact on how these influencers can destroy emotions so quickly in our society. Many are not focusing on the real beauty of what they are promoting but just the beautiful image of the influencer. Its creating fake relationships and images that is so far from natural. Even though influencing markets are creating a new outlook on opportunities for young adults, it is not ideal for big companies because they want to portray a real image. They have a great reputation for their brand or company so they want the promoting to continue to reflect the same. It is sad how they are forgetting what the main goal is.
Influencers are a huge part of social media platforms. They are continuing to create a lot of positive and negatives on Instagram and YouTube.
Heid, Markham. “The Case Against Following Social Media Influencers.” Medium, Elemental, 6 May 2019, elemental.medium.com/the-case-against-following-social-media-influencers-5aa745c6583f.
Delete“The State of Influencer Marketing 2019 : Benchmark Report [ Infographic].” Influencer Marketing Hub, 19 Feb. 2020, influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-2019-benchmark-report/.
“Top Instagram Influencers: 30 Instagram Stars to Follow in 2020.” Mediakix, 31 Jan. 2020, mediakix.com/blog/top-instagram-influencers/.
Sophia Toppo
ReplyDeleteBlog 4
As social media has become a very prominent part of everyday life, brands and advertisers have taken advantage of these platforms to sell and promote their products. Brands and companies hire social media influencers to promote and sell their products through Instagram posts, YouTube videos, ect. As stated in an article on CBS Moneywatch, a brief definition of an influencer is, “Influencers can be fitness gurus, gaming addicts, beauty bloggers, fashionistas, foodies, travel experts, etc. They offer an authentic presence on social media based on their copious numbers of followers and level of engagement”(Meltzer, 2018). These influencers are chosen carefully to make sure they match the aesthetic and are passionate about the product, while also maintaining a large following on all social media. When I scroll through my social media apps I find myself always faced with a post from an influencer promoting a product. These products range from health products, makeup, clothing or accessories. These messages are effective because these influencers spread awareness of the product differently than the typical advertisers. Influencers are like friends to their audiences. It is like they are giving their own personal opinion of the brand while also providing the proper information. This creates a more personal advertisement that resonates with the audience better. This strategy has become so popular within the social media community that even celebrities have hopped onto this trend. According to the article from Mic Editors, “Mega-stars like Selena Gomez and Kylie Jenner pull in $800,000 and $1,000,000 per post, respectively (they both have more than 100 million followers), while those with the smallest following on the list (a mere one million) charge $1,300 to $3,000 per post”(Mic Editors, 2019). Its crazy to think that someone could make that much money just by posting a picture with a clever caption onto Instagram. This strategy has had such a huge impact on the brands and the influencers themselves. Not only does it expand the product awareness, but it also expands the influencer awareness even further. I only follow a handful of influencers on Instagram and it is because I am a fan of the clothing product they promote.
While influencers have a positive impact on brand endorsement, there are also some downfalls to this strategy. There have been many cases where influencer marketing has gone downhill for a variety of different reasons. There could be a lack of communication between the influencer and the sponsor, lack of education of the product, a sense of inauthenticity and restrictions on influencer creativity. All of these reasons are why influencer marketing can be tricky. But despite these issues, influencer marketing is still dominating the media. According to an article in The Guardian, “The influencer marketing industry is estimated to be worth $6.5bn this year…”(Stokel-Walker, 2019). Becoming an “influencer” is something that kids aspire to be. As children are constantly exposed to these influencer posts of their perfect lives on social media, it becomes a desired lifestyle. I’m curious to see how these influencers will evolve in the upcoming years and if it will still be prevalent in the future.
DeleteMaltzer, Lauren. (2018). Social Media ‘Influencers’ Add a New Twist to Advertising.” CBS Moneywatch. Retrieved from: https://influencermarketinghub.com/influencer-marketing-2019-benchmark-report/
Mic Editors. (2019). How much do influencers actually make? Mic. Retrieved from: https://www.mic.com/articles/192799/how-much-money-do-influencers-actually-make
Stokel-Walker, Chris. (2019). Instagram: Beware of bad influencers. The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/feb/03/instagram-beware-bad-influencers-product-twitter-snapchat-fyre-kendall-jenner-bella-hadid
Brent Costantino
ReplyDeleteBrands and advertisers for corporations have evolved strategically, and adapted with modern times. Many brands have now shifted away from televised marketing, and have focused a majority of their advertising budget on social media promotions. The key target demographic for most advertisers is 18-35 year olds, and implementing promotions on social media is now the number one way to reach this core demographic. Many companies will pay influencers with a big following on social media to take a picture promoting their product, and pay them based on how many views that particular influencer receives on the ad. For example, the Kardashians can be paid north of $100,000 just for posting a picture holding a certain product. Corporations are willing to spend this money because certain influencers garner millions of views to their channel every time they post. According to Mediakix, “Many top brands are running Instagram influencer marketing campaigns – 89% of marketers list Instagram as the most important influencer marketing channel.” Instagram has definitely become one of the most valued destinations for marketers to spend money from their company’s budget. Unlike televised advertisements which disappear after one viewing, Instagram posts can stay up on an influencer’s page for weeks. This allows for more viewership to the advertisement, and overall traction of the product. Social media influencers have added an entirely new twist with regards to online advertising. Suddenly a company’s product can be viewed as the next hip thing because Ariana Grande decided post a picture using it. Lauren Meltzer of CBS Money watch wrote, “Brands hire influencers and pay them to endorse their products or services within photos and videos, which essentially act as word-of-mouth opinions similar to what you might seek from a close friend. Many consumers value the opinions of influencers, which subsequently makes them more inclined to purchase the product that’s being advertised.” Not only are brands focused on using influencers for a positive word-of-mouth pertaining to the product and their audience, but they are also looking for critiques on the product from the influencer.
Alfred Lua of Buffer wrote, “Traditionally, brands look at the potential reach of an advertising channel to decide how much to pay for an advertisement. Hence, the number of followers of an influencer became a consideration when deciding how much to pay the influencer.” This makes a lot of sense because corporations are going to pay more money if their advertisement can reach a lot of people. An influencer with 100 million followers is going to get paid considerably more money for an advertisement than an influencer with only 100 thousand followers. All in all, social media marketing has taken over as one of the top marketing strategies used by companies across the globe. Corporations are able to reach their intended audience, and track the numbers in real time.
Works Cited
DeleteLua, Alfred. “How Much Does Social Media Influencer Marketing Really Cost.” Resources, 4 Apr. 2018, buffer.com/resources/influencer-marketing-cost.
Meltzer, Lauren. “Social Media ‘Influencers’ Add a New Twist to Advertising.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 8 Feb. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-influencers-brand-advertising/.
“Top Instagram Influencers: 30 Instagram Stars to Follow in 2020.” Mediakix, 31 Jan. 2020, mediakix.com/blog/top-instagram-influencers/.