By: Amber Justice

There is no doubt in anyone’s mind, that social media is an integral part of the young societies everyday life. Minute by minute we digest what is going on in the world around us all from the convenience of our phones. We can connect with anyone worldwide in an instant, and we know what is happening with our favorite celebrities and brands.

It then comes to no surprise that brands have taken advantage of this opportunity to use Influencers to market their products. How often have you watched your favorite youtuber and noticed that they were wearing a brand shirt, or they preferred a certain hat, or drink? Brandon Farris, a youtuber that I watch consistently can usually be found either in a Starbucks or consuming his famous Starbucks ‘Pink Drink”. Does this then influence me to buy that product? It doesn’t have to be blantaly obvious that its advertising for an individual to want to go buy it. People tend to want to mimic those we hold in high esteem, just looking at someone you spend hours consuming videos of could be enough for a consumer to want to purchase items that remind them of their celebrity.

After Watching the 60 minute video about Influencers (link below), I can say that this type of Marketing is both subtle and effective. Brands are employing Influencers who have a far better reach than any other means they could employ. One woman even commented that in 5 minutes of posting a video she had already had thousands of views. There is no price to this type of marketing either, as no one knows what the actual worth is, so brands could be getting off very cheaply, which is much more cost effective for them. Why pay for a SuperBowl Ad, when you get far better results with an Influencer? The data for this type of marketing is also far better. Being able to see in real time, the types of Consumers that are interested and willing to buy the product, that’s even better for brands as they can then use the data to further appeal to the consumers.

Brands are paying consumers to feature them in their videos, but leaving much of the creativity to the Influencer themselves. They are getting cheap and specialized advertising, that is more memorable to the viewers. They are creating lasting memories and dialogs, while getting the viewer content they strive for.

Influencers are playing the role of the advertisements in this scenario. They are the becoming the brand’s image, and they are the ones that are becoming the social media campaign, all wrapped in one. Influencers are free to be themselves, and be the creative mind behind the advertisement, while Brands reap the reward. It’s a win-win scenario.

Marketing perspective is all about listening and reacting. Companies are listening when they realize that influencers could be the bigger push for their products than traditional ads ever could be. They know the younger generation is likely to listen to someone who is on their level. This is good for the Consumer, who wants to work with brands that are willing to listen, change, and grow with them. Companies are listening more than ever on what their consumers want, and are willing to take more action, and dive deeper into what makes a satisfied customer, so they can keep serving them, and keep growing.

Whitaker, B. (2016, December 12). The Influencers [Video]. CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-kim-kardashian-logan-paul-social-media-influencers/