This article is part of the Business of Influence series, examining the inner workings of content creation and how the industry is set to change in the years to come.
Influencer marketing is changing — leaning toward snacky, messier, more niche formats and away from massive followings as the be-all and end-all. As social media trends move faster than ever, picking the right creator to partner with on a campaign has become a complex web of considerations for brands, with a cottage industry of agencies designed to help them do so, down to the micro and nano level, at scale.
Sometimes, no amount of marketing research can predict where the algorithm will go next. Chanty Beluga, the fictional character made up by online comedian Courtney O’Donnell, debuted on social media on July 28 in a skit titled “Actress named ‘Chanty Beluga’ doing a self-tape”. The bit went viral over a series of similarly formatted clips, and less than a month later, O’Donnell has landed a partnership with Verizon.
This hyperspeed pipeline of internet meme to influencer poses an issue for brands. In a post-follower era — Chanty Beluga has 112,400 on TikTok and 37,200 on Instagram — what most consistently works? How can a brand latch onto the kind of content that appears on For You Pages? And is virality even worth chasing? After all, overnight virality can’t be predicted. Like Chanty Beluga and 6-7, it’s nonsensical. But for more brands seeking enduring content partners, there’s still hope.
What’s working now
The micro-influencer pool is growing. In recent years, luxury players including Loewe and Marc Jacobs have leaned towards online oddballs — shoe contortionists, ASMR testers, culinary artists that design cakes in the image of iconic bag designs — as well as more intellectual creators. Across the industry, the micro-ification of pop culture has taken hold. Part of the reason is that consumers want to see new levels of authenticity among talent, on both sides of fame. Online newsletter and social media platform Perfectly Imperfect’s Instagram page – which curates a selection of personalities to spotlight – is a case in point. Chanty Beluga is on there, but so too is alt-pop musician True Blue, actress Elle Fanning, and LA fashion editor Karolyn Pho. The field has been flattened today, and creators can’t just be selected from a data dashboard with guaranteed success.
The cause? Consumer sentiment is evolving as audiences skew younger and more discerning. Based on research conducted by Vogue Business and Archrival late last year, 75% of Gen Zs agree that algorithms prioritize specific types of creators, 70% agree that “influencers are basic” with similar views, aesthetics, and communication methods, and 68% say that influencers are more boring than before. While usage is high, trust is so-so. “Social media is now the leading source of fashion inspiration, but there’s a clear trust gap: consumers who discover brands there still rank it among their least trusted sources, particularly compared with friends and family,” says Anita Balchandani, a senior partner at McKinsey.
While engagement and following are still important considerations for selecting talent, experts agree they’re no longer the most important metrics. “Brands should also consider the more emotive aspects behind influencer relationships, understanding what attracts consumers to them and what turns them off,” says Chris Beer, a senior data journalist at GWI.
Best practice should shift away from purely quantitative appraisals of success toward a closer look at engagement depth. With CreatorIQ estimating an average of $5.78 in revenue for every $1 spent on creator advertising, the return on investment is worthy but will require some risk, relying on nuance and intuition as much as numbers.