The influencer marketing strategy, which according to Forbes History Of Influencer Marketing Predates Social Media By Centuries – But Is There Enough Transparency In The 21st Century? (forbes.com), has existed since the 1930’s but can be traced down to ancient Rome “when gladiators actually endorsed products.” However, the influencer phenomenon was officially conceptualized approximately 10 years ago and has evolved greatly ever since. While many of the social media celebrities started off as activists for social change like Zulaikha Patel, they are now influential bodies that companies use to promote their brands while simultaneously promoting influencer’s online reputation. In relation to influencers beginning off as activists, Kahi Lumumba, founder and CEO of Totem Experience, a digital marketing agency in Abidjan explains, Influencers born on Twitter in the 2010’s began first by demanding an internet for all and denouncing the digital divide.” Africa’s youth: Influencers make a big impact (unesco.org).
For example, digital divide activists like Edith Brou for Ivory Coast started off advocating as an activist for the eradication of the digital divide.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary INFLUENCER | meaning, definition in Cambridge English Dictionary, an influencer is a person who has the power to change or affect the way people think. In relation to social media, an influencer is someone who has built a strong online reputation or online presence by posting or advertising specific products on social media, backed up by an online (Instagram) aesthetic which glamorises the product or service in subject.
The culture of using digital platforms to advocate for social change has not stopped, in fact it continues as it is promoted by various companies as they not only use activists to promote social peace, but businesses also use activists as influencers, to promote and market their brand products.
Competition in the business industry is one of the most incentive rivalries that challenge the industry as it enforces a sense of creativity and innovativeness. As the business industry grows, so does competition for brand or product favour as businesses are challenged to find ways to ensure that customer loyalty and trust are sustained – that is where the influencer marketing strategy originated.
Influencer marketing is not a new concept as businesses who have had the financial strength to engage in this form of advertising and marketing, have used celebrities to advertise their products or services. However, research has shown that many company clients have strayed away from traditional forms of advertising since the development of modern technology where social media platforms have served as more powerful grandstand to engage with the public, hence the demand to utilize social media influencers has grown Importance of Influencer Marketing – Mageplaza.
It has been a challenge for brands to get enough attention on the internet as every business, whether big or small has invaded the online world by establishing an insurmountable amount of noise. As a result, market consumers have grown to become quite skeptical about brands that rely on self-promotion. With an increasing demand for attention and favour on various product options, customers tend to not know who to trust and in relation, customers tend to trust by word of mouth on social media.
Influencers play a major role in the growth of a business as they have the power to grow the businesses’ consumer share within the market. Influencers, thanks to their follower share, have the ability to reach a high audience number therefore, they are able to extend brand exposure and raise brand awareness. The more popular the influencer is, the better the benefits for the business that is being promoted because the opinions of popular influencers are perceived to be more authentic.
The consumer trust of a business lies in the works of influencers therefore, when the influencer’s followers trust them, they will trust the business and its products. Partnering with an influencer, therefore, has the ability to gain the company loyalty from the consumers.
One can argue that the high level of trust and appeal that is put upon an influencer can be problematic and detrimental for the business, should things turn sour between the parties involved. Considering that when a business partners up with a business, they are risking their profit and consumer share because the business is placing the trust and loyalty of their business products or services in the hands of an external source, who can change the narrative from positive to negative really fast.
For example, towards the end of 2016 as influencer marketing became more popular, there was a trend among influencers where they started demanding large sums of money from businesses and threats were made https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/424/171624.html. Furthermore, things can really fall apart for the business if the influencer does not play their part right for example, “2017 and some of 2016 was the year of faux pas. The biggest international influencer marketing mess up was the failed Fyre Festival, a musical festival in the Bahamas that paid the likes of Kendell Jenner and Bella Hadid to drum up excitement and share social posts of a glamourous musical island adventure. When the target audience arrived, they were met with something similar to Survivor and immediately hit back at the social stars for their endorsements and misleading them,” according the Bizcommunity #BizTrends2018: Death to the influencer – a shift in word-of-mouth marketing (bizcommunity.com).
On the other hand, the influencer marketing strategy is not only beneficial for businesses who choose to engage with it, but this can also be perceived as a personal business approach for the individual. For example, South Africa’s Kefilwe Mabote who has over 1 million followers on Instagram has established a solid reputation in the fashion industry and luxury market. As an outstanding businesswoman, she has forged partnerships with prestige international fashion brands. What started off as marketing for a business and its brand became a game changer for her as outlined in her book titled, kefilwe Mabote: Influencer De Luxe: From Soweto to Milan.