Self-Isolation and the Second Rise of Influencers
Quarantining has deeply affected the way we consume media, lifting video platforms like Youtube to unprecedented heights. What can marketers do to adapt?
The Opportunity
In times of crisis, people’s needs change. This pandemic is no exception. While some rushed to stock up on non-perishables, what eventually became clear that was the universal need of a population stuck at home for an indefinite period was entertainment.
Fortunately, most media nowadays benefits from what economists call zero marginal costs. This is why we are a lot less likely to witness supermarket brawls over the last copy of the new season of La Casa de Papel, than over the last roll of toilet paper. Still, as long as we’re not ready to start rewatching our favorite shows on the loop, there will always be a scarcity of new entertainment.
This scarcity has had us searching for sources of distraction we may have previously overlooked. The Global Web Index published a study on changes in media consumption through different age groups during the COVID-19 epidemic. The results found that 44 % of Millennials, as well as over half of participant Gen Z’ers, have either started consuming or significantly increased consumption of online videos — think YouTube and TikTok, mostly.
This major behavioral change, even if temporary, and hopefully, short-lived, has created opportunities.
Influencer Marketing — What You Need to Know
The notion of influencer marketing exploded in popularity around five years ago. While it was initially touted as a foolproof strategy, marketers have come to see it as another tool in their arsenal. Like any other tool, it comes with limitations.
Since it is intrinsically tied to the individual and their personal characteristics, if not carefully planned, an influencer campaign could stand to be harmful to both the company’s and the creator’s brand. This begs the question: How can I take advantage of influencer marketing during these strange times?
How You Should Be Using Influencers to Advertise to Me
A common form of advertising in YouTube videos is similar to old-school television advertising. It is not uncommon for a video to start, end, or be interrupted by the creator telling the audience about a “cool” product they should check. The main goal here is to generate brand awareness. However, since YouTube allows users to skip the video, effectiveness relies on the creator’s ability to keep the viewer entertained enough not to fast-forward.
This is where a brand can really benefit by reducing restrictions on creativity. The influencer method is different from other forms of marketing, given that it requires companies to be willing to give up a degree of control in order to be effective. It is necessary to allow the creator to speak in their own voice when advertising to the audience. If the ad feels as inspiring and entertaining as the rest of the content, there is no incentive to skip ahead, therefore increasing the value of the campaign.
An even more powerful component of influencer marketing than entertainment is trust. Recent research states that the best predictors for a positive effect on purchase intentions are trustworthiness and similarity (to the audience). A study conducted by Nova Marketing Club adds weight to this claim, suggesting that parasocial relationships are the driver behind online personalities marketing influence on their audience. The power of this dynamic can be witnessed in the popularity of life-style influencers, whose appeal lies in their personality.
Still, recent episodes are showing that an audience’s opinion toward a public figure may drastically drop if they attempt to provide support and guidance, without garnering the necessary empathy. The backlash directed towards some celebrities may be the push many advertising firms needed to realize that influencer marketing is not just about how many followers or interactions an individual has, but, in a much more impactful sense, about the relationship, the influencer has with their audience.
Plenty of critics have been quick to dismiss the relatively young marketing tool as overhyped and under-delivering. Still, research shows the incredible potential of influencer marketing. I believe the weird, unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in could be the key to unlocking it.
This article is an adapted and shorter version of the original, which is available at Nova Marketing Club’s website.
Matias Agostinho is currently enrolled in the last semester of his Bachelor’s degree at Nova SBE, where he will continue his academic journey with a Master’s degree in Management. He is part of several projects taking place at the school and has recently joined Nova Marketing Club as a Consultant.
