Today, anyone can have an influence on social media thanks to its powerful algorithm, regardless of the number of followers. It leads brands to reevaluate their budget allocation.
Up until recently, it was quite simple for fashion brands to decide which influencers to collaborate with based on their followers, likes, views, and engagement. However, as the sector develops, a new definition of influence is emerging as the business loses faith in and respect for celebrity influencers.
The mechanism used by newer apps like TikTok has made instant virality possible. A single social media post by a user with no more than a few followers could result in a merchant seeing an increase in sales of a certain product rather than a celebrity's paid advertisement. Because of this, today anyone with a digital device can be influential. For brands, this entails navigating a new landscape of creators with new KPIs.
This trend has been influenced by the rising reaction against celebrity influencer marketing. Consumer skepticism has never been higher, and regulators are closely examining the business. Specifically, when it comes to health and beauty products, two-thirds of customers (67 percent in the US and 65 percent in the UK) rate their level of trust in celebrity influencers as "poor," according to customer review website Trustpilot.
Image Source: GCDS "Dinner Party" Campaign
The founder of the well-known streetwear brand GCDS, Giuliano Calza states;
The 'cute feed' age did not last, and today people are interested in the real material, real talent, real enthusiasm, real anything beyond the transient excitement.
He claims that little and distinctive is best. "Believe in local marketing, not mass-produced, ineffective advertising, where what matters is getting people's approval."
Since paid influencer advertisements are increasingly considered forced and unauthentic by consumers, many of the firms report that they are spending less money or none at all on them. Instead, they're collaborating with local communities or teaming up with business experts who are knowledgeable in a certain area to assist boost their brand.
The Rise of KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders)
Regulators have started tightening down on poorly labeled or other reckless influencer marketing in recent years, including unattributed "sponcon" (sponsored content) or the extensive use of filters. Brands are now relying more on key opinion leaders (KOLs), or influencers who can be considered "experts" in their sector. KOLs are well-liked in China and frequently work in fields other than social media, such as journalism, politics, business, or science, which lends them more legitimacy.
KOLs ensure that consumers have qualified expertise at their fingertips.
Contribution to Culture
According to Max Stein, founder and CEO of Brigade Talent, people with talent outside of the fashion industry are becoming more appealing to companies than people who identify themselves as influencers. Among others, the US-based creative management agency represents Aminatou Sow, the co-creator of the well-known podcast Call Your Girlfriend, Isabella Boylston, a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, Andy Baraghani, a former Bon Appétit editor turned author and chef, and others. It's crucial that they have both the authority and something to say, he adds.
Gigi Goode, a drag queen, and artist, singer Snoh Aalegra, photographer Lida Judickaite, ceramicist Apollinaria Broche, and Christopher Smith, a chameleon artist, and photographer, are just a few of the people Acne Studios says "are close to the Maison" and represent its cultural heritage when the brand talks with Vogue Business. "The talent's profile and content are more significant than their [follower/engagement] numbers. According to the business, influence must be shown in something concrete that doesn't use social media." Acne Studios state.
Image Source: Acne Studios
The swimwear company Hunza G follows suit. Stephanie Richardson, marketing manager at Hunza G, adds, "We like to collaborate with real people who stand for something or give back to the greater society." This comprises, among others, beauty industry entrepreneur Sharmadean Reid, writer Emma Dabiri, curator and historian Katy Hessel, and DJ and producer Louise Chen.
The Power of Everyday Customers
In order to increase exposure through word of mouth and user-generated content, brands are also leveraging the value of their key opinion consumers (KOCs), who are highly engaged, regular customers of the brand. Similar to KOLs, the idea was first applied by Chinese brands and merchants, but businesses in the US and UK are starting to embrace it as well.
Using this tactic, high-end fashion companies like Ganni, Rixo, and Sir have created hashtags, events, and projects just for devoted followers they believe best represent their brand. Additionally, luxury brands are starting to move away from a top-down strategy of peddling an idealized, wealthy, and for many, out-of-reach lifestyle and toward co-creating with communities they have naturally developed.
Womenswear brand Marfa Stance has a #MarfaMuse series that runs across all its channels, profiling “real and interesting” people from different fields and disciplines, such as beauty entrepreneur Linda Rodin, photographer Lily Bertrand-Webb and perfumer Maya Njie, wearing its product in their own way. “As an 80% DTC brand, our customers and ambassadors are integral to our brand’s philosophy, narrative, and success. It’s important to work with individuals I want to be inspired by, rather than following a traditional influencer model of meaninglessly gifting products,” says founder and CEO Georgia Dant.
Image Source: Marfa Stance
New KPIs
Working with non-traditional influencers presents difficulties because their influence cannot be quantified in the same way, according to experts. "For example, we frequently receive requests for screenshots of our customers' past three Instagram Story views from companies and agents interested in collaborating with them. That might not necessarily apply to our client, in my opinion," adds Stein of Brigade Talent. Despite having 100,000 followers, a talent's audience is incredibly useful to companies since it includes celebrities, creative directors, fashion editors, and other influential professionals, according to the expert.
Image Source: Hunza G
Brands have their work cut out for them when it comes to internally justifying marketing expenditures in a world where popularity is transient, creators come and go, and there is a new emphasis on the type of interaction rather than follower numbers. Vickie Segar, the founder of Village Marketing, the influencer business that WPP acquired in February 2022, says, "It was a whole lot easier when you could go buy some TV advertisements and reach millions of people." "You might easily and rapidly spend your money on well-known celebrities. As media becomes more accessible, [a company] is expected to select from millions of potential customers and determine whether they are a good fit. That's hard."
According to Vogue Business, when choosing which talent to collaborate with, the objective should be to generate intriguing and engaging content that appeals to the target group. Even though it's not the goal, creators without millions of followers can nevertheless become extremely popular if they have a particular viewpoint on a topic that connects with their audience. “The more authentic the content, the more chance it has of going viral.”
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