47% of consumers are tired of the repetitive and low-quality messages that influencers publish on social networks.
The rise of BIF (branded influence fatigue)
has contributed to the increasing number of brands opting for micro influencers
for their campaigns. On average, a person has a type of contact with about 3000
brands in a day, of which only one in four are relevant. In fact, according to
the Meaningful Brands 2019 study, carried out by Havas, it seems that 77% of
the brands could disappear and would not matter to anyone. In a market that is
too saturated with advertising, differentiation is not an easy task, but it is
not impossible.
In social networks, many brands have chosen to do so through "Brand Advocates", such as stars or influencers.
This method starts to get users tired and
almost half of them (47%) think that most of the content has very poor quality
and most messages are repetitive.
Who are the macro, micro and nano-influencers?
Nano-influencers are those with a number of
followers between 1,000 and 10,000. They have the highest engagement rate, and
their opinions are considered to be the most reliable. Unfortunately, their
reach is quite low. But the costs are reduced in the case of collaboration with
such influencers - and there is the possibility to work in the barter system.
The micro-influencers are those who have
between 10,000 - 100,000 followers. They are influencers with a big or very
high reach, which can bring a very good exposure and visibility - and they also
have a high interaction rate.
Macro-influencers are those with more than
100,000 followers. It's usually about stars, celebrities and famous people.
They can guarantee the highest exposure, but the major disadvantage is that
only a small part of those followers interacts with that account, and the level
of trust in recommendations is much lower. In addition, the costs are extremely
high, and may not pay (only if we talk about a very big brand - Nike,
Coca-Cola, etc.).
BIF growth and influence
Due to the fact that BIF (branded influence
fatigue) has increased, some brands have opted for niche influencers.
A study coordinated by Bazaar Voice reached a
sample of about 4,500 people across Europe, indicating that 47% of consumers
are tired of repetitive, low quality messages to care for the public's
influence on social media. "Each time there are more users who can follow
us stars or people who influence the online environment, because they are known
to cope with advertising for certain products and prefer to be closer to
someone closer to reality and care. it can represent better”, declared Josep
Mari Catala, PhD in Communication Sciences.
A percentage of 4% of consumers say that influencers distort real life, and 55% believe that most of the content they make is too materialistic. Certain influencers have turned into real celebrities, most promote brands that do not correspond to their lifestyle, values and beliefs, and when this happens, the public disconnects and loses interest. At the same time, according to some experts, more and more influencers appear every day, which generates an endless flow of promotional content, and the consumer becomes less and less receptive and inclusive, he can become less active in social networks.
Are we close to the end of an empire?
When the level of credibility and transparency
are questioned, skepticism appears in the public. According to the Bazaar Voice
study, 4 out of 5 respondents are more likely to rely on a review of an
anonymous client than on the opinion of an influencer. The consumer wants
authenticity and trust, and trust comes from real people, not characters.
The smaller the community of followers, the
more participatory it is and the more credibility an influencer has. However,
as the number of followers increases, so does the power of influence and
loyalty of the followers.
In conclusion, there seems to be no need for
an influencer to have more than one million followers to help a brand position
itself better than the rest of its competitors - it is more important that the
people chosen to represent a certain brand, have an image as close as possible
to that of the final buyer, to be human and real.
The article was written by Teo Nica, member of
IAA Young Professionals Romania.