Influencers: the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning?

Over the past decade, we have witnessed a veritable revolution with the emergence of the influencer phenomenon. Although brands initially struggled to view them as genuine communication levers, influencers quickly imposed themselves.

But after having been the darlings of communication and marketing, their star is slowly beginning to fade: influencers themselves are denouncing rampant product placement, and anonymous accounts have been created to expose those who have bought their followers or resell cheap products ordered on Aliexpress at high prices. Brands such as Unilever have also expressed their views, pointing to the lack of transparency, the uniformity of content and the race for likes.

As far as consumers are concerned, weariness is setting in. Just as they expect from a brand, consumers want authenticity, transparency and meaning. And clearly, consumers are tired of seeing the same content replicated by all influencers, rampant product placements and social networks transformed into gigantic, global billboards.

According to a BazaarVoice study conducted in France in June 2018, influencer content is perceived as repetitive (43%) or lacking in quality (27%). Relationships with brands are also mentioned as being overly prominent (for 22% of respondents) or even concealed (for 12% of respondents).

It is in this context that only 53% of respondents consider themselves satisfied with having followed an influencer’s advice for a purchase, while 69% admit to trusting content (customer reviews, ratings, etc.) generated by another consumer more. And 48% of respondents are in favour of stricter rules to regulate influencer activity.

In short, while the disenchantment has not been officially confirmed, there appears to be an urgent need to rethink the brand/influencer/consumer relationship. The current trend seems to be a return to (authentic) content and a focus on natural brand-influencer affinity. In other words, fewer likes but more meaning.