Blog#2

 Blog Post 2: Influencer Marketing 

Can You Really Trust Influencers?

The most influential tool in the contemporary marketing has turned out to be the influencers. Whether it is fitness supplements or skin care products, they influence consumer preferences in a manner that traditional advertising does not always do. Yet here is a great point to be considered--are they really to be trusted?

The influencer marketing is the continuation of the marketing mix promotion component, combined with the word-of-mouth marketing concept, where consumers depend on the recommendation of other people, instead of direct communication with the brand (Vidani and Das, 2021). It is also an indication of relationship marketing that is concerned with the development of trust and long-term relationships with audiences.

One of the most vivid real-life examples is the case of Gymshark which is a brand of fitness clothes and attained a specific growth speed after collaborating with fitness influencers on Instagram and YouTube (Pekkanen, 2022). Gymshark did not invest a big amount of money on the fitness industry conventional forms of advertisements but created a community of loyal fans with relatable content and trusted personalities. This shows that influencer marketing can be very successful in case trust is built.

Influencer marketing is more genuine than traditional advertising at first sight (Campbell and Farrell, 2020). It is more personal and relatable and therefore, more engaging and credible because the influencers present the products in a personal manner. But this authenticity is also its greatest weakness.

Most of the influencers are compensated to promote products and it may be difficult to distinguish between honest recommendation and advertisement. The famous example is the Fyre Festival scandal where the influencers advertised a luxurious event that proved to be ill-organised and deceptive (The Guardian, 2017). This significantly destroyed consumer confidence and exposed the risks of influencer marketing.

Also, the problems of fraudulent followers, hidden sponsorships and exaggerated statements are significant in terms of credibility. Thus, consumers are becoming more conscious and are doubting the authenticity of the influencer content.

In summation, influencer marketing works because it is based on trust. This trust is, however, fragile. When audiences begin to question authenticity the entire strategy becomes less efficient. The success of influencer marketing relies on transparency and honesty.


References

Campbell, C. and Farrell, J.R., 2020. More than meets the eye: The functional components underlying influencer marketing. Business horizons, 63(4), pp.469-479.

Pekkanen, E., 2022. Influencer Marketing and Its Impact on Consumer Behavior-Instagram Influencers in the Context of Fitness Industry.

The Guardian (2017) Fyre festival: social media influencers paid to promote luxury event. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2017/may/01/fyre-festival-social-media-influencers-paid-content

Vidani, J. and Das, S.G., 2021. A Review on Evolution of Social Media Influencer Marketing: Reflection on Consumer Behaviour and Consumer's Decision-Making Process. Turkish Online Journal of Qualitative I

nquiry, 12(9).

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