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I read the transcript of “The Influencers” segment from CBS’ 60 Minutes television program aired on Oct. 23, 2016. And, I noticed that the type of marketing used is becoming very popular today, which is largely due to the easy access to technology that facilitates creating and uploading videos for a low cost. To influence or persuade others is a powerful skill. Influencer Marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on using key leaders to drive your brand’s message to the larger market (“What is Influencer Marketing?,” 2015, p.1). In this type of marketing, instead of marketing directly to the consumers, companies hire someone that influences you to buy their products. Examples of people who are influencers are Paul Logan, King Bach, Amanda Cerny, and Kim Kardashian.
The strategies that they employ are diverse. First, it got my attention when one of the influencers, Logan Paul, said “I speak the language of millennials, and they respond to my content (Whitaker, 2016, p.1).” So, the idea couldn’t be clearer. Depending on who the audience you want to target, you need to speak to them in a way that they understand. And he knows how to do this well. As a young millennial, he says the words that are necessary to capture the attention of his audience. Another strategy used by influencers is to upload low-production-budget videos. I believe part of the success of those videos is the spontaneity of the people who make them, despite not being professionally edited. It captures more the attention of someone that sounds real about something said, than someone that obviously is reading a script for the record. The connection among the influencer and his audience is a sort of trust people feel in the influencer. And, to go out of the monotonous. To do something nobody else tried to say or do, is a good strategy. This can touch people’s feelings in seconds. For example, Andrew Bachelor, known as King Bach, argues that “he can make you laugh or cry in six seconds (Whitaker, 2016, p.1).” Other strategies they are using is to take advantage of the diverse social media to show their existences. For example, Amanda Cerny posted a Snapchat video and in just five minutes, she got 35,000 views (Whitaker, 2016, p.1). Or, to become “closer” to their audiences, the influencer starts telling them almost every single detail of his or her life like Kim Kardashian does.
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These influencers certainly play an important role in marketing. Like Paul Logan said, “the biggest companies in the world and brands have come to me to help sell their products to the younger generation (Whitaker, 2016, p.1).” Companies look and choose for the influencer that will be effective for the promotion of their products. And, obviously, an influencer knows that the things he or she says will influence people’s decision, so, he or she gets well paid in return. He or she knows that each video or post they make becomes viral. For example, King Bach wears a Jimmy Johns logo and earned more than $300,000 from the sandwich maker (Whitaker, 2016 p.1). But, to pay an influencer in a certain way costs less than to prepare a commercial on TV, hire many people and produce it for days or months until it is done. An influencer can just post something in one minute (video, comment or simple picture), and get more views. Thanks to technology, they can be recognized from one continent to another quickly. So, such popularity is well recognized in marketing and by companies. But, in the same way they can get good attention, they can become forgotten by their “fans” or audience if they do something wrong. So, they must always pay attention to their behavior. The audience that one day made you famous, can leave you if you do something that they don’t massively agree with or like.
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In my opinion, the use of marketing perspective impacts in a quick relationship between the company and the consumer. It means, the company sells products fast to consumers due to the influencer intervention more than traditional ways. At the end, and without noticing it, the consumer is doing what companies want: to buy their products. And, all of this is convenient for the influencer too who becomes more famous and is well paid. Secretly or not secretly, we all admire someone. In our hearts and minds, there is a model of a person that we would like to become. Is just something of teens or young people? I personally think that it is not. It doesn’t matter what age you are, teens are more likely to be influenced, but all people will find someone they would like to be or find brilliant to follow. For example, it could be an artist, a singer, even the best chef, the best entrepreneur or a certain politician. We are human and inside of us, we just search for others with similar interests and values, or “someone that succeeded” in what we didn’t yet. So, there’s the point. If someone that we admire did something, we think “it must be the correct way.” Or, if he or she purchased a certain brand, it is because it must be “the brand” we should buy. So, people who follow influencers think “I should buy the same.” Companies know this and companies take advantage of it when contacting these influencers to get the attention of consumers. But, in the same way that a company gets quick success in promoting and selling a product, it could get hurt when the influencer’s reputation goes down. If he or she is in big trouble, the image of the company also suffers for the misbehavior.
References
Cohen, Reuven (2012). Marketing Influence: The Power of Persuasion. Forbes.
Retrieved from:
What is Influencer Marketing? (2015). Retrieved from:
https://www.tapinfluence.com/blog-what-is-influencer-marketing/
Whitaker, Bill (2016). The Influencers. 60 Minutes. Script. Retrieved from:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-kim-kardashian-logan-paul-social-media-influencers/
EK Marketing Blog by Ericka Koehler 