An Influencer, or a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media has become the potential replacements for celebrities and known to be more authentic and relatable than actual celebrities. They have the power to affect purchasing decisions of others, show knowledge, position or relationship with their specific audience. Influencers are the new leaders generating conservations online, drive engagement, and set trends amongst a receptive audience while positioning them to partner with brands.
For Generation Z, as children their celebrities were huge stars such as Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, etc. but now it has taken a turn with the evolution of the internet and social media. These modern influencers are social media stars with millions of followers and an audience built through direct communication.
Brands have started to notice the power of social media stars and their target marketers individually. These strategies breaks through the traditional norm of advertising and spread’s a brand’s message to their target audience in a more authentic, real, way. Influencers relate to their audience on a more personal level and nurture a constant relationship with followers.
For example, Instagram blogger, Mom and Influencer, @cellajaneblog, aka Becky Hillyard, does constant brand deals and sponsored post from major companies such as, Nordstrom, Vicidolls, HM, and Old Navy. However, they still continue to post their own content and enjoy what they put out there which keeps people still following.
In one post with a paid partnership with Old Navy, she writes on Instagram, “The kids are just like their mama and love a good comfy set! I love that the @oldnavy fleece collection allows us to be comfortable and laid-back yet fashionable, and coordinate as a family. #fullonfleece #minime #ad. The photo shows her and her two children in coordinating Old Navy comfy clothes going out for a sweet tweet, staying relatable to her target audience, which is mostly young mothers like her.
As stated in The New Public article titled, “Me, Inc.” , branding yourself is getting harder and harder with trying to stand out from the crowd of so many influencers out there on social media. Karen Leland, president of the Sterling Marketing Group, says that “authentic personal branding is about understanding the contribution you want to make and designing the way that youa re with other people” (Friedman). Here, cellajaneblog is standing out from the crowd with her quality posts, staying on top of the trends, showing her real life as a mother, her families process with building a new home, and try on hauls! Another thing that makes her stand out is how helpful she is with responding to Q&A’s and supplying links to every single outfit.
Actress and Celebrity, Busy Phillips shows her authentic self using social media and gains millions of viewers due to how real she is online. When Phillips attends award shows, she finds herself with concluding “that’s why people liked me…because they felt like they were there, that’s what they would be like if they were there (Meltzer)” due to her recording herself in bed, walking down the street, in her car, cooking mac and cheese from a box, just normal mother things.
Here, is an example of Busy Phillip’s Instagram stories and how real she is with her followers, unlike most celebrities.
Friedman, Ann. “Me, Inc.” The New Republic. The New Republic , September 29, 2015. https://newrepublic.com/article/122910/my-paradoxical-quest-build-personal-brand.
Meltzer, Marisa. “How Busy Philipps Became the Breakout Star of Instagram Stories.” The New Yorker. The New Yorker, September 28, 2017. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/how-busy-philipps-became-the-breakout-star-of-instagram-stories.
Social Media Maisy 