How Influencers Have Changed the Advertising Industry
Image Courtesy: Daily Mail
We used to watch advertisements on TV, see them on the side of buses or billboards, or listen to them on the radio. Advertisements had to be catered to a large demographic rather than being explicitly catered to one viewer. Now, ads are specifically provided to each person with the intent of making them buy something. Influencers play a particularly substantial role in this phenomenon. With the rise of social media and influencer advertising, we are closer than ever before to the things we want or think we need, to buy.
Image Courtesy: Later Blog
Scrolling through TikTok, there is often a plethora of advertisements in between funny videos, creating a distinct lack of separation between watching videos for enjoyment and watching them as a consumer. You could be taking notes on a video about how to do a specific nail design, only to swipe again and be confronted with an ad about an upcoming film. Even though these ads are seemingly harmless, they have found a way to permeate themselves into everyday life.
Beyond just the sheer amount of ads, the parasocial relationship we often develop between ourselves and our favorite influencers can make advertising even easier for prominent companies. Consumers watch ads and don’t even feel like they are. Instead, we feel that the recommendations given to us by influencers are similar to a friend raving about something they just found on Amazon rather than a business selling us a product. Influencers get their name from influencing current trends, and the people on your For You Page, Instagram explore page, or any other form of social media are specifically catered to you based on your interests and demographic information. I recently bought a perfume from Glossier because I saw a video of a girl raving about it on her TikTok, only to find out after the purchase that it was an ad. Don’t get me wrong, I often use and enjoy the things I buy because of social media, but the way that ads are presented by influencers can be misleading.
Image Courtesy: Amazon
Influencers also become a part of campaigns outside of social media, which represents their power even off the screen. Addison Rae did a brand deal with American Eagle in 2020, Kennedy Eurich created a line with Steve Madden earlier this year, and Emma Chamberlain often sports Louis Vuitton looks in her videos. Most have Amazon Storefronts that they make commissions from. Influencers are slowly trickling into mainstream media, becoming our generation’s celebrity BFFs. In the past, celebrities would do commercials with brands (think Jennifer Aniston as the face of Aveeno), but their ads were clearly advertisements aimed at getting people to buy a certain product. With influencer advertising, this line becomes blurred.
Social media is a powerful tool for consumers, but it is also necessary to be cognizant of how it is a powerful tool for businesses, as well. We can buy things quickly and easily in the digital age, but this is not always a necessity. It is important to be aware of the industry of advertising in the age of influencers.
Strike Out,
Writer: Lydia Coddington
Editor: Addy Crosby
Graphic Designer:
Tallahassee