Influencers have seen quite a resounding arc these past few years, going from barely being taken seriously to becoming the hottest marketing resource for all brands and eventually turning into a representation of all that was wrong with the internet in the 2010s. Emplifi recently conducted a survey of 2,500 consumers based in the UK, and it is interesting to see how their findings reflect the fall from grace that the influencer profession has experienced in recent years.
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 57% of respondents said that they did not trust anything that major influencers said. One might assume that that has something to do with the rise of micro influencers, but in spite of the fact that this is the case 51% of British consumers stated that they didn’t trust them either. This runs contrary to the assumption that micro influencers, who are ostensibly more genuine and relatable, will be the new wave of influencers for the 20s.
Brands are investing twice as much money as they used to into influencers based on that assumption, and they are getting 15% lower click through rates. That suggests that while the era of the influencer might not be entirely over, it’s safe to assume that it is moving towards the end of its natural life cycle unless something drastic changes in the industry.
Around 40% of British consumers even said that they might stop buying from a brand that uses an influencer to promote itself. That reveals the depths to which influencer revulsion has reached, since most users are definitely tired of being marketed to all the time. Influencers might have even led to this saturation because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making advertising much more widespread than it already was. By turning every other Twitter account into a marketing hub instead of being a source for genuine content, the influencer industry might have contributed to its own demise.
H/T: WNIP.
Read next: New Findings Reveal Trust Issues and High Pressure Among Journalists
With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 57% of respondents said that they did not trust anything that major influencers said. One might assume that that has something to do with the rise of micro influencers, but in spite of the fact that this is the case 51% of British consumers stated that they didn’t trust them either. This runs contrary to the assumption that micro influencers, who are ostensibly more genuine and relatable, will be the new wave of influencers for the 20s.
Brands are investing twice as much money as they used to into influencers based on that assumption, and they are getting 15% lower click through rates. That suggests that while the era of the influencer might not be entirely over, it’s safe to assume that it is moving towards the end of its natural life cycle unless something drastic changes in the industry.
Around 40% of British consumers even said that they might stop buying from a brand that uses an influencer to promote itself. That reveals the depths to which influencer revulsion has reached, since most users are definitely tired of being marketed to all the time. Influencers might have even led to this saturation because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making advertising much more widespread than it already was. By turning every other Twitter account into a marketing hub instead of being a source for genuine content, the influencer industry might have contributed to its own demise.
H/T: WNIP.
Read next: New Findings Reveal Trust Issues and High Pressure Among Journalists
