Who are Influencers?
While influencers seem like a modern concept, they have actually been around throughout history. There are many different types of influencers, including celebrity influencers and non-famous influencers. Influencers have an impact on how everyday people think, shop, and interact with the world. So who are influencers?
Celebrity has historically influenced society’s consumption, a notable western example being the fame received by the milliner who dressed Marie Antoinette, Rose Bertin. After styling the queen, Bertin became known as “the Minister of Fashion” and her clients included French aristocrats and domestic and foreign royalty (Fraser, 2002, p. 149). The first true celebrity, Lord Byron, inspired the Byronic look “of one devoured by passion and remorse” (Tuite, 2015, p. 41). This look entailed loose-fitting shirts and a wan expression (Tuite, 2015, p. 41). Over time, the methods by which celebrity is birthed has expanded to include electronic and digital mediums such as radio, shows, and social media accessed on radio, television, computer, and mobile platforms.
Regardless, modern society has created a distinction between “celebrity” and “influencer.” Celebrities are allegedly created by their talents, such as celebrities of the arts or sciences (actors, speakers, etc.) while influencers allegedly differ because their celebrity arose from intentional marketing efforts. This distinction has persisted, regardless of other marketing-created celebrities slipping into main-stream celebrity culture. Recent examples include: The Monkees, a rock band created by “television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider specifically for the situation comedy series” (The Monkees, 2021), yet who toured as a conventional rock band until 1971 (The Monkees, 2021); The Spice Girls, created by Bob and Chris Herbert of Heart Management in the mid-90s to rival the popularity of boy bands (Spice Girls, 2021); and contemporary celebrities who were discovered on YouTube, such as the musicians Justin Bieber and Soulja Boy and the model Kate Upton (Johnston, 2014).
Celebrity Influencers
Many brands use celebrity influencers, such as the brand Beats partnering with LeBron James, Lady Gaga, and Lil Wayne (Mothersbaugh, et al., 2016, p. 218). Additionally, many celebrities leverage their celebrity influence to promote their own personal brands, such as Cameron Diaz’s wine brand Avaline, Reese Witherspoon’s clothing line Draper James, Jessica Alba’s care company Honest Company, and Gwyneth Paltrow’s wellness brand Goop. A celebrity that falls into both categories is Lamar Jackson, quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens. Lamar Jackson’s Instagram handle is @new_era8, which incorporates the name of his clothing line, Era 8 Apparel. Jackson exercises influence at press conferences, in street wear, and at events where he prominently displays brands on his apparel, either his own clothing line or sponsored products. On Instagram, he includes a post promoting his Spotify playlist and his character on Madden 21 is one of the game’s “most fun players” (NBC Sports Washington, 2020), despite the 94-character rating. These types of partnerships influence consumers to purchase products worn by Jackson, engage with Spotify, and purchase and play Madden 21. “Ad Age reports that celebrity endorsements have been shown to improve sales by as much as 20 percent” (Mothersbaugh, et al., 2016, p. 258).
Influencers Within Friends and Family
Consumers that adopt new technologies due to social pressure and lack of availability of old technologies are late majority consumers (Mothersbaugh, et al., 2016, p. 245). Within family units, younger generations may pressure older generations to invest in new technologies. For example, older generations may express in new technology and the convenience of new technology, but they do not adopt the new technology until they are unable to continue using the old technology. Additionally, they do not replace their current technology if it is still operational. Smartphones are a rapidly evolving technology that phases out older technology and late majority consumers are discovering older smartphones are no longer supported the technology. To resolve unsupported technology, older adults may upgrade their phones at the recommendation of younger family members and then influence their peers to upgrade their phones once these late majority consumers have experienced the ease of upgraded smartphones.
JoJo Siwa, Child Celebrity Influencer
Celebrity is not reserved for adults. An example of a celebrity influencer who is a child is JoJo Siwa, age 17. JoJo Siwa began her career on the reality television series, Dance Moms, at age 10. Following the show, JoJo Siwa started at popular YouTube channel at age 12 and moved into an acting career. She has been experienced immense fame on Nickelodeon, where she has a wide product line of branded merchandise and regularly tours. JoJo Siwa has a trademark look that is easily recognizable when emulated by her fans. Within the past several weeks, JoJo Siwa announced she was gay over the social media platform TikTok. This was applauded by her fans as well as other celebrity influencers and members of the LBGTQ community (NBC News, 2021).
B., A Non-Human Influencer
An extremely entertaining non-human influencer is the Bee_Nfluencer account on Instagram. B., as the account is labeled, is verified with a coveted blue-check and states in their bio, “I’m the 1st bee influencer!” (B., n.d., Posts). B.’s mission is to save the bees. This is done through educational and entertaining Instagram posts, but all through partnerships, such as the September 22, 2020, post in partnership with Team Vitality (B., Photograph). The posts are amusing, shareable, and relatable. This creates engagement and awareness for B.’s mission. Consumers can click the link in their bio to The Bee Fund where they can donate to the foundation behind B., learn more about the foundation, or subscribe to communications.
Myisha T. Hill, Influencing Self-Concept
A great example of an influencer altering self-concept is Myisha T. Hill’s accounts on social media platforms – on Instagram and Twitter under the handles @ckyourprivilege. Hill’s main purpose is not to influence consumer purchasing decisions, but to influence how society thinks and interacts. Hill’s Twitter bio reads, “Guiding folx on their journey to dismantle their relationship with the systems of domination” (Hill, n.d., Twitter). Her intention is to guide individuals on their antiracism journeys (Hill, n.d. About). On February 28, Hill posted on Instagram an image with text educating followers that our culture is “socialized in whiteness” (Hill, 2021, Instagram) and to think differently, one must “liberate” themselves from whiteness (Hill, 2021, Instagram). Through her content, Hill influences her followers to think differently about the ways they interact in the world and their self-concept.
The Zero Waste Guide, Influencing the Extended Self
The Instagram account The Zero Waste Guide, handle @thezerowasteguide, posts extensively on the extended self. While many brands exploit the extended self, The Zero Waste Guide posts about how to improve one’s extended self with “sustainable zero waste tips” (The Zero Waste Guide, 2021) in order to influence consumers in making environmentally friendly consumption decisions. An example of this is their February 2021 post in which they post a series of images with side-by-side comparisons of decisions made by “Old Me” and “New Me” (The Zero Waste Guide, 2021). The third image in this carousel of posts shows that “Old Me” threw away lemons when they went bad, while “New Me” juices then freezes lemon juice “to have lemon juice all year round” (The Zero Waste Guide, 2021). Posts like this make consumers feel they can make responsible choices with their personal consumption.
Relational Marketing
Relational marketing strives to retain existing customers by building relationships with them. This method is more cost-effective to organizations, as customers become more profitable with time (MacDonald, 2021). Consumers are currently demanding relational marketing from brands, as strongly demonstrated in practice over the past year during the pandemic, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the rise in visible white supremacy. Marketing professionals have had to bring sensitive, relevant, and thoughtful language and visuals to consumers while still representing their brand’s voice, offerings, and purpose. Well-chosen influencers, celebrities, and brand ambassadors provide a human face to brands, a person for consumers to connect with and recognize a brand’s values. Brands that are successful in relational marketing, selecting influencers, and crafting intentional campaigns will retain a loyal following and benefit from consumer engagement and positive feedback loops.
References
B. [@bee_nfluencer]. (n.d.) Posts. [Instagram Profile]. https://www.instagram.com/bee_nfluencer/
B. [@bee_nfluencer]. (2021, September 22). Guys! I am super excited about my new partnership with @teamvitality, the awarded international e-sport team 🎮. Instagram. [Photograph]. https://www.instagram.com/p/CFcfqa8qi9F/
Fraser, A. (2002). Marie Antoinette: The journey. First Anchor Books.
Hill, M.T. (n.d.) About. Check Your Privilege. https://courses.checkyourprivilege.co/3581227e-7448-4527-809a-804ec85d070b
Hill, M. T. [@ckyourprivilege]. (n.d.). Profile. [Twitter]. https://twitter.com/ckyourprivilege?lang=en
Hill, M. T. [@ckyourprivilege]. (2021, February 28). Repost from @coconspiredconversations. Don’t miss this important message from host Myisha T. @myishathill. [Post]. https://www.instagram.com/p/CL2T3vQptuV/
Johnston, M. (2014, May 6). 25 celebrities who got rich & famous on YouTube. MonetizePros. https://monetizepros.com/features/25-celebrities-who-got-rich-famous-on-youtube/
MacDonald, S. (2021, February 8). Relationship marketing: 3 ways to create lifelong customers. https://www.superoffice.com/blog/relationship-marketing/
Mothersbaugh, D. L., Hawking, D. I., Mothersbaugh, L. L., & Tom, G. (2016). Consumer behavior: Building marketing strategy (13th ed.). McGraw Hill Education.
NBC News. (2021, January 22). JoJo Siwa comes out as gay after viral ‘Born This Way’ TikTok. https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/jojo-siwa-comes-out-gay-after-viral-born-way-tiktok-n1255406
NBC Sports Washington. (2020, July 13). Lamar Jackson reacts to Madden 21 rating: ‘I wish it was better.’ RSN. https://www.nbcsports.com/washington/ravens/lamar-jackson-reacts-madden-21-rating-i-wish-it-was-better
Spice Girls. (2021). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Spice_Girls&oldid=1009668104
The Monkees. (2021). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Monkees&oldid=1007576013
The Zero Waste Guide. [@thezerowasteguide]. (2021, February 26). Follow @thezerowasteguide for more! Which swap is your favorite? By @reducewastenow. Instagram. [Photograph]. https://www.instagram.com/p/CLwYAy9HGiN/
Tuite, C. (2015). Lord Byron and scandalous celebrity (Issue v.110). Cambridge University Press. http://ezproxy.umgc.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e025xna&AN=919820&site=eds-live&scope=site