The Era of Post-Authenticity Influencer Marketing

Marketing has changed.  This is quite possibly the biggest understatement since the advent of MySpace (RIP).  In the rapidly evolving media landscape, brands, especially big brands, are often the last to adapt, and regretfully, by the time they do, the tastemakers and trendsetters are already on to the next thing.  But there is one thing certain about the democratization of content publishing, Influencers, especially in niche and special-interest spaces, are here to stay.  And matter more than ever.

Compared to10 or so years ago, when the concept of Influencer Marketing first started gaining traction, what is an Influencer today anyway? Someone doing quick tutorials, dance moves, and has much too exaggerated facial expressions? Maybe. Or more of a Gladwell-esque maven, a collector of information who tends to share enthusiastically to a smaller, niche, but passionate audience?  This, too.  Influencers have always existed, but it’s with the rise of social and their monetized connection with brands and other entities that has turned the Influencer phenomenon into a named thing. And the brands that have started to understand how to use them effectively, and how to avoid using them negatively, are benefitting while others are still trying to figure out how to floss.

Authenticity and Influencer Marketing

In the early days of Influencer Marketing, something I participated in extensively, the idea of authenticity usually meant that in a somewhat unsolicited manner an “influencer” (if they were even called this at the time) was sent product with no obligation to do anything.  It just showed up.  If they liked said product, they might post something positive about it.  Nowadays, simply put, this sort of thing just does not win in the attention economy…let alone Meta et al’s ever changing content algorithms.

Authenticity through Transparency

In 2022, do any of us really, at this point, not know product placement when we see it?  Especially the coveted younger millennial and Gen Z audiences, who have been scrolling TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter since the womb?  When it comes to social media marketing and influencer marketing, we are truly entering, if we have not already fully arrived, into the post-authenticity era of product endorsements.

A brand is a brand, part of a company, whose intention it is to sell stuff and make money, no matter how big of an ESG or social platform they may stand upon.  An influencer is an entity, a personality, many of whom (not all, but many) have the ultimate goal of creating a personal brand and monetizing their lifestyle and likeness.  Thems the facts…so let’s just call a spade a spade.

But that does mean you can’t make authentic content in this environment?  No, it does not.  As a brand, instead of only thinking of leveraging and / or (slightly better) collaborating with influencers, start to think of turning your brand INTO an influencer – stop speaking at your consumer, trying to convince them of your validity, and start speaking with them, engaging from a position of equality, or possibly even at times, authority, validated by strategic and transparent partnerships that communicate:

Our brand and this important person, ie the influencer, in your respective niche community are on the same page.  There is a mutual respect, they trust us and our products and choose to use them, and we respect what they do and how they do it.  We are on the same page, and in this together.

Ok, that’s a lot to communicate, but can be done tactfully through the right RELATIONSHIPS, STRATEGY, and CONTENT or STORY TELLING.  This takes time, commitment to building a presence in a community, and establishing real relationships with real people (let’s not forget, we are all simply people, doing what we love, after all).  But this is a far cry from sending out bulk product to influencers with no relationship whatsoever, hoping and praying they do something with it.  And for the brands that do it well, it shows in the strength of their engagement with their customers and community.

There are layers to this which I’ll look at at a later date.  For example, how to craft the right story and capture the right content, thoughtfully divided up by channel and asset can be a complex consideration for a brand.

But to summarize, through thoughtful story telling, in-touch with the audience you hope to connect with, you can authentically promote both influencer and brand, providing lift and value to both. 

So for now, let’s move beyond the product-selfie, please?