Influencer Dilemma
Imagine a world where every move and every fashion choice is under a microscope of public scrutiny. This is today. This is the reality of influencers, the modern-day tastemakers who shape our consumer culture. From humble beginnings as social media enthusiasts, they've evolved into powerful figures, wielding unprecedented influence over millions. But as their reach expands, so do the challenges they face.
Kendall Jenner, Paparazzi Campaign by Bottega Veneta, Bottega Veneta
Origins.
The story goes exactly like this.
When social media platforms—especially IG—started to spread globally, we all realized how impactful that world could have been for us. At first, we used to see it as a means to be artistic and share our lives and thoughts through a simple gallery of pictures. With Facebook, we had the chance to be literally interconnected with the entire global population but, unlike Facebook, we could reach other people and generate interactions by simply sharing images. All of a sudden, we realized that there were other individuals having the same passions, interests, and aspirations we had—and this filled us with joy because finally, we had someone we could talk to about things that made us happy. We saw more and more groups of people coming to life that got bigger as time passed by. We saw defined roles coming to the surface with everyone understanding their position just like in a sports team. If followers were the ones who needed someone on top paving the way and showing them what to do, leaders were those whose opinions were heard and acted as a direction to follow. That’s how influencers were born.
Let’s start with an easy assumption. The word influencers comes from the verb “to influence.” It means that someone someday understood they had an impact on others, having the ability to shape their thoughts, behaviors, decisions, and actions.
A new job was conceived. Who wouldn’t want to make a living out of this? Who wouldn’t want to be a lighthouse for others? One of the best rewarding feelings in the entire universe—being heard. Seeing your opinion being valued is simply priceless.
That’s how many more aspiring influencers put themselves in the game trying to recruit as many people as they could. Brands of all areas jumped on board as they saw this as a potential tool to drive more and more business. Consequence?
Oversaturation. In a scenario where influencers battled with each other for a higher number of followers on Instagram—because that’s what sets you apart from the rest—at the same time, brands fought with other brands to grab the right people to sponsor their products. So, to avoid this all the influencers have shifted toward a different approach to carrying out their businesses. They understood they would have had a higher relevance if they’d niched down their stories to specific targets.
No matter if you’d have narrowed it down by country, city, age, or interest. They realized that their influence had to be tailored to specific audiences in order to be effective. But this phenomenon—that we could call diversification—that apparently offered a solution to the oversaturation issue, simultaneously created a different problem for brands and audiences by increasing the amount of offers available on the market. The level of specialization insanely complicated the choice for labels making it difficult to spot the right characters in the first place. As we’ve gone from one side to the other without ever finding a compromise, the reality influencers, audiences, and brands are doomed to be part of is increasingly more difficult to bear.
Difficulties.
When it comes to the choice of the right figures to include in the construction of our communication or a potential rebranding, the work we have to put on is extremely complicated and requires considerable time.
First of all—for the reason we hinted at before—the activity of research is literally overwhelming. Today we have a wide market and a wider offer.
As brands, we get lost in there. Where to look? Who to ask? With the current state of social influencing subdivided by demographics, locations, interests in those locations, and so on, it becomes nearly impossible for us to make a reasonable choice. But let’s look at the bright side. If we were faced with the questions of where to look and who to pick, that would make us reflect on whether we were 100% clear on what we wanted to do and where. Another bump in the road: alignment of vision, mission, and values. When we select someone to sponsor our products and consequently our image, it becomes more than crucial to make a weighted choice that takes into consideration several elements. Is that person aligned with our brand? Do they share the same values we do? Do they have a public image that fits our identity? Are they looking in the same direction as we are? An everlasting stack of questions with precise answers to allocate for each one. Now, I’m sure someone could think that posting a picture or a story with our product in full size would be a piece of cake. Yes, it would. But just for the one posting. Our job is a hell lot more complicated instead. We would’ve to make sure that everything is in order, just like the way we planned it. A single detail, a different angle, or a different something can make the difference. But unfortunately for us—in case you have a brand yourself—these are just some of the headaches we are going to get along the way. Let’s jump back to the scenario we’ve outlined before about the ever-growing saturation of the market. As this is the situation we have to deal with, I think it’s much more straightforward to list down all the issues we have today when it comes to influencer marketing.
Payment is not a good point to start with.
I know. I know. Before you say anything, let me just stop you there. Every job should be compensated. Whenever there’s an exchange of services, there should be an exchange of money. So, to outrun you in formulating the question you have in mind—“Why should influencers work for free?” I’d totally understand and respect anybody who would ask me that. The answer is: they shouldn’t. But this is a particular case that I’m not sure is relatable to the standard desk job we all know. In a usual position, the company pays you to do something that you don’t necessarily have to love. The company at the end of the month is not compensating your work to thank you for your devotion to the brand. They are giving you a salary to make sure that you know that your job is seen and valued. The world of influencer marketing is slightly different to me. Even if the dynamic is always the same and the brand still hires someone to do a job, the nature of the job itself completely changes perspective. In this case, influencers are essentially paid to say that they like a product or a brand. And even if that influencer for some reason genuinely liked that product, still the fact of getting paid to promote it would make me wonder as a customer. So, the question I want to ask you is: as a potential consumer, are you with me on this?
Loss of credibility.
How many times have you noticed while scrolling up and down on their profiles, how certain influencers are likely to sponsor different products or services from different brands at the same time? This time the question is: doesn’t it bother you? Because it does to me.
Every time I run into this typology of accounts, my mind teleports itself to a supermarket rather than staying on Instagram—I see their pictures as different food promotional offers. We’d all want to follow those who we’d be able to resonate with. And to do so, we’d need to see a glimpse of truthfulness.
Now, let’s picture two scenarios. In the first one, let’s assume we have in front of us a profile that only sponsors one brand. There could be the willingness on our side to support that influencer because—even if we know they’re paid for that—at the end of the day they’d still have the benefit of the doubt making us wonder if they really are supporters or not.
But the second scenario really gives us no choice. When it comes to those profiles of influencers who sponsor several products from different products all at once, the benefit of the doubt from before gets a lot thinner here. How can we relate to people treating themselves as mercenaries? Even if there’s absolutely nothing wrong with it it’s simply not for me. Is it for you?
Confusion & Loss of identity.
If an influencer was about to promote products from different brands—even competing ones—or brands with conflicting values, wouldn’t it create confusion and distrust among audiences? This doubt originates from the nature itself of sponsorships. Brands try to get those influencers whose values and image closely align with theirs, in order to convey a sort of parallelism of vision we could say. They pick those personalities that can express at best the attitude of the brand, using them as self-reflecting mirrors. But if all of a sudden that very same personality—we have chosen for our communication—was about to lose all his/her identity, wouldn’t it affect the image of the company as a consequence? The world of influencers should be an extra tool we could use to portray our image at a more relatable level—not a source of trouble.
What’s the common line behind all of this?
We should wonder what people want nowadays. What is it that they desire? That we desire. Honesty. Trustworthiness. Genuineness. We could go on for hours, looking for the most accurate terminology that would better fit the occasion. But, no matter how we put it into words, the concept remains still. We want real things. We want facts and products that we can relate to. But how is all of this obtainable? As for today, we are curious and we like to watch and be up-to-date about literally anything. That’s why while spending time on social media, we tend to look at the details rather than the content itself. All this for saying how a small phenomenon has risen from the ground in the last couple of years—the so-called “what celebrities are wearing” pages on Instagram. People—especially the younger generations—look up to them as a source of inspiration and aspiration. They look at what they wear, how they speak, and which places they go to. But here’s the twist.
They are drawn to authentic content. They develop a higher level of curiosity when they run into a photo of a celebrity, taken by paparazzi for example. Why? Because at that moment, that photo was not something planned, scheduled, or paid for.
In that very second, that celebrity was genuinely wearing that garment while visiting that location and doing that thing. And immediately people can relate to it. Because guys, let’s think about it. What’s more genuine and authentic than a celebrity forced to dress and behave in public in precise ways for 365 days a year—who simply goes outside to buy groceries or bring the kids to the park?
That’s what inspires us. That’s a public figure who in a rare moment of private life spontaneously decides to wear a precise brand. That’s what we want to see.
And for those truthers who see something planned behind it implying traces of stylists and publicists, well, I don’t believe it. Or at least, I decide not to.
The end.
While reading this article—if I wasn’t the writer—there would be a question I’d like to ask. Are there any evident signs of what you’re saying? How can you be so sure? Guys, certainty is dead. Or more accurately, it was never born.
I wouldn’t be able to state with absolute confidence whether this has been a figment of my imagination or not. But I must’ve got the inspiration from something, haven’t I? Ever heard of the so-called paparazzi campaigns done by several fashion brands?
Well, let me refresh your memory. In 2023, Bottega Veneta launched its fashion campaign starring A$AP Rocky and Kendall Jenner. Exactly as we said before, caught while going about their daily lives—doing groceries, jogging, or being assaulted by fans for autographs and selfies—the two celebrities have captured the attention of people by bringing the runway to the streets. A couple of months earlier, Gucci did the same. Alongside the “usual” Kendall Jenner, the brand has included in the cast Bad Bunny to stage a perfectly-done shooting in an airport location. While walking from terminal to terminal, the couple makes us believe they were actually “caught” coming off the escalator. Last but not least, Sporty & Rich has launched a successful photo campaign that recreated the most iconic Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy paparazzi shots in order to promote their new CBK-inspired line.
A$AP Rocky, Paparazzi Campaign by Bottega Veneta, Bottega Veneta
Some other brands though have been ahead of their time by bringing this concept way earlier. In 2018, Balenciaga created a paparazzi campaign casting different models caught while they were protecting their faces from photos with their expensive handbags. And in the same year also, Yeezy conceived something of this kind.
In conclusion, these are just examples of a potential pattern we’ve been able to outline in the last couple of years. Is it a trend? Is this a transitory wave? Will it represent itself with scheduled timings? Will it pass? Who knows.
But I guess that the most relevant question is: if it’s not temporary, does it stand for something deeper
