The online world is capitalising on the amount of time we spend there, but in this cacophony of advertisements, what are brands to do to distinguish themselves and how do consumers navigate between all the offerings?
According to webtribunal.net, in 2022, the average person saw between 4,000 and 10,000 ads in a single day. Compare that to the 1970’s when we only saw 500 to 1600 per day. But as we’ve got used to the bombardment, our brains adjusted and the number of ads we actually really notice is less than 100 a day! (Read more)
The world of advertising is adjusting alongside the change in media. With less print publications and the explosion of social media, advertisements are also focused online. Brands might be eager to invest as online and social media ads are more affordable than what they’re used to pay for print while algorithms ensure targeting and measurables that were much more difficult in traditional media channels.
But if consumers have become so savvy in the online space that they’re able to filter subconsciously and only really notice 100 out of a possible 10 000 ads per day, how efficient is advertising? You might be there, for what seems to be a good price, you might even be targeted, but chances are that you still get filtered out within an ocean of communication.
Enter the world of influencer marketing. Long before online advertising was an option, consumers have already questioned the integrity of advertisements. Word of mouth was often believed to be the best marketing or advertisement and that, in reality, is exactly what influencer marketing is. Word of mouth from someone who you would like to believe or aspire to be like. According to the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer “In Brands We Trust?” report, “63% of consumers trust what influencers say about brands much more than what brands say about themselves within their advertising messages.”
Remember when you couldn’t stand another reference to a winemaker being passionate, baking being artisanal or a collection being curated. Beautiful, descriptive words that lost their integrity because they’ve been used too often. I’ve noticed a similar reaction to the word “influencer”. And while some social media personalities might have knack with a phone camera and an affinity to freebees, influencer marketing is much more important and relevant than what pouting lips and strategically placed merchandise would suggest. The Edelman Trust report also says that 58% of consumers indicated that they’ve purchased a product in the past six months because of an influencer. That is hard to ignore.
There is a lot of scepticism about the real value of influencers and although capitalising on influence is not without its challenges (read more) , brands can’t ignore its value. In my opinion, a good marketing mind is an open mind. And when your mind is open and your thinking strategic, your planning thorough and your practices sound, using influence in today’s world is elemental to any marketing campaign.