Disingenuous Influencer Partnerships Are On Their Way Out

According to my crystal ball 🔮 the days of influencers as we know them, are numbered. You know the ones I’m talking about. The self-proclaimed influencers with their self-proclaimed influence. Marketers are finding that these influencers, let’s call them finfluencers (fake influencers) have less and less effect on their followers. Too many #ads = a desensitized audience that doesn’t trust their endorsement. Finfluencers are losing credibility fast. And marketers will have to adapt and pivot to account for this.

Throwing a mil’ at a Kardashian to endorse your beauty product, especially if it’s not a luxury brand, is just plain silly. Why? Because it’s not even remotely believable!!! Kardashian/Jenner influence comes from their wealth and the assumption that they only buy the very best. Therefore, we trust their product recommendations.

Nah girl, the magic was the best dermatologists and procedures money can buy.

But that’s not my point. My point is this type of celebrity endorsement isn’t new. Proactiv’s been partnering with celebs from Katy Perry to Jessica Simpson and Justin Bieber for over a decade. So why the backlash with Kendall? Consumers want authenticity now more than ever.

So, how do we address this as influencer marketers?

Finding influencers aligned with your mission and values so partnerships feel as organic as possible. A well curated Influencer roster is important. You want a review, post, or shout out about your product to feel as genuine as possible (especially if you’re paying them the big bucks).

Additionally, passion is key. A passionate customer with 700 followers who tells everyone they know how well your acne patches worked for them, is more valuable than a ‘finfluencer’ with 11,000 followers (a lot of them inactive) who posts an unboxing on their story one time and calls it a day.

What if your network of influencers looked more like Time’s list of most influential people than an assortment of textbook aesthetic IG feeds?

In today’s society, attractive people are pedestaled. That’s not going anywhere soon. But what wins out over looks? People who are respected and admired. Now that’s a force.

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