Are Popular Influencers Becoming the Antithesis of Authenticity??

You may have heard about Tarte Cosmetic’s latest activation, which is stirring controversy in the influencer marketing world. In partnership with Sephora Middle East, the brand sent 29 influencers on an all-expense paid trip to the UAE. While the brand’s activation was heavily followed and garnered millions of views on TikTok, it might have been for less-than-ideal reasons.?

Many of the influencers appeared to not know the names of the products they were promoting, and these “influencer trips” were accused of being wasteful and out of touch with the reality of the majority of consumers. One comment said, “For a brand that claims to care about the environment and philanthropic giving, how can you justify trips like this? Completely turns me off from a brand.”

One of the reasons why influencer marketing has exploded in the last decade is two key components that marketers can’t find in traditional advertising: trust and authenticity. People do not trust ads nor believe brand messaging is authentic. So partnering with influential “real” voices online to embody your brand’s values and to promote products has delivered enormous business impact.?

But what does the next decade of influencer marketing look like if influencers aren’t able to deliver trust and authenticity? Or worse, what happens to your brand’s reputation when activating them leads to mistrust and disingenuousness??

The standards of authenticity are changing. There is a growing market of consumers who are ready to move on from Instagram-like photo-sharing apps, as we see with the rise of apps like BeReal. They are leery of the carefully-curated, polished creator content. A recent report indicates that Gen Z is more likely than other age groups to agree that there is too much pressure to be perfect on social media.?

While influencers can help grab attention, many brands seeking long-term relationship building are investing in online consumer communities with peer influencers that become a powerhouse of content and conversion.?

The controversy over Tarte Cosmetic’s influencer strategy should ultimately be a positive boost for marketers. We’re approaching an era where influencing consumers doesn’t have to be a glossy, staged, filtered, sponsored partnership, and brands can lean into driving “real life” everyday stories.