What happened to social media influencers?

Social media influencers began their downfall in 2019. What happened and what does this mean for marketing & communication professionals?

by Jonathan Graham

Update to original article in Communications Director magazine, May 2019

Disco music’s death began over 40 years ago on July 19, 1979 during the Disco Demolition Night promotion at the Chicago White Sox baseball game in the United States.

Ticket holders brought disco records to the stadium and after the baseball game, DJ Steve Dahl from WLUP radio station blew up disco records. This PR event started the “Disco Sucks” backlash that essentially destroyed the genre of disco music[i].

An event and the subsequent media coverage, started the demise of social media influcencers in 2019 when HULU streaming services premiered “Fyre Fraud” on 14 January and Netflix premiered “FYRE:?The Greatest Party That Never Happened” on 19 January. The documentaries cover the?2017 Fyre Music Festival?which was canceled and the subject of many lawsuits.

How did these documentaries become the catalyst to disrupt social media influencers as a legitimate advertising/promotion channel? According to the documentaries and earlier reports[ii], organizers spent millions of dollars with influencers to promote Fyre Festival. Fyre was billed as a two-week luxury music festival. The most unfortunate of the ticket buyers made it to Great Exuma island in the Bahamas to find the venue not ready and all acts canceled.

With little to no attention to identifying posts as an advertisement or sponsorship, top social media influencers were called out for fraudulent promotion, including top models Hailey Baldwin Bieber and Kylie Jenner[iii]. The blatant negligence of influencers was dismissed easily by the influencers themselves—one model, Bella Hadid, apologized for her involvement via Twitter, “I feel so sorry and badly because this is something I can’t stand by, although of course if I would have known about the outcome, you would have all known too.”[iv]?Bieber claimed in a television interview she donated her undisclosed proceeds to an undisclosed charity.[v]

Many influencers are not taking their role seriously and continue to propagate false advertising on their online social media platforms. When celebrities or influencers do not label posts clearly as paid/sponsored content, it gives the impression the celebrity uses or has a positive experience with the good or service.

Weak regulation

While the EU has Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising, the directive is hard to enforce due to cross-border lawsuit costs and international law procedures. One action proposed by Directive 2006/114/EC is a ban on “misleading marketing practices such as concealing the commercial intent of a communication, the identity of a trader or material information on the consequences of the reply to a communication.”[vi].

Credibility, trust and authenticity are lost in the current model of influencer marketing. EU guidelines on advertising rely on the influencer to declare a post to be an ad or sponsored post. This is no safeguard. Until influencers meet heavy fines and legal action, the seriousness of the situation cannot be established.

“You cannot make business decisions based on social media influencers. As a professional photographer and graphic artist, I look for expertise when purchasing new equipment or finding out about innovative techniques for my profession,” said Ilija Buschmann, owner of?IB Photography, Stuttgart Germany. “I use industry magazines and websites for business-critical information. When I see social media posts promoting products or services from influencers, I am skeptical. These influencers are usually not experts, and most of the time they are paid or sponsored for such posts.”

Instead of relying on influencers, companies should use social media to engage in two-way conversations directly with their customers and markets. Online roundtables with industry/topic experts, seminars and Q&A sessions are ways to exchange information and have a dialogue with customers-something near impossible to achieve when relying on social media influencers.

Alternatives to social media influencers

Engage through credible channels, work on an influencer program that directly connects with your customers. Keep your integrity and step back from social media influencers as a key engagement strategy.

The best influencers can be employees. Employees are credible, candid and already talking about your company. Use real experts and develop qualified spokespeople - your company is full of experts who could provide meaningful interaction with customers that is transparent and credible. Read more about employees as influencers: When is internal communication critical?

I've had positive encounters with influencers who utilized my employers' products and shared their genuine experiences, highlighting both the positives and negatives. This approach resonates effectively, as it offers customers an authentic user perspective that they can truly appreciate.

Also, look at moving some of your influencer marketing budget to traditional media outlets. Print advertising and direct mail see increased rates of returns through innovation and better targeting. With omnichannel marketing, there are more targeted messages to align with your brand.[vii]

Just like publications and broadcast outlets are responsible for their content, social media apps like Instagram and Twitter should share responsibility and legal consequences of misleading and dishonest promotions. But until then, our task is clear- focus on providing credible, trustworthy, authentic marketing and communication programs.

Update November 2024:

In 2024 the landscape of social media influencers evolved, yet challenges persist. The rise of micro-influencers has partially restored trust as they often have stronger connections with niche audiences and demonstrate genuine use of products. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of authenticity and transparency in influencer marketing. Brands shifted towards long-term partnerships over one-off promotions to build deeper, more credible relationships.

New regulations and platforms have emerged to further safeguard this space. The Digital Services Act (DSA) 2023 in the EU, mandates stricter transparency and accountability for online platforms. It includes provisions for the clear labeling of paid promotions and requires platforms to take proactive measures against deceptive advertising practices.

The 2024 U.S. presidential election further highlighted the pitfalls of relying on social media influencers. Many influencers, lacking genuine knowledge, passion and advocacy for their candidates, detracted from the campaigns they were supposed to support. Their superficial endorsements often backfired, leading to skepticism among voters and diminishing the credibility of the candidates they promoted.

Engaging employees as brand advocates remains a potent strategy. Companies increasingly invest in Employee Advocacy Programs (EAPs), which leverage social media to amplify their voices, resulting in higher engagement rates compared to traditional influencer campaigns. This approach underscores the continued importance of leveraging internal expertise and trustworthiness in brand communications.

While the influencer marketing domain continues to have trust and authenticity issues, regulatory advancements and strategic shifts towards more genuine engagements and employee advocacy are leading the way for more effective and ethical practices.

#InfluencerMarketing #Transparency #Authenticity #Trust #Credibility #SocialMediaTrends #EmployeeAdvocacy #SocialMediaInfluencers #Election2024 #VoteForChange #PresidentialElection Kamala Harris for President, 2024 Donald J. Trump For President 2024, Inc. JD Vance - News Tim Walz - News Robert F. Kennedy Vivek Ramaswamy Green Party of the United States Tim Scott

[i]?Sclafani, Tony. (2009, October 7). When disco sucks echoed around the world. Retrieved from Today Show.?https://www.today.com/id/31832616/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/when-disco-sucks-echoed-around-world/#.XNhTW4n8JZE

[ii]?Richardson, David. (2017, May 4) Blame the Fyre Festival fiasco on the plaque of celebrity influencers. Retrieved from WIRED.?https://www.wired.com/2017/05/blame-fyre-festival-fiasco-plague-celebrity-influencers/

[iii]?Gonzales, Erica. (2019, April 3). Kendall Jenner responds to her Fyre Festival involvement for the first time. Retrieved from Harper’s Bazaar?https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a27028770/kendall-jenner-fyre-festival-responds/

[iv]?Stefansky, Emma. (2017 April 30). Bella Hadid Apologized for the Fyre Festival, Kind Of. Retrieved from Vanity Fair?https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2017/04/bella-hadid-billy-mcfarland-fyre-festival-apology

[v]?Baxter-Wright, Dusty. (2019, February 8). Hailey Baldwin reveals what she did with her Fyre Festival fee Cosmopolitan, Retrieved from?https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a26249475/hailey-baldwin-fyre-festival-fee/

[vi]?EUR-Lex. (2012, July 2). Communication From The Commission To The European Parliament, The Council, The European Economic And Social Committee And The Committee Of The Region:??Protecting businesses against misleading marketing practices and ensuring effective enforcement Review of Directive 2006/114/EC concerning misleading and comparative advertising. Retrieved from?https://europa.eu/!Kd97qK

[vii]?Correspondent. (2017, March 3) Satellite market to see strong channel growth in next 10 years. Broadband TV News. Retrieved from?https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2017/03/03/satellite-market-to-see-strong-channel-growth-in-next-10-years

?Image by Victoria Bordinova via Pixabay