Living in the era of the influencer

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👋 Welcome to Volume #2.

Quick update on the format - Instead of providing brief insights into multiple marketing topics, I’ve decided to make this newsletter more of a commentary where we can explore the future of marketing one topic at a time, going deeper rather than wider. I hope you’ll find this new direction valuable.

Today’s topic is: The Future of Influencer Marketing.

Hey friends,

So what's new in marketing these days?

Among other things, the meteoric rise of Tube Girl 🚀

https://www.tiktok.com/@sabrinabahsoon/video/7276838245088906514?lang=en

If you’ve been living under a rock, Tube Girl is the latest TikTok sensation, rising to fame for her distinctive dancing videos on the London tube, which have now sparked a self-love movement amongst young women.

But can we expect a rapid downfall? Who knows!

MAC Cosmetics definitely did not wait around to see how long the Tube Girl Effect lasts. They took advantage of Tube Girl’s currently massive popularity.

https://www.tiktok.com/@sabrinabahsoon/video/7279507844892757256?lang=en

Talk about riding trends to attract those younger generations! You play the game well MAC Cosmetics 👏

So what does the rise of Tube Girl tell us about influencer marketing?

If you ask me, that the future of marketing is personal.

Living in The Era of the Influencer.

Anyone can be an influencer these days. Quite literally.

With the social media platforms we have today, anyone can become an influencer if they have an idea, a smartphone and an internet connection.

It has never been easier for people to create their own content and share it with people online.

Just look at Sabrina Bahsoon aka Tube Girl. She’s a 22-year-old law graduate from Durham University working in London.

In other words, a normal girl before her viral tube videos launched her to fame.

This is a huge part of her relatability and why so many young women identify with her and what she’s doing.

🤫Hint: It’s also why MAC Cosmetics identified her as a great person to help them connect with that very audience in a much more authentic way using her unique content style.

Tube Girl’s content is and feels organic. Anyone can recreate it and it does not look produced, which implicitly makes it feel more trustworthy.

It would be a very different effect if it was Taylor Swift dancing on the tube in a professionally produced video.

The Tube Girl phenomenon also points to another important element of where influencer marketing is heading.

Brands need to pay ATTENTION 👀

Tube Girls can happen very suddenly and brands need to catch on quickly or risk missing out on trends and opportunities.

A finger on the pulse of pop culture.

Brands today need to be on top of pop culture. They can’t miss a beat.

This not only means keeping an eye out for potential Tube Girls, but being very aware of what is happening in the worlds of music, entertainment and fashion.

Gucci gets it.

Choosing Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner as their brand ambassadors shows the brand’s grasp of where it fits in today’s pop culture and where it wants to go.

Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner, each in their own way, help position Gucci as a pioneering and bold brand that is in touch with the times.

Great move Gucci 👏 

I’m excited to see where you these organic partnerships go and the kind of storytelling you can build around it.

Brands looking to position themselves in the pop-culture pyramid should therefore choose their ambassadors very carefully, whether they are Tube Girls or mega celebrities.

For brands that want to succeed with influencer marketing, they have to understand what these different kinds of influencers can do for them.

Peeking into the future 🤖

We’ve spoken a lot about what’s happening in the world of influencer marketing and what it suggests about what’s coming, but what about looking a little further?

We are in the middle of a digital transformation with AI after all.

So, will AI replace influencers?

I really don’t think so!

AI will help brands identify the best influencers for their needs and it will enable influencers to take content creation to the next level.

If anything, I believe the future of marketing will revolve even more around influencers, shifting the power of brands from corporate to personal.

Here’s my prediction: more Tube Girls with a meteoric rise and a quick downfall, UNLESS they strategise smartly from the beginning and choose to play the long smart brand game.

The question is, will they?

🗞 Article spotlight: Forbes, by Olivia Ormos, Forbes Councils Member

The Future Of Influencer Marketing And The Expanding Creator Economy

Read the full article here.

We’ve unpacked a lot today and it’s only Monday!

This Thursday I’m launching a new Unmtchd. Podcast episode and guess what - it will be about the impact of social media with the one and only Mirco Gluch.

I think you’ll enjoy it.

Until next time, keep your 👀 on the future.

Oana

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