If you think Influencers are on their way out, think again.
IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), a trade association at the nexus of the media and marketing industries working to harness the power of the digital economy, released “Disrupting Brand Preference,” a study highlighting the growing impact of (now 48 percent of all US consumers) DTC* (direct to consumer) disruptive shoppers. These shoppers are disrupting the traditional purchase path at every point of the sales cycle, from discovery to purchase.
The study highlighted the demographic/psychographic profile – 84 percent under 54 years of age; household income of $75K+, and use their favorite brands as “vehicles for self-promotion” – with twice as many incumbent brand**-only shoppers (53%) saying that “when I purchase a new brand I am expressing who I am.” They are younger, have higher incomes and are consumed by self expression, deliberately looking for disruptor brands which feed into this perception of self and then reinforcing it through social channels
Indeed, the study went on to outline one of every three direct-to-consumer shoppers are part of a new audience group coined “Super Influencers” – those that “deliberately take time and effort to re-post and/or create brand-centric content to increase their own influence.” The research makes clear that they are not sharing this content randomly; they are strategic and driven. The study goes further, stating these influencers have emerged as “the advertising” of the modern consumer economy.
Today there are at least four recognized types of Influencers: Celebrity/Professional Influencers, 2) Experts, 3) ‘Real’ people, and 4) Super Influencers. They not only wield power during initial purchase consideration – via posts, word of mouth and other methods – but also exercise their power further down the purchase funnel.
Other findings were equally intriguing. DTC shoppers and purchasers value brands where they contribute opinions and suggestions to both brand and social communities. 40 percent of direct brand consumers say it’s important others want to share their posts, they want to be first among their friends to post about a brand purchase experience, and first among their friends to post about a new product/service (they are natural “early-adopters); 42 percent state their posts are meant to help them lead the conversation; and 43 percent post to ensure their voice is “heard.”
Even higher on their weighting of brand value? 52 percent agree the single most important brand attribute in the value equation is “I like to share cool things I buy, wear or use on social media.” These numbers outstrip incumbent brand performance by a range of 26-30 percentage points.
Clearly the number of DTC shoppers and purchasers take the time and effort necessary to create brand-centric content to publicly build their personal brand, agreeing with the statement, “Content I share online is an important part of how I want people to think of me.” Disruptor consumers are more than twice as likely to say they only listen to Expert Influencers and are 150 percent more likely to value online mentions by ‘Real’ people.
Knowing this, how does your organization’s current branding help these self-identifying influencers experience your brand, share its story? What are the two-way engagement levels, the mechanisms, that allow for consumer input into your brand platform? Where are your channels and how accessible are they for 24/7 interaction. These are just a few of the considerations an organization should consider in order to build and leverage a successful, responsible relationship between brands and audiences.
Black Ink works with organizations to define and express brands, helping to create the social places and portals for your consumers to discover, experience, contribute to and share your stories.
The IAB study, released Q3 2019, was sponsored by Google, Spotify, and PebblePost.
* Direct brands create value through low-barrier, capital-flexible leased or rented supply chains with value extraction accomplished primarily through the direct relationships between the company and its end consumer.
** Incumbent brands are those that typically gained market share through above-the-line advertising and distribution through retail outlets in the pre-digital era.