“One of the biggest things [for influencers] is that the importance of my community outweighs the importance of looking good to a brand, and doing this in a way that serves people and the community first before I serve myself and any brands that I might want to work with,” she adds of the necessary authenticity that influencers have discovered to grow their loyal audiences.
Defined by the report as The Knowledge Flex, the creator economy has become a crucial element of many people’s lives, offering instant and often free access to content that improves their own situation in some way.
It also found that 43% of adult social media users had noticed a shift in tone from creators on social media toward being more considerate of spending power.
One such creator, finance influencer and co-founder of The Gen Z Club, Poku Banks, said he has recently seen “a change in the brief” from a growing number of financial brands approaching him to work together. He outlined an example of working with internet service provider Netwest to create a piece around investment advice, before changing it to focus on the cost of living crisis.
“The reason for that is due to the economic climate,” he reasoned, adding that he continued to work with the same financial brands as before, but that their messaging had changed.
“They want to be able to help people in their audience, to say that they understand their problems [and] they understand how they can help.”
So brands and marketers see the insights, knowledge and levels of trust influencers can offer to help them generate trust in their own services and products in a manner that traditional advertising perhaps cannot.
New materialism
Another trend discovered by the report, dubbed “new materialism,” is that old ideals around value are changing, leading to brands seeking to develop loyalty through discount programs and paying more attention to online reviews and comments, which now inform their creative briefs.
Brands should be more concerned around their transparency with customers, said Kaushik, describing it as the company’s north star amid unpopular developments such as price increases.
“The reality is that the costs are just mounting, and unfortunately that will eventually hit the customer,” she added. “But how do you explain that? There are so many layers of complexity there, and that’s where being transparent and being really open and using platforms like social to maintain trust.”
By hearing it from the horse’s mouth … helps people connect with the brand and humanizes it.
Saakshi Kaushik, social media manager, Beauty Pie
Kaushik also spoke of Beauty Pie founder Marcia Kilgore, who has developed a first-hand connection with the brand’s community.
Rather than issuing press releases or “specially carved statements,” she said, “By hearing it from the horse’s mouth in a very nonchalant touch-and-go way really helps people connect with the brand and humanizes it.”
