As the digital landscape evolves, so too does the way influencers and content creators connect and develop meaningful relationships with their audiences. The consumer journey has changed and gone are the days of a linear path to consumption; now, consumption is all about inspiration, exploration, community, and loyalty.
MSL hosted its inaugural Influencer Summit 2024 to help brands make sense of new influencer developments and learn to take advantage of these trends to better reach their target audiences.
Here are a few key takeaways from the summit:
Embrace the new era of ambassadorships
A new era of endorsements has emerged with mass culture influencing the choices brands are making when choosing ambassadors. The idea of celebrity in the traditional sense is being democratized with brands turning to a mix of celebrities and niche influencers. This allows brands to diversify their creator mix to amplify engagement and connect with more consumers.
Understanding how to leverage niche influencer fandoms, their advocacy and communities leads to brands curating messages that resonate. However, when tapping into a niche, brands must understand that not every single person will get it or know the backstory, but those who do will LOVE IT and talk about it. Take for example, when Tic Tac got a promotional message viewed in its entirety by partnering with a creator known for mesmerizing nail art or when Duracell partnered with Ariana Madix’s assistant Anne for the ultimate IYKYK for Vanderpump Rules fans after this past season.
Tap into nostalgia
What’s old is new again with creators using “retro” techniques to set themselves apart and challenge the pervasive “attention deficit mindset” on social media. Case in point, more influencers are turning to long-form content to differentiate themselves, with a 40% increase in the last six months of long-form content on TikTok with the platform’s Creator Fund paying creators for videos longer than one minute. As a result, there has been more overlap between TikTok and YouTube in the last year. Jumping on this trend, the luxury brand Loewe tapped Dan Levy for the humorous short film “Decades of Confusion” to poke fun at its oft-misspelled name.
In addition to long-form videos, creators are rediscovering the allure of television-style content on TikTok and Instagram Reels and transforming them into modern TV channels with longer content, sequential episodes, and a renewed focus on character development. One example is Reesa Teesa’s captivating 52-part TikTok series “Who TF did I marry?” which explored the complexities of relationships and personal discovery.
This return to long-form content and TV-style series offers entertainment value and opens doors for brands and creators to engage audiences on a deeper level.
Communicate social values
A deeper level of engagement is also part of the continued desire of consumers to connect with brands that demonstrate a genuine commitment to causes and values and not token gestures or superficial campaigns. It’s never been more important for companies to clearly communicate their values, actions, and impact to maintain their credibility.
Using employee influencers to create this authentic brand connection and engage audiences on a personal level is one strategy that is gaining traction. For example, Cisco is offering training to its 83,300 employees to act as talent influencers, providing them with guidance on how to use their LinkedIn profiles to attract candidates. And the hashtags #corporatetiktok and #worktok are regularly used by creators to share career advice and videos about their jobs and the brands they work for.
Staying fresh
The world of influencer marketing evolves quickly, and it’s never been more important for brands to keep up with these fast-moving developments. Where brands used to be at the centre of the consumer journey, today it’s people and communities who occupy that focal point. To navigate this new era, MSL consistently seeks out new sources of inspiration, fresh insights, and innovative ways to engage communities, with the ultimate goal of helping our brands connect with their customers in new and meaningful ways.
To learn more about these programs and how to harness the power of influencer marketing, follow MSL on our social channels and contact us today.