Learn the reasoning behind why so many large brands are leaning towards digital marketing, such as advertising a product through an influencer’s Instagram post, rather than featuring a celebrity in a commercial or print advertisement.
First of all, what is the difference between celebrities and influencers?
When it comes to celebrities and influencers, there are many controversial opinions on who is better at selling products. Celebrities are typically known for a certain talent or job they have, such as actors, musicians, athletes, etc., while almost anyone with Internet access can technically be an influencer. A social media influencer is someone that uses social media to engage with followers and influence them a certain way. Historically, brand partnerships with celebrities have been extremely successful and mutually beneficial for both parties. Celebrities have a huge reach and many loyal fans that want to support them by buying the product they are advertising.
Why would a brand choose to partner with an influencer with a smaller reach over a celebrity that everyone knows?
If you are on any form of social media, you have undoubtedly seen loads of content from various social media influencers and celebrities. A lot of the time, celebrities and social media influencers tend to use their platforms differently. Influencers that make the most money through brand partnerships are the ones that interact and engage with their followers the most in order to build a relationship with them. Influencers also often grow a following because the way they showcase their personality through social media draws people in, and influencers tend to feel more “relatable” than traditional celebrities. Influencers tend to be more open about their daily lives since they need to post often and have high levels of activity on their social media at all times to drive up engagement. This creates trust between the influencer and their audience and makes their followers feel more connected to them, therefore establishing credibility for the influencer.
Celebrities are not often seen posting their everyday lives on Instagram or Twitter. They are often more private and engage less with their followers. For brand partnerships, the influencer or celebrity’s credibility is the key to selling products. Think about the difference between the way Emma Chamberlain uses her social media platforms compared to Taylor Swift. When is the last time you saw Taylor Swift post a photo of herself chomping down on a huge burger or posting daily vlogs to YouTube? Both Taylor Swift and Emma Chamberlain have huge, loyal audiences in similar age groups, yet the way they use social media and brand themselves is completely different. Every brand chooses the influencers or celebrities they think will most effectively represent their brand, so it is up to them to decide who they want to align themselves with.
Differences Between Traditional vs. Digital Advertising
Even if an influencer does not have 5 million followers, a large brand may still choose to partner with them because they have the exact same target audience the brand is looking for, their engagement rate is high, and it is also way less expensive to partner with an influencer than a celebrity. Although celebrities typically have a larger reach than social media influencers, it is similar to whether you are more likely to buy a product if you saw it being advertised on a billboard versus getting it recommended to you by a friend. Brands are likely to keep partnering with influencers because it is cost effective, reaches a very specific audience, and has a high likelihood of success if the right influencers are doing the job.
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