Well, just like any media platform, influencers have put in the time and effort in building a network of people who value and follow what they have to say quite closely. Unlike a TV ad, influencers can connect with their fans and followers on a more personal and relatable level – “I could see myself wearing Reebok again now since AKA has been the ambassador, it somehow looks cooler”.
Most of the time the boardroom overlooks influencers because the decision makers cannot relate to them, forgetting about the 1.6-million Instagram followers a ‘Somizi Mhlongo’ has. Not only are these influence machines agents of change, but they’re also human, and humans relate to other humans.
Do influencers really have decision making influence? I’m sure you might have the answer to that, taking into consideration the massive brand appeal Ciroc Vodka saw since their partnership with South African award-winning, hip-hop artist Cassper Nyovest, Walt Disney’s #BlackPantherChallengeSA influencer campaign creating massive excitement for the movie launch, or maybe Bonang Matheba’s reality show Being Bonang flooding social media trends’ list with every episode. It’s evident that South Africans care and they are willing to share their opinion if it relates to them.
To some degree, numbers don’t mean everything, especially when your numbers are not connecting with your brand. One thing that brand managers need to be cognisant of, is fake followers. A threat to the influencer industry, but I believe that it’s one that can be monitored and controlled.
Could someone buy followers and automatically be on the list as a social media influencer? I’d say a decent acceptable amount of ‘fake’ follower should be anything less than 15%.
In essence, South Africans don’t want to be bored. Some of the content created in campaigns somewhat leans over to that side of the fence. Involve your audience and connect with them in a meaningful way, put a brand in the hands of their role models, the relationship between you and them will begin to flourish much more effectively.
Dentsu 19 hours
SAMRA 17 hours
