the evolution of influence

CRAFTED FOR: Fujifilm instax

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP | CULTURAL DIVE

“Influencers” have never had less influencing power than right now.

Hmmm… That’s odd.

 

No matter if your entire house is filled with useless Amazon gadgets that you were “influenced” to buy, or if you’re allergic to sponsored content, we all have to admit that it feels like we’re reaching the end of an era. The Kylie Jenner of the world who once held the key to influencing power are now losing ground.

To make it make sense, here’s what I did.

  • Studied the top trending content on social, specifically TikTok, and examined the people behind them and what drove their virality

  • Talked to people (+ eavesdropped) about their most recent purchases and who influenced them to make the call

  • Investigated the modern playbook of brands who approached building and borrowing influence right, like Corteiz and Crocs.

The Objective.

Help brands understand: who holds the “influencing” power now, and why?

Today consumers — especially Gen Z — are acutely aware that they are being influenced to purchase something. As such, they expect a lot more out of the exchange.

This has led to major shifts in who they put their trust:

  • from having clout to having credentials

  • from being aspirational to being relatable

  • from knowing everything (breadth) to being a subject expert (depth)

The following deck was put together and presented by yours truly to the global marketing team at Fujifilm.

***IMPORTANT: Please click on the slide, then use your keyboard arrows ➡️ ⬅️ to move between slides.***