The world is more or less a global village, a huge percentage of the world???s population has an active online digital presence; with the rise of social media platforms, traditional media and marketing are not as lucrative as they used to be. A report on Digital Information World states that consumers spend an average of 6hours 42minutes online daily and mobile devices remain a popular means for connecting to the digital world.
With this in mind, a group of creative people started spending their time creating content online based on their personal interests while building a following that includes consumers that are also fascinated about their content; brands noticed this chain and also saw it as an avenue to reach an audience without breaking the bank, they reach out to these creative people to create content around their products while paying less than they would if they used traditional media, this is how the ???influencer??? term came about.
There is no doubt celebrities have a larger following (numbers) than the average influencer, but a major factor in sales and marketing is reaching your target audience, though the influencer has a lesser following, their followers consist of a set target audience based on their niche; an average beauty or skincare consumer would most likely buy a beauty or skincare product reviewed by Dimma Umeh, than product posted on Genevieve???s Instagram page.
An example would be, Genevieve posting an advert for body scrub on her page, no doubt the body scrub would be spoken about, but I would definitely go online to search for a review for this body scrub to know who has used it, what they think about it and if it is worth purchasing, guess who would be the result of my Google search with a convincing review to buy this body scrub? You guessed right, Dimma Umeh. Influencers give more intimate reviews about products, although celebrities are likely to have a larger audience reach, they really just advertise and that is the end. Influencers give more in-depth knowledge about the products and build relatable content around it.
The projected lifestyle difference between a celebrity and an influencer is another factor that can drive a consumer???s purchasing decision. There is a set perception of celebrities purchasing high-end and luxury product and so when a celebrity refers to a product, the thought and assumption of the product being pricey is enough filter to kill the purchase possibility, whereas, the influencers comes across as a regular citizen whose definition of luxury is synonymous to yours and once they say it???s affordable, they back it up with the price for you to believe.
Noting the aforementioned points, you can agree that the average influencer is impressionable, relatable and has a greater impact on the consumer than the celebrity in terms of choice products or services. The celebrities reach a wider audience but the influencers are able to reach a brand???s targeted audience and also effect a higher rate of a purchase decision, this is why beauty brands owned by celebrities still require beauty influencers to review their products to penetrate the consumer audience.
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