Influencers and Viral Marketing

With the amount of people that have access to the internet and social media applications, it is no surprise just how fast and rapid news can spread. Nowadays, everybody has a laptop, mobile phone device, smart televisions and tablets that they use on a day to day basis. According to this article , a recent study even showed that more people in the world actually own a mobile phone, than those that own a toothbrush… Gross, I know!!! With every like, every comment, every share, more and more people are exposed to current affairs - And let’s not forget that everyone has an opinion.

This being said, most people use social media to showcase their lifestyles, and keep up with other people’s busy and seemingly, glamorous lifestyles. It is often only the best moments of someones day that they post, not the worst. This too applies to marketing, as businesses want to promote what is best about their brand and what they specialise in, and why they are better than any of their competitors. As anyone that has exposure to the digital world (virtually, everyone), it is no secret that utilising influencers in media marketing is a sure way to make your company, brand, or product go viral.

Influencers will market brands or products that other people will desire because it makes them look good or successful, and these are things that people will talk about and draw their attention to. This all comes back to the concept of Social Currency. Now, what exactly is social currency? It is how consumers measure the credibility of one’s brand based on its social media presence.

Influencers, are a great marketing strategy for a lot of businesses as they are really good for targeting a specific segment, and developing a brand personality, so to attract the right market of customers. Due to the large amounts of social currency that influencers create, getting the right influencers to promote and market a brand can be crucial. Do they have a good reputation? How many followers do they have? Will that generate enough reach? Do they have engaging followers? What are the current affairs about this person? How many sales are likely to generate from this influencer’s promotion? - Are all questions that should be considered when choosing the right influencer.

The famous beverage company, Pepsi, knows about this all too well, with their failed marketing attempt in 2017. The ad featured actress and model, Kendall Jenner, where even Pepsi agrees that their ad was executed poorly. Many felt that the ad glorified the act of protesting, some comparing it to the Black Lives Matter movement and protests, where people are fighting for change, not an act that is usually seen as enjoyable or fun, but purposeful. Pepsi concluded their commercial encouraging consumers to ‘Live Bolder. Live Louder. Live for Now.’. The full commercial can be found Here. The ad went viral, but for all the wrong reasons. Not to mention that fact that Pepsi chose Kendall Jenner to be their influencer, but she had absolutely no relevance to the ad at all.

For companies to be truly successful in making their brand spread and go viral, there needs to be much thought and consideration. In order to gain the right attention from your target audience, it is critical that the chosen influencer has an association or reputation that is alike to the brand personality and the positioning that is trying to be established. Having the appropriate context is also a huge part of whether or not the brand is going to experience success. It all comes down to sending the right message and connecting with your audience to have a positive impact that is going to create a viral marketing strategy.

So, Have you ever seen an ad where a brand was endorsed by a celebrity or influencer that you felt didn’t belong? Leave a comment down below.