Written for Influencer Intelligence
Marketers have probably noticed in recent years a shift in the narrative around influencers. Negative sentiment in popular discourse has caused agencies and digital talent to change the language around influencing and rebrand the practice.
The reason behind this shift? For years, the media has reported scandals and controversies within the influencer marketing sphere, focusing on issues such as fake followers, advertising disclosure and tone deaf social campaigns. The term ‘influencer’ has, at times, been marred with negative connotation, leading those within the profession to seek alternative vocabulary.
At one point in time, social media personalities, who commanded a dedicated following and engaged in brand partnerships, were all labelled digital influencers. These individuals commanded respect and loyalty amongst an audience, with the sought-after ability to influence consumer decisions or opinion. For a while, the word was used as an all-encompassing umbrella for online tastemakers.
At Influencer Intelligence, we define influence as having the power to affect the decisions or opinions of others. This influence may come from knowledge or expertise around a topic, a nurtured relationship and respect amongst their followers or simply that they are well liked and aspirational. Whichever terminology you embrace, the desired outcome is the same. Every brand or campaign will have its own unique objectives – be it sales, sentiment or awareness – and these individuals have the inherent ability to shape perception and drive action. The true meaning of influence is what’s important here, not the label used to describe those who wield that power. In many ways the term can be applied to people outside of the social media space, such as celebrities. Actors and musicians have been exerting influence over their fans since the beginning, making an impression on their audience based solely on their star power. It has only been in recent years that the term influencer has been coined to encompass all types of online talent – be it bloggers or social content creators.
Influencer Intelligence houses over 150,000 celebrity and influencer profiles. The majority of which we consider creatives or content specialists. We filter influencers based on hundreds of niche sectors and topics – from knitting to BMX. Their value to brands is typically based on the respect they command within their communities, and the skill they possess in storytelling and conveying brand messages in an engaging way. Not solely endorsers, or vehicles for promotion, our influencers are real creatives, known for their talents rather than simply their stardom.
Underpinning the nuances between definition of influence, is a misidentification of influencer advertising as influencer marketing. In this blog post, Influencer Intelligence explored the differences between the two, and the fact that they are often confused with one another. Influencer advertising describes those one-off collaborations that harness the power of a famous personality for a short term endorsement or product placement. Largely transactional and designed to drive sales, these types of activations can fall short when it comes to authenticity and storytelling. More often than not, it is these posts that receive the most backlash and negative sentiment around the term.
As if by response to this concern, the term content creator or creator started to become more widely utilised by talent, brands and platforms. This occurred as the industry matured and influencing established itself as a far more recognised and respected profession, an integral cog in the marketing machine. Content is an extremely broad term and could encompass social posts, videos, podcasts, newsletters, emails, blogs or downloadable assets. Content creators create content for all channels, be that websites, social media, video platforms or OOH advertising. Fast forward and creator, which originated on YouTube, is now arguably the preferred term for digital talent as a whole. The term influencer is still utilised at times, though Creator seems to be a far more palatable word, leaning more heavily in suggestion on the skill and craftsmanship involved with being creative or innovative. That being said, the transactional element is still very much the lynchpin of the discipline.
Within that, the landscape in 2023 is made up of a variety of types of creator - Activist, athlete, entrepreneur, creative, authoritative, blogger etc. There is an endless list of specialisms and categories at play that is continuously being added to, that enables brands and organisations to classify the skills each individual brings to the table. Focus has pivoted towards niche sectors of expertise, with each creator becoming far more granular and specialised. These terms are also expanding laterally as platforms begin to diversify and new channels emerge.
Some speculate that the difference between Creators and influencers, is that Creators are not practicing with the primary aim of gaining followers or attracting brand sponsors. That they are instead interested in storytelling, fostering community and having inspiring and engaging conversations and relationships with their audience. On the other hand, plenty of self-professed influencers share the same goal.
From our experience, it is very difficult to separate tastemakers into creator and influencer camps, with their primary function and value to brands and customers being one and the same. There should be less of a focus on the vernacular and more of a focus on the true meaning behind it – its intention and value.
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