The influence of influencers is being questioned. We should be talking about amplifier marketing instead.

In the past year, many articles have been written on the question of the real power of influence of influencers as they are called in our industry. What power do they really have? Can they effectively change and influence consumer behaviour?

They have an undeniable content creation capacity. Expertise in it even, for many.

But do they have influence?

One thing is certain, they have reach.

Their number of subscribers reflects a very real potential for reach.

There are and always will be some extreme stories, but take as an example this influencer, Arii, whose Instagram subscriber base was over 2 million and who was unable to sell 36 t-shirts to start a new clothing line. The reach of her announcement, her invitation to her subscribers, was there, but true influence was not. (She has since deactivated her Instagram account.)

Obviously, this type of story goes beyond what I describe above in a somewhat overly simplistic way and I invite you to read more about this particular case, but should we continue to talk about influence marketing?

Let’s talk about amplifier marketing instead.

Marketing based on the potential reach.

An excellent article by Gareth Davies supports this point exactly. A piece that I enjoyed from beginning to end because it sets the stage for what I believe is essential in our industry: a re-examination of the perception of the potential of influencers in the broad sense.

Their reach is large and essential for a significant number of advertisers.

It is on this notion of reach that we must focus.

For several months now, the industry has been at a turning point on influencer marketing. What if we were to move towards an amplifier marketing perspective instead?

Would you like to discuss amplifier marketing for your brand? Let us know and schedule a consultation with our experts at Toast today.