Marketing Perspective: How Influencers Shape Our Habits

In recent years, influencer marketing has presented itself as a viable career path for many. The success of the Influencer profession largely comes from the relatability of the individual, their engagement with the audience, and algorithms. While social media influencers may seem like a new phenomenon, they are effectively taking the place of once popular lifestyle magazines from the nineties and early 2000s. Rather than going to In Touch Weekly, Better Homes & Garden, or Cosmopolitan magazine to garner the newest trends in fashion, beauty and/or home improvement, the average social media user can see their favorite influencer demonstrate products.

When it comes to authenticity, the audience wants to know that the products being pushed upon them are quality and not just a cash grab opportunity. In recent years, there has been a crackdown on social media advertising after several celebrities failed to disclose their working relationships. Kim Kardashian's $1.26 million Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) fine is one notable example of a social media influencer getting their hand slapped for “unfair or deceptive acts or practices” (Lustigman et. al, 2022). Influencers that have been called out for misrepresenting the products or failing to disclose working relationships with certain companies have certainly tainted the profession.

While I don't personally follow any lifestyle influencers, my boyfriend is a content creator on YouTube with sponsored advertisements. I can speak to the fact that he actually likes the products he talks about and has turned down integration opportunities in the past if they did not fit his brand. Using his channel (Roanoke Gaming) as an example, he covers movies, video games, and other media from a scientific angle after years of working at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) as a biologist. He has had integrations with earbud/headphone, mattress, meal kit, and facial hair grooming companies in the past, and I can vouch for the fact that he actually uses the products in real life when the cameras are off. People gravitate towards his pages because they enjoy his brand of humor, and he has an ability to make science and learning a fun experience. While headphones and meal kits may not seem like they'd mesh with his channel description, people can see that he likes to exercise which is when he wears the headphones, and he often advocates for eating clean, which is where the meal kits have come in handy for him personally.

Resource

Lustigman, A., Spina, M., Gold, R. (2022). Kim Kardashian to pay $1.26 Million towards “Unlawful Touting” SEC Charges. OSHLAN. Retrieved from https://www.olshanlaw.com/Advertising-Law-Blog/kim-kardashian-to-pay-1-26-million-towards-unlawful

Meeting Customer Needs - Tale of Tiger's Big Adventure

The 'Tale of Tiger's Adventure" follows the story of a motivated airline employee going above and beyond to return a misplaced stuffed animal to a young child that left it in the Tampa International Airport (TPA). When analyzing the TPA's media impact in relaying Tiger's story, its apparent they were able to garner the immediate support of employees, airline travelers, and internet users alike.

In crafting the story, the media team wanted to add humanity to an already feel-good story. They were able to highlight the emotional and frantic call of the young traveler's mother, showcase the selflessness of the employee that photographed the Tiger throughout the airport during his lunch break and used his own funds to create the book, and show the faces of several TPA staff members as they 'assisted' Tiger in tracking down his family. For all intents and purposes, the TPA media team executed what they intended flawlessly. While Tiger's adventure was a hit on TPA's social media platform, the story went on to attract the attention of the Shorty Awards and national news media outlets. 

In its initial post of Tiger's Adventure, TPA received overwhelmingly supportive engagement from followers that went on to share the story further. One TPA staff member was also able to comment directly back to their mother through the official account, which further demonstrated that there are real people with authentic experiences manning TPA's social media platforms. It goes without saying that TPA sharing Tiger's Adventure was intended to be a feel-good story, but the organization in no way expected the popularity and positive feedback to be so long lasting and impactful. Tiger's Adventure was just one of countless unique experiences for the millions of air travelers and workers that enter TPA facilities each year.

With regard to analyzing the success of TPA's digital strategy and ability to meet customer needs, I would have to say that they far exceeded their own expectations. There is truly no way to know which stories will catch the attention of the national media channels, but TPA's media team ultimately did. While TPA expected positive feedback on their organic social media sites, they in no way could know how much the American and international audience wanted to show gratitude for a small selfless act that made a world of difference to one family. 

Reference

Zink, J., Nipps, E., Valentine, D., Osborne, C., & D'Aiuto, T. (2016). Tale of Tiger's big adventure highlights airports commitment to customer service. Retrieved from https://shortyawards.com/8th/boy-leaves-stuffed-tiger-at-tpa-returns-to-a-tale-of-tigers-big-adventure-see-more-at-httpww