
Influencers don’t really influence anything or anyone - jaoued
https://medium.com/@thesocialfairy/its-time-to-address-the-elephant-in-the-room-influencers-don-t-really-influence-anything-or-ee036b4abbb
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panorama
Like in any nuanced field, there are good and bad apples. At the end of the
day, attention is valuable, and Instagram influencers are driving attention
like crazy.

Does it work? I don't have any hard science to back it up, but I've worked
with many brands who see a ridiculous return on it (despite paying between
$50-$2000 per post). It doesn't work for every brand though.

I'm a dev, I work in the industry (I run a startup in this space, check
profile if interested), and I consider myself minimalist and not
materialistic. Yet when it came time to purchase my first watch, I went with a
nice, minimalist looking brand I'd seen advertised on IG constantly. Same with
when I needed to buy a new set of t-shirts.

We constantly ask for recommendations on HN and accept them without verifying
who the poster is or if they have ulterior motives. I've bought _so_ many
books off of HN suggestions because I give the average poster a respectable
amount of trust. It works the same in IG influencer marketing - those who
follow a particular influencer grant the influencer a modicum of trust and are
willing to trust their recommendations more than a banner, billboard, or
magazine ad.

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Accacin
MVMT? I am bombarded with ads for this brand.

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guitarbill
An "Engagement Strategist dedicated to helping brands grow, evolve & engage"
is upset other people are doing her job differently (cheaper?) and wrote a
post on medium.

Which is ironic, because I've "met" (aka. had to work with) too many clueless,
even useless marketers. And I can definitely understand why a company would
pay an influencer instead. Much more direct, and easier to gauge the
effectiveness of spend.

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mc32
I think influencers are a thing. What the threshold is, I don't know.

But maybe it's one of those things that work when it's unstated. Soon as you
declare yourself an influencer, then unless you have bona fides, you cease to
be an effective influencer.

Influencers in tech: Woz, Jobs, MarkZ, Musk, Ng.

Influencers in other areas: LeBron, Kardashians, Obamas, Sanders, Trump,
Brady, Kanye, Jenner.

Most/all of those are influencers not because they seek to do that explicitly,
but because it's a byproduct of other achievements.

When it's your main thing, then you're not so much an influencer but a
promoter.

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isubkhankulov
I think the author is using the word influencer to specifically refer to
instagram influencers aka fashion/muscle/whatever models. theres a reason
comedians dont hock products over instagram, but kim khardasian and co do. in
other words, influencers' fame was gained through static imagery over the
internet. You're referring to actual influencers. So in the end you both
agree.

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mc32
Fair point. I think what those people can do is "bring awareness" to a brand,
etc.. but not make people buy it because of them. If they like it, they'll buy
it because of the value the product offers rather than because instagrammer X
had it --thought it may be the case in some areas.

In other words their value may be in "surfacing" something. Akin to ranking
something higher on SERPs.

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dawhizkid
Personally I'm fascinated by all these good looking people I see on Instagram
who make a lot of money doing little more than taking a picture with some
gummy vitamins or drinking a cup of tea. Or being paid by a tourism agency to
take all expense paid trips around the world.

Not afraid to admit I'm jealous.

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olivermarks
good article on thoughtleaders from last year
[https://newrepublic.com/article/143004/rise-thought-
leader-h...](https://newrepublic.com/article/143004/rise-thought-leader-how-
superrich-funded-new-class-intellectual)

