Celebrity influencers losing their charm; new study finds a better alternative

Why we’re all in on performance branding – and how it can transform your growth.

Celebrity influencers losing their charm; new study finds a better alternative

Bryan Karas

June 14, 2018

A new report from Sprout Social came out and said celebrity influencers are rapidly losing their power – that using your employees and actual customers carry more weight.

Are we saying that you will never see Kim Kardashian hold up another bag of detox tea ever again? Probably not…but you might start seeing your friends promote more and more products from brands they love.

We already know that 78% of millennials aren’t influenced by celebrity endorsements but this new report sheds light on the fact that savvy brands are now scrapping all these photoshopped, cookie-cutter models from their marketing campaigns while including more authentic men and women instead.

But celebs losing their flare is only half the story…

There’s always a better salesman…

Spending $20K for some celebrity influencer to post a pic on Instagram wearing your socks is probably not worth it – but having your employees or brand ambassadors, people who truly understand your brand, appear in your social media posts, videos and ads brings an authenticity to the whole process that a celebrity simply can’t bring.

Macy’s is teaching us a lesson here – they’re publishing short videos of employees and customer ambassadors, highlighting their interests and showing their style choices in actual life – sports, bartending etc. The results? $15,000 in handbag sales in one week.

What does grease and glamour have in common?

Diesel Power Gear is the perfect example of a company using their employees as an influencer. The Ecommerce store spawned from the popularity of their crazy diesel truck building reality show – now I know what you’re thinking…these guys were already popular.

But if you check out their Instagram, they have pics all the guys working for them “modeling” clothes, using videos to sell the latest products and pretty much just goofing off – it’s their brand and it works well for them. There’s tons of websites out there selling products for trucks but people are buying from these guys…

And this is becoming a huge trend in the fashion industry – companies like ModCloth created a marketing campaign featuring their employees – diversity in every single way. They’re proud of their products and they wanted their brand to be known for their commitment to inclusivity by wearing swimsuits and other items in a range of sizes.

How a company that sold $20 million in coffee body scrub uses micro influencers

Frank Body thought it was a good idea to send “hundred of thousands” of pre-released and exclusive sample packets to micro-influencers across Australia. They asked for feedback and shares (user generated content) but what they really got was worth much, much more…