Talking heads...with Rosie Davis
What place do influencers have in a post pandemic world?
Influencers first started appearing in street style photos and on the front row of Fashion Week shows in the 2010s. The talk then was that they would soon replace editors, but fast forward to 2021 and that hasn’t happened.
Of course, there is overlap in some areas with influencers being given column inches in magazines and editors turning their hand to influencing (a la Billie Bhatia’s viral @connelschain) but generally speaking, they’re still quite different. Whilst editors have the power to provide insight into trends, insider access, the budget for photoshoots and designer interviews, influencers use their platform to position themselves as a stylish friend, offering glimpses into their ‘real’ lives, sharing style advice and most importantly giving you direct link through to their favourite new piece of tech or pair of jeans.
Unlike editors, influencers’ have the power to act a lot like personal shoppers, using affiliate links to direct their followers to stores and websites to shop their look and achieve their aspirational lifestyle.
In 2020, as lockdown took hold, the need for brands to have a strong digital presence - especially on social media - increased dramatically. This led to the elevation of influencers and content creators who already occupied this online space and could help brands maintain their relevance as well as drive sales, creating surprising new opportunities for brands.
Creators were quick to adapt their content during lockdown and pivot towards ‘at home’ posts to stay relevant. They needed to remain relatable to their followers, whilst consumers began to rely more heavily on digital interaction. This meant the relationship between influencers and their followers was strengthened. It also brought new audiences online. People were sharing, saving and swiping on bitesize pieces of content, rather than consuming traditional print media. Many publications responded to this by simply cutting print teams in half, making the move towards online content creation.
Live content also began to fill the need for entertainment and connection. The average daily consumption of online media has quadrupled since the beginning of lockdown last year. This has, in turn, opened up a whole new shoppable environment for brands to play in. As people spend four hours a day watching video content, live e-commerce solutions such as Amazon Live Creator (which transforms creators into QVC style presenters) and Instagram’s new Live Shopping feature (which lets people add items to a shopping cart based on the products than an influencer recommends during a live stream) are emerging to accommodate this behaviour and influencers are at the heart of it.
Influencers had everything to play for and it felt like they had nothing to lose when it came to driving sales and providers escapism for consumers. Then lockdown three hit…
As the government announced tighter restrictions on international travel and made it illegal for anything other than work purposes, a handful of influencers shamelessly exploited the loophole and began posting tone-deaf bikini shots by the pool in Dubai with the caption #todaysoffice.
There are reports that Love Island stars Anton Danyluk and Laura Anderson, who were both guilty of claiming essential work travel for a trip to Dubai, lost around 1,500 followers each. This has led journalists such as Alice Hart at the Telegraph to question, if an influencer becomes an irrelevance that no one can - or even wants to - emulate, what place do they have in a post-pandemic world?
As we know all too well, we are living in ‘unprecedented times’ so who is to say what the future holds for influencers, or for print publications. What is true is that 2020 saw an enormous ideological shift and across the board people are both aspiring to be and seeking inspiration from those who genuinely want to make the world a better place - take Captain Sir Tom Moore or social justice campaigner and footballer, Marcus Rashford.
Newer social media platforms such as TikTok, which now boasts 1 billion users, are much less narcissistic than Instagram and provide a space for open conversations on activism, body positivity, LGBTQ rights. People are turning more to social media and in turn to influencers, not just for the latest high street buy, but for positive, impactful content.
In my opinion, the influencers that survive will be the ones that rely less on a flawless, personal brand and endless #ad posts, and more on creating real, impactful content. Brands - take note!