If reaching Generation Z is a marketer’s goal, influencer marketing has become a go-to practice. Young adults look for easy and accessible entertainment on social media, most-preferably delivered in a short-form video. The answer to this need is influencers, with their relatable content and digestible formats. A 2023 survey indicated that 84 percent of
. The same was true for over two-thirds of millennials.
Unpopular among consumers…
However, their high reach does not translate into high credibility. In 2023, influencers were at the very bottom of a ranking showing media sorted by the level of consumer trust. Only 22 percent of responding British consumers indicated they
trusted influencer ads. Moreover, they are among the
forms of advertising most complained about in the United Kingdom. They gathered four thousand complaints, resulting in over 3.5 thousand cases that needed resolution by advertising regulators in 2024.
… yet, very popular among brands
Businesses seem undisturbed by the missing public trust and quality issues, possibly because they focus influencer marketing strategies on product awareness campaigns. A high reach is decisive. Additionally, market research shows that influencers do their job: they influence purchase decisions of UK consumers (1613225), no matter how low a reputation they seem to have. On average, one in four adults admitted to being impacted by their recommendations. This fact encourages more and more brands to ramp up their influencer marketing investments. Between 2019 and 2024,
influencer ad expenditure more than tripled, reaching 917 million British pounds at the end of this period. That is more than is spent on cinema, radio, or magazine advertising in the UK. It is expected to exceed one billion by the end of 2025. The money is being moved from budgets destined for traditional media, such as the ever-shrinking print, out-of-home, or radio.
AI about to change the picture
2025 is likely to see an increased usage of artificial intelligence in this field. From audience analysis, over content creation, to designing and running
virtual influencers, the industry is about to experience a shakeup. Many advertisers will want to adjust their strategies to the new environment, which will result in reshuffling money again. If these changes are ever expected to result in anything else but reach, brands will need to take consumer trust and guidelines drafted by advertising regulators into consideration.
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