Flicking through Instagram for some may be an enjoyable way to fill their time, but for others it is now a career. The rise of the ‘influencer’ has been the marketing phenomenon of the last few years and is only set to continue to grow until either: Instagram marketing is regulated in the same way as traditional media such as TV or magazines, or people get bored of Instagram and move onto another social media platform.
Next time you are flicking through your Insta feed remember that all the products that are endorsed by influencers are in fact adverts. The top influencers have all been paid (in some cases thousands of pounds) to recommend those products to their followers. Many of them will have never heard of and certainly never even used the products they are endorsing; until someone from the products marketing department contacts them offering cash for an endorsement.
If it’s a hair or beauty product that is being endorsed, think why is the influencer only mentioning it now? They have already posted thousands of photos on their account and almost certainly won’t have used the product in the past – so how has this product helped them achieve their look? For other products think would the influencer really have used them in their daily lives? You should also take a flick through the influencers feed to see what other products they have endorsed. It should then be fairly easy to see how authentic they actually are.
How much faith therefore should you really put in the recommendations or endorsements of social media celebrities? Student Jungle advises you always do your own research, do a quick search for the products online. Look at what the online retailer’s reviews saying about the product so you can at least make a more informed choice. Don’t be sucked in by a flashy celebrity influencer, they are only endorsing to make money not to help you make informed product choices.
