Tag Archives: Influencers

Marketing, PR and SEO, News

Disclosing influencer marketing is a double-edged sword

Disclosing influencer marketing as advertising is a double-edged sword, according to a new study by researchers from several European universities.

The study, conducted by doctoral candidate Zeynep Karagür of the University of Cologne and her co-authors Jan-Michael Becker (BI Norwegian Business School), Kristina Klein (University of Bremen) and Alexander Edeling (KU Leuven), investigated the effects of disclosing influencer marketing as advertising on the social media platform Instagram.

They found that disclosing that a post is advertising has a negative effect on the influencer’s trustworthiness, because it increases the perception of advertising and monetary motivations.

However, influencers and brands also benefit from disclosing posts as advertising as consumers appreciate the transparency. Thus, the authors advise influencers to divulge some form of disclosure as the long-term reputation loss from being caught not disclosing might even be worse.

Among the disclosure types investigated, Instagram’s stardardized branded content tool is the most effective way to increase consumers’ recognition of advertising.

Using the stardardized branded content tool also makes it dispensable for consumers to rely on other cues such as the number of followers or the number of previously endorsed brands when deciding whether posts are advertising or not.

The study also found that influencers with a high number of followers (macro influencers) and a large brand portfolio are seen as less trustworthy because consumers might see them as “human ad spaces”.

The researchers say that their findings contradict the common thought that “the more sponsors you have, the more credibility you have”.

“Large brand portfolios undermine influencers’ trustworthiness through higher advertising expectation,” say Karagür. The underlying assumption is that influencers will post as many advertising as they can to increase their earnings, rather than endorse products they genuinely like.

According to the researchers the“highest level of trustworthiness is associated with micro influencers with limited brand relationships”. If managers are deciding between two influencers with a similar number of followers, looking at the number of previous product endorsements is another effective selection criterion.

The research paper was published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing.

News

Revealed: The most popular TED speakers in the world

TED is a global phenomenon. Known for its punchy sub-18-minute talks, high production values and big-picture ideas, it has come to be seen as the zenith of conference formats and public speaking.

The TED conferences themselves are exclusive events, costing as much as $10,000 per ticket. But their influence worldwide has been driven by the decision to make the talks available for free online, and by creating the TEDx series whereby independent organisers can create their own TED-branded event for local audiences.

To see if there are any particular themes that appear to be chiming with the current zeitgeist and whether this varies by geographic region, VBQ Speakers has conducted research to uncover the most searched-for TED speakers in five English-speaking countries.

Overall Brené Brown’s was the most popular TED speaker, with an average of just over 9,000 searches per month over the period analysed. She was also the most searched-for in the whole of the US. A research professor at the University of Houston, Brown shot to fame when her talk on the power of vulnerability became a viral hit. Brown’s talk discusses human connection and how vulnerability is key to our understanding of humanity. She later returned to TED to speak about listening to shame.

Simon Sinek was in second place, he was also the most searched-for speaker in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Sinek is an American author and motivational speaker, and his talk on how great leaders inspire action has been widely acclaimed and remains hugely popular. During the speech, Sinek seeks to learn lessons from the leadership styles of figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and the Wright brothers, as well as global brands like Apple.

The UK was the only country to have Carole Cadwalladr as its number one speaker, with her talk about her investigation into Facebook’s role in Brexit. Consequently she didn’t make it into the combined list of 10 most popular speakers. The speech questions whether elections can still be free and fair in the age of social media, and what role Silicon Valley played in the UK’s 2016 referendum on its membership of the EU.

When the 5 lists were combined, the 10 most popular TED speakers were:

1. Brené Brown

2. Simon Sinek

3. Wren Weichman

4. Sam Hyde

5. Elizabeth Holmes

6. Cole Bennett

7. Sam Harris

8. Shawn Achor

9. Tim Ferriss

10. Elon Musk

VBQ Speakers Founder & Director, Leo von Bülow-Quirk said: “It’s really interesting to see the most searched-for TED speakers. The data reveal consistency in popularity across the countries analysed: Brené Brown, Simon Sinek and Sam Hyde appear on every list. Brené Brown is also in the top three on every list and Simon Sinek is in the top three of every list except the UK. But there are also some regional differences, for example Carole Cadwalladr’s UK-focused talk and that of New Zealand director Taika Waititi.”

“Human psychology and emotional wellbeing appear to be the most popular topics when you look at the speakers that appear across the lists. This is perhaps to be expected during a pandemic, but could also be a reflection of our perennial desire to try and understand the human condition.”

“Controversy and infamy also seem to attract audiences, as suggested by the popularity of Sam Hyde’s prank TED talk and that of Elizabeth Holmes, former founder of discredited healthtech firm, Theranos.”

News, Research

Posting meaningful content is the key to becoming an Instagram influencer

The key to becoming a successful Instagram influencer is to post meaningful content, according to new research by emlyon business school.

The research, conducted by Professor Karine Raïes and her co-authors Mariem El Euch Maalej and Marielle Salvador, found that posting frequently with lots of hashtags is not the only way to increase engagement on Instagram.

In fact, the research revealed that using a social media strategy which takes a more emotional approach by linking yourself to your brand and not posting intensively, could be more effective as consumers will trust you more.

The researchers explored casual configurations of factors that led to a high level of engagement on 18 French Starred Chef Instagram accounts.

Starred chefs now face the challenge of building a highly recognizable brand. With social media they can showcase their history and personality before customers taste their cuisine making them suitable for this research.

By looking into the number of pictures uploaded in each of the 18 Instagram profiles, the average number of hashtags, the number of pictures containing people, and finally the average number of commercial links, the research raises the different mechanisms that can explain a high engagement of the followers.

“Social media, and particularly Instagram, enables people to get closer to their customers, extend their media coverage to a wider audience, and direct traffic to the starred establishment. With COVID-19 lockdowns meaning businesses are having to close, it is now more important than ever for businesses to boost their online profile, and our research shows a strategy that can lead them to maximize their social media marketing activities to influence follower’s engagement behaviours, and to successfully manage their accounts without adopting an intensive publication strategy” says Professor Raïes.

These findings can also be applied to other types of brands, including personal – influencers can use this research to develop strategies that can serve their collaboration with other brands while positively impacting their follower’s engagement.