Less than a million followers on Instagram and less than five million on TikTok. For Michael Stanley, a partner at the GSD Creatives agency and an expert in alliances between public figures and brands, this is the perfect figure to choose a influence with a real impact. The manager explains that, at the beginning of the boom of digital marketing in social networks, companies saw a greater number of followers as a synonym of guaranteed success. Now, the key is not in the figure, but in the quality. “Brands can no longer attach their name to any beautiful person,” adds Stanley; “Consumers are increasingly sophisticated and have developed an eye for falsehood.” The expert has a degree in Public Policy Analysis, has an MBA in administration and operations and has worked in the direction of digital content for several modeling agencies, as well as going through Tommy Hilfiger as head of global communication.
Question: How has social media affected the way consumers and fashion brands interact?
Answer: When I started working in the industry, social networks were seen as secondary. The companies were not interested because they were too democratic and did not want their brands to be present there, especially in luxury. Now, social networks represent the power of the people, people tell brands what their products should be, as a test beta of what will later happen when they are marketed. When he started the boom of networks, to choose influencers with whom to associate, companies thought that the more followers they had, the better. Now, you know that each one has a completely different audience and appeals to different communities. Brands can no longer attach their name to any beautiful person, this person has to be a leader and communicate with their audience even better than the brand itself.
Q: For brands, is it better to partner with a influence general or niche?
R.: It depends on your goal. Before, brands thought that if they hired the celebrity of the moment for their campaign, the one who had just been in a movie and had a huge following, that would be enough. But these marketing strategies no longer have an impact. A influence with many followers it serves as a marquee ad: it may reach your audience and it may not, but it exposes your brand to everyone. In fact, this is less effective than an advertisement on a marquee, because the algorithm knows the audience and does not teach them the posts from all profiles to all users who follow them. If you really want a meaningful impact, the best is a influence with less than a million followers on Instagram and, on TikTok, where it is easier to accumulate fans, a maximum of five million followers. This is how you get a quality influence.
“That public figures influence the audience is not new, the only thing new is the medium”
Q.: Is it better to think global or local when choosing a public figure with whom to ally the firm? Does the figure of international brand ambassador still exist?
R.: It is increasingly difficult to find a person who can communicate well with a global audience. Eight years ago, this figure might have been effective, but now it’s best to work with a brand representative for specific geographic regions.
Q.: In what cultural sphere does fashion find its brand representatives?
R.: Today, there is no great fashion campaign in which an artist, a musician or an actor does not participate… A model cannot be just a model: it has to be an interesting character, be involved in some philanthropic project, have a differentiated personality… For brands, it is increasingly difficult to choose because many factors come into play.
Q: What is the biggest mistake a brand can make when choosing a character to partner with?
R.: The biggest mistake for a brand is to believe that it understands how a influence with your audience, or try to control it. Collaborative campaigns that fail are those in which the company has dictated to the influence how all the posts you publish should be, the language used, the aesthetics of the photos… These are the campaigns that fall flat on their faces and are not successful.
Q.: Before, the influencers they worked alone as amateurs; now, they can have large teams of stylists and assistants working for them. Has the genuineness of the influencers through its professionalization?
R.: No. Consumers are now more sophisticated than before. The general public has a very good eye for untruth among the users they follow, and when they see a hint of ingenuity, they will unfollow this person. The influencers They have changed, yes, but now they choose the brands they collaborate with much more carefully because they know their audience… Before, that filter did not exist. Generation Z, in particular, has grown up with social media and has developed an eye for falsehood. Brands and celebrities know this and that is why they cannot make any mistakes.
“When a public figure is canceled, the brand cannot distance itself from him: what the audience wants to see is repentance and evolution”
Q.: How can a brand deal with cancel culture when it has been associated with a character who suffers from this phenomenon?
R.: When a influence is cancelled, what brands usually do is completely cut ties with him and distance themselves as much as possible from their work together. Then they associate with another influence to represent the opinion of the public and comply with their complaints, and pretend that none of the above has happened. This is a big mistake: what the audience wants to see is growth. When a brand is associated with a public figure, an alliance is created, and one of the two elements cannot distance itself from the cancellation itself when it occurs. People want to see regret and evolution, so the company should work with the terminated person and come up with a step-by-step growth plan that shows that they have learned from their mistakes and that there has been change and learning. People follow other people and that’s what they want to see.
Q.: Is there a bubble of influencers? Will it ever explode?
R.: The marketing of influence it will continue to grow, but it will be a little more organized. In 2013, this was the wild wild west and more and more order is being put. There is no bubble influencers, is a phenomenon that will continue to evolve as consumers become increasingly sophisticated. The influencers they are here to stay, people follow other people, what brands have to do is convince the public that they are part of a niche and that they understand it.
“It is increasingly difficult to find a person who can communicate correctly with a global audience”
Q.: Have social networks allowed more diversity to enter the fashion industry?
R.: Without a doubt. In the beginning, fashion didn’t like social media because it gives power to the people, thus taking it away from a minority group that previously controlled the industry’s agenda. Now, there are platforms where opinions and diversity from around the world are showcased, which encourages more empathy, and that is reflected both within the industry and in the campaigns. People of all shapes, colors and backgrounds are present and have a voice in the community, so brands have to adapt to it, because it is the only way they will survive.
Q.: Will another phenomenon be born to replace the influencers?
R.: The phenomenon will continue to change and evolve, because it is not new. That public figures influence the audience is not new, the only thing new is the medium through which they do it. So after Instagram came TikTok, and after TikTok there will be a new social network.
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