A marketing influencer is a tool that has entered the Romanian market in recent years. The relevance of this tool is even greater given that young people in our country are part of a global trend of not using traditional media so that they can be targeted by the printed media or linear television. Young people are an age-relevant category in terms of advertising for a wide range of products. But doing just online advertising didn't seem to be the winning solution, especially when it comes to the widespread use of adblockers, and when skipping ads is such a common trend among Youtube users, thus negatively impacting advertising on this platform.
Nonetheless, advertising through influencers is more than advertising on social media and seems to be an effective solution. Research conducted in recent years in various parts of the world has shown the positive effects of advertising through influencers, mostly due to the positive impact on the brand and the willingness of potential customers to actually buy something from that specific brand. These effects are even more significant when advertising on social media directly from brand’s account. The positive attitude towards a content creator is passed on, and as a result, the influencer achieves a positive image towards the promoted product.
„ The public often has the feeling that they know the influencer well, that they grew up and matured together, as is the case with Selly's generation, for example.”
The practice of using celebrities in advertising is several decades old now, so what could be new and different when it comes to influencer marketing? Can we equate influencers with celebrities? Influencers are celebrities, but they have an extremely important additional dimension. By the nature of the constant, repeated and long-lasting interaction between them and their followers, the para-social relationship is even stronger, and the influencer is perceived as a peer, someone similar to the audience, an acquaintance or even a close friend.
The public often has the feeling that they know the influencer well, that they grew up and matured together, as is the case with Selly's generation, for example. And let's not forget that we’ll always have more confidence in a friend's advice, especially when they recommend us a product or a service through the various platforms that they use, such as: Youtube, Instagram or more recently TikTok.
"The vast majority of influencers with a substantial number of followers [...] advised their own virtual community to follow the rules of social distancing, to take care of themselves and their loved ones."
Content creators in Romania, especially those in the area of lifestyle, travel, fashion and more, have accustomed us in recent years with campaigns to promote different events, and by this I mean especially those music and film festivals in Transylvania and on the shores of the Black Sea. Romanian influencers promoted different tourist destinations and were invited to promotional events of various international brands in exclusive locations. All of these have moved to the #TBT chapter during the pandemic. The first two months of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also included the emergency period, were considered the #stayathome period for influencers, as well as for the entire population of Romania. The vast majority of influencers with a substantial number of followers spread this message and advised their own virtual community to follow the rules of social distancing, to take care of themselves and their loved ones. Fundraising campaigns have been initiated in order to raise money for protection equipment that is so necessary in Romanian hospitals, while keeping in mind that these charitable approaches aren’t something new for local content creators, and I think that now we have only witnessed an intensification and a channeled direction for these charities.
Online commerce has seen a significant increase in sales in these two months in Romania, obviously given that, with the exception of hypermarkets, pharmacies and home appliance retailers, all other stores remained closed. Websites in Romania or abroad that sell branded clothing or footwear such as fahiondays or aboutyou understood that this is a great opportunity and were promoted through influencer marketing campaigns in Romania during April-May 2020.
Given that users have spent much more time at home than usual, the time spent on social media has also increased significantly. Without the possibility of going to a restaurant, home delivery was also intensely promoted by some of the Romanian influencers, while others promoted cooking recipes, inspirational messages and life lessons for their followers. Fitness sessions have moved home, and video streaming services have also had their place in the portfolio of promoted brands.
"Some voices are talking about a recovery that will last for years, and the future of sectors such as tourism and air transport is uncertain. In this broader context, it is clear that budgets for promotion will decrease. "
Given that even the most optimistic experts anticipate a dramatic decline in the global economy this year, and the European Commission has released unsatisfactory statistics, the effects will also be seen on influencer marketing campaigns. Some people say that a full recovery might take years, and the future of areas such as tourism and air transport is quite uncertain. In this broader context, it is clear that budgets for promotion will also decrease. The lesson that we’ve learnt from the financial crisis of 2009-2010 was that advertising is important. A decade later we would add that advertising through influencers is also important, and its role in promoting local businesses, especially those in the Horeca area, an area strongly affected by the crisis, should not be underestimated.
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