Instagram Influencers Have More “Influence” Than We Think
By: Sofia M. Guasch
Tags: Social Media, Consumerism, Instagram, Influencer Marketing, Social Media Marketing

Instagram Influencers Have More “Influence” Than We Think

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

“Digital identity” has often been used in reference to social media users and how they portray themselves online. Sometimes users use social media as a way to intensify their “real life” identity. Other times, users can take on a completely new identity, completely separate from their “real life” identity. Either case, both can be intentional or unintentional.

Much of the conversations that already exist around digital identity discuss the identity of those social media users that are in complete control of how their content is depicted. User’s such as Instagram “influencers”, still follow under this category. Although they may be getting sponsored from a particular company to share a certain post, at the end of the day the influencer is the one that agrees to partner up with the company.

Most of the time (or so we like to believe), an Instagram influencer tends to partner with a company if they 1) already have a relationship with their brand or 2) they positively view and believe in the brand and their products.

This company to Instagram influencer relationship is known as Influencer Marketing. (Want to know more about who are influencers? Read about it here!) Content marketing, as we see on Instagram, has even before social media platforms, evolved from a consumer demand for authenticity.

Instagram allowed influencers to become a new part of the wave of authorities who presented content with what their audience/followers considered to be, trustworthy information. Companies that use this strategy of marketing, find and partner up with influencers that they believe already have outreach to their brand’s target audience.

So while a company can perceive their target audience through the means of an influencers’ network, can the audience (consumers) observe a company’s whole identity through the means of an influencer’s activity?

Besides the sole view of the product or service being promoted, does the audience think of a company in a certain way, through the means of an influencers’ interaction with a company’s brand? In other words,

Is the digital identity of a company’s brand shaped by how consumers perceive an Instagram influencers’ partnership with that company?

I’d say so. How? According to my own research, the digital identity of a company’s brand can be perceived based on two factors that vary per Instagram influencer:

Previous/other brands and companies the influencer already has, or has had a partnership with How loyal the influencer is to the brand/company; where loyalty is valued by how much a product/service is put into use

The outcomes of two individual investigations I conducted, demonstrate how the digital identity of two separate companies can be perceived differently, based on the same two factors. Common to the identities of both companies however, was that both were formed based on a holistic evaluation of the relationship between the influencer and the brand’s product or service.

Nike: Partnership with Bella Hadid

During an interview, 22-year old female, Alexandra, stated that her impression of Instagram influencer and model, Bella Hadid, “did not change based on the brands/companies Bella had a partnered sponsorship with”. If anything, as an Instagram consumer that follows Bella because of her unique beauty, fashion, relatable style, and sense of authenticity, Alexandra stated that “her partnership with most brands has actually added to Bella’s authenticity”.

One of Bella Hadid’s first partnerships was with Dior. Particularly promoting their luxurious makeup and apparel brand. This partnership intensified Bella’s authenticity online because while her relationship with Dior opened up many doors for her, to partnerships with other luxurious and couture brands, she still remained loyal to Dior over the years.

When I asked Alexandra, if Bella’s loyalty to Dior increased the credibility of Dior’s brand and as a company, she disagreed.

“Dior was already seen as a luxurious brand. Their makeup brand for example is one that you only see used for weddings because it is that special”.

To Alexandra, Dior’s digital identity has not necessarily been shaped by its partnership with Bella Hadid. The company’s digital identity as a luxurious brand, on the other hand, has helped shape Bella’s digital identity. Alexandra identifies Bella as “an Instagram influencer for luxurious brands, and luxurious brands only.”

A few years ago, Bella signed a partnership with Nike. Her older sister, also an Instagram influencer and model, Gigi Hadid, at the same time, signed a partnership with competing company, Reebok. Alexandra brought Nike’s partnership with Bella to attention during our interview in particular, because she did not expect it.

She said that, she “always perceived Nike to be a more casual brand for competitive athletes only”. She initially thought that “Bella did not fit well with Nike’s identity as a casual athletic brand”.

However it was because of this “out of the ordinary” partnership with Nike that changed Alexandra’s view of Nike’s digital identity. For one, Nike’s choice to partner up with Bella, the younger sister, and not Gigi, framed Nike to be the “newer” brand; the “fresher” brand. What had a larger impact on Alexandra’s new perception of Nike, was Bella’s previous history with other companies. She had partnered up with several other high-end fashion brands.

Since Alexandra knows Bella as “having only interacted with luxurious brands”, Bella’s reputable identity influenced Nike’s digital identity accordingly. Her partnership influenced Alexandra to identify Nike as a “luxurious-athletic brand, rather than a casual-athletic brand”.

Bella’s promotional posts of Nike have similar artistic elements as her other posts that promote other high-end brands. In addition to the quality of the post itself, Alexandra noted that Bella’s use of Nike’s products outside promotional purposes, has “become a part of the influencer’s luxurious lifestyle.” It’s these type of posts that lead Alexandra to believe in Bella’s loyalty to the company.

Inevitably, Nike has benefitted from Bella’s reputation with other partnerships that identify as luxurious brands. Her identity as an influencer has intensified Nike’s digital identity. To Alexandra, perceiving Nike under this higher status, did increase Nike’s credibility.

Influencer marketing works because the target audience (the influencer’s followers), often look up to the influencer. Their followers are inspired by the them. In many cases, the audience wishes they could live a life like the Instagram influencer.

Summer Friday: Partnership with Influencers Only

Summer Friday, is a skincare company that “sets out to create formulas with good-for-you ingredients and covetable results”. They’re a company that has purposely (and successfully) aimed to form their digital identity through Instagram influencers.

During an interview with 22-year old female, Carly, Carly stated that she became familiar with Summer Friday on Instagram.

“I started noticing several of the Instagram influencers’ I follow posting Instagram stories using Summer Friday products. Many of them, posted at the same time.”

Two of these influencers she follows and that made these posts were fashion influencer and founder of the Something Navy brand, Arielle Charnas, and model and Co Creator of A Bikini A Day and Monday Swimwear, Devin Brugman.

Both Arielle and Devin posted one of Summer Friday’s most known (and first) products, the Jet Lag mask, on their Instagram stories. Implied in the name, the mask’s formula is meant to rejuvenate one’s tired and dried out skin after hours (or in the case of an influencer, days) of traveling.

Carly identifies Devin Brugman not only as a model, entrepreneur, and Instagram influencer. She also views Devin as an “avid skincare user that values and commits to a product when it produces positive results”. When I asked Carly how Devin’s identity shaped her perception of the products she shares, Carly stated that she views them as,

“high quality products, since Devin continuously posts the same products and brands that she uses in her skin care routine. She makes it clear that the products she uses actually work.”

As a follower, Carly see’s Devin constantly traveling because of her work. The influential figure is always posting from one destination to the next and stresses the need to continuously take care of her skin, especially when she is on the go.

In an Instagram story, Devin nicely displayed the products in her skin care routine, while on an airplane. Among those products was Summer Friday’s, Jet Lag mask.

When Carly brought Devin’s story to my attention, I asked her if there were any elements of the story that influenced or changed her perception of the product. In regards to Summer Friday’s product, she said that “including the products as part of her “skin care necessities” got my attention and lead me to look further into the product and Summer Friday.”

Yet because of Devin’s years of experience with skin care, investing in certain skin care brands (Caudalíe for example) and showcasing her facials, Carly already had an initial perception of Summer Friday: “Relevant”.

The company’s digital identity, to Carly, was initially a brand that produces effective results. Being a full-time student, Carly had difficulty identifying and relating with the company because of her steady schedule. “I do not travel near as much as Devin does”, said Carly. She couldn’t relate to the constant jet lag and consequently, did not feel inclined to invest in the Jet Lag mask because of this connection gap with the company.

Not too long after (literally a few seconds after since it was the following story Devin posted), Carly’s view of Summer Friday’s digital identity, changed. Devin posted a video of herself putting the Jet Lag mask on her face, mid-flight.

In a survey conducted by Olapic, “44% of female respondents noted seeing a product in use, as a reason to trust an influencer’s post”. Carly mentioned that seeing Devin actually spread the mask on her face added to the company’s trustworthiness.

What developed Summer Friday’s digital identity even further, for Carly, was the implication that the Jet Lag mask was used by other Instagram influencers. This is implied by Devin’s text on her story: “Are you even an influencer if you don’t apply @summerfridays jet lag mask in flight?”.

The same day, Arielle Charnas, posted an Instagram story showcasing the same mask and other Summer Friday products. Arielle showed what the mask’s substance actually looked like. She also discussed some of the differentiating characteristics between the masks.

To Carly, Summer Friday’s digital identity now became a skincare brand made for Instagram influencers. While she couldn’t necessarily find herself to put the Jet Lag mask to use anytime soon, the influencers’ loyalty to the brand added to the company’s authenticity.

“Every influencer uses this brand for a face mask so I immediately wanted to learn about their other products. Perhaps ones that I could relate to more and also have that ‘influencer quality’”.

In her video, Arielle directly mentioned one of Summer Friday’s founders, Marian Hewitt. She had mentioned Mariann verbally and tagged her Instagram handle in the story with text. To Carly, this personal connection between Arielle and Mariann was unquestionably trusting of the company’s success.

During the interview, Carly mentioned how this made her view Arielle as an influencer that only promotes products from companies that 1) she actually uses and 2) she has strong and authentic relationships with.

When I asked Carly if this affected her perception of Summer Friday, she said how “Arielle’s relationships with previous partnerships, in which she has been committed to promoting products she actually uses and believes in, influenced how [she] viewed her relationship with Summer Friday.” Promoting the products of a company she so clearly has a strong relationship with, contributed to the authenticity of Summer Friday’s digital identity. To Carly, the skincare company became a credible brand.

Evaluating these two different relationships with the same brand, through the lens of two Instagram influencers, shifted Carly’s perception of Sunday Friday’s digital identity as a company. In what was perhaps two minutes, Carly went from identifying Sunday Friday as just a successful company, in regards to their product’s effectiveness. Moments later, she identified them as a trustworthy and credible company whose products follow the standards of influencers — a set of high standards that others (their followers) strive to hold.