Global influencer marketing agency, TAKUMI, has released its annual industry trends report, which compares the views of over 3,000 brands, influencers, and consumers in the Uk and US.
According to Marketing Tech News, the report, titled ‘Influencer marketing in the pandemic era’, highlights the changing attitudes towards influencer marketing, the growth in the industry, and the appetite from consumers to trust and engage in creator-led content.
Influencers cement position as marketing mainstay
More brands have explored influencer marketing in the wake of the pandemic, with 70 per cent of marketers now more likely to use influencers and creators in brand campaigns, while 68 per cent agree that influencer marketing budgets now represent a significant proportion of the overall marketing budget.
Effectiveness improves in contrast to other channels
The report states that influencer marketing is the only marketing channel to have seen an increase in effectiveness since the start of the COVID crisis, with 46 per cent of consumers being influenced by a product or service by a creator, up from 34 per cent in 2019.
Influencer marketing has also been shown to be the most effective marketing channel for driving conversions, second only to a recommendation from a friend. The effectiveness of influencer marketing has also increased among older generations, with 57 per cent of 16-34-year-old consumers and 61 per cent of 35-44-year-olds.
YouTube was the most effective channel when it came to engagement, with 56 per cent of UK and US consumers increasing engagement with the platform since the outbreak of COVID-19.
Diversity gap: a clash in attitudes when it comes to inclusive content
However, TAKUMI’s research found there was a disconnect between consumers and marketers over diversity and inclusion, with 28 per cent of UK and US consumers believing that brands’ influencer marketing content adequately represents diversity in society, compared to almost 62 per cent of marketers.
Encouragingly, however, marketers are listening to the frustrations of consumers, with 67 per cent using influencers from more diverse backgrounds in campaigns now than they did before the pandemic.
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