For years, but specially during the last decade, the boom of the influencer phenomenon has exceeded all expectations. Who does not follow someone whom we do not know in person but who presents us with interesting things almost daily?
The list of influencers is abysmal. As well as the different profiles to which they are directed. But what happens when companies abuse this tool?
A few years ago I received an email from a very renowned brand and of which I was a regular customer announcing that they had collaborated with an animation studio and were releasing a series of items related to a movie that I have been a fan of since I was very young. You had to sign up for a list and depending on an undisclosed criterion they gave you access or not.
To my surprise (and disappointment) I didn't get to be among the lucky customers who could purchase those items before anyone else. Bad luck I guess. But if something made me raise my eyebrow it was that days before the start of the sale a large group of influencers from all over the world thanked the brand (and promoted it) for having given them a number of garments and accessories from that collection. Not only was I not allowed to buy what I was willing to pay for despite having been a good customer, but they also gave it away to hundreds of influencers.
When the sale was opened to all those who had not been shortlisted, there were no longer the garments I wanted. At that time I stopped following the brand and have never bought anything from them again.
My conclusion is that having brand ambassadors is very good and that those influencers who work to search for and find useful news for their audience deserve total respect. But whoever abuses the phenomenon ends up losing what makes them original and, in the worst case, customers willing to pay.
The list of influencers is abysmal. As well as the different profiles to which they are directed. But what happens when companies abuse this tool?
A few years ago I received an email from a very renowned brand and of which I was a regular customer announcing that they had collaborated with an animation studio and were releasing a series of items related to a movie that I have been a fan of since I was very young. You had to sign up for a list and depending on an undisclosed criterion they gave you access or not.
To my surprise (and disappointment) I didn't get to be among the lucky customers who could purchase those items before anyone else. Bad luck I guess. But if something made me raise my eyebrow it was that days before the start of the sale a large group of influencers from all over the world thanked the brand (and promoted it) for having given them a number of garments and accessories from that collection. Not only was I not allowed to buy what I was willing to pay for despite having been a good customer, but they also gave it away to hundreds of influencers.
When the sale was opened to all those who had not been shortlisted, there were no longer the garments I wanted. At that time I stopped following the brand and have never bought anything from them again.
My conclusion is that having brand ambassadors is very good and that those influencers who work to search for and find useful news for their audience deserve total respect. But whoever abuses the phenomenon ends up losing what makes them original and, in the worst case, customers willing to pay.