One of Instagram’s biggest influencers wants influencers to know the end is near! But is this really true?

In a recent interview with money.cnn.com – According to The Fat Jewish, whose real name is Josh Ostrovsky, the online phenomenon that made him a tidy sum of money has nearly run its course. The end of the influencer age, he says, is close, and that the future lies in making real things for real people.

“Everybody just wants to be an influencer now. Nobody wants to get a job,” he told CNNMoney in a recent interview. “Everybody’s just like, ‘Wait. I could go out and like hold those like hair enhancement gummies’ or ‘I can go out and like hold a product, and I can make money. I just think people need to learn how to actually build things from the ground up. … That will take you farther than the internet.”

Influencer marketing for the sake of wanting to be an influencer is out. People are moving towards quality impact and quality influence. Meaning, the quality of the influencer matters, and the industry in which the influencer is influencing also matters.

Let’s take sports and fashion. Brands spend vast amounts of money hiring celebrities to endorse their products, an estimated $35 billion in 2017 in the U.S. alone, according to MarketWatch.

 

Who ranks on the top on the celebrity endorsement list?

Wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson for his endorsement deal with Under Armour.

With 112 million Instagram followers, The Rock has been ranked as the best-matched celebrity-brand partnership in the fashion and retail sectors. Why? Because he lives the brand on and off the camera. He also represents a very little risk, he has an incredibly high audience match with the Under Armour customer base and as such, he has very high resonance, recognition and trust scores. His audience believes him, they relate to him, they trust him.

NBA star Stephen Curry also has a partnership with Under Armour, and he also ranks well with trust and brand support from fans for matching Under Armour’s audience (though still not as well as The Rock).

 

Gal Gadot’s partnership with Reebok is another great example of trust and influencer power. There is a very high correlation between the people Gadot influences and Reebok’s audience, and Reebok made a good decision in hiring her after searches and social media mentions of her peaked in March 2018 after she presented an Academy Award.

Other mentions of great brand matching endorsements include:

  • Crocs and Drew Barrymore
  • Amazon and Anthony Hopkins
  • Crate & Barrel (homeware store) and Reese Witherspoon
  • Dolce and Gabbana and Emilia Clarke

 

Influencer marketing is definitely not out, however, the quality of the match matters. We are in an era where social media influencers wield immense power over products and brands. However, brands need to choose people they identify with and trust. The trust needs to come from two directions; 1. on behalf of the brand and 2. on behalf of your audience.

The influencer needs to speak the language of the brand, and even more important, should not present a risk for the brand.  Risky influencer partnerships can negatively impact the success of your brand. When choosing your brand ambassador, make sure to:

  • Pick someone who indeed has influential power with the audience you are targeting
  • Stay true to your message
  • Partner with someone who stands for quality and creates trust for your audience