Influencer Marketing - What does it look like in 2022?

2021 brought us many things; 77 countries now have a full or partial ban on the use of plastic bags, the UK led the world and pushed forward with a successful COVID-19 vaccination programme and the world of Hip-Hop lost one of its biggest Ruff Ryders, DMX (R.I.P.)

All in all, a little better, but still not great.

But Social Media in 2021 bought us only one thing… the continued rise of Content Creators, Influencer Campaigns and Content Led Marketing.

The growing ease of buying and using high-functioning video editing tools has created a noticeable boom of Content Creators. Worldwide mega-stars such as Harry Styles were replaced with the likes of quintessentially English and consistently-lovable train guy, Francis Bourgeois, as the representation for the coveted Gucci x North Face drop, solidifying our belief that this incredibly effective marketing tool is worth its weight in gold to brands who use it correctly.

Because of the fact that platforms such as TikTok, which has amassed over 1 billion active users since its initial launch in 2016 as a lip syncing and bite-sized video portal, is now worth an estimated $50 BILLION, the Mighty Social team firmly believe that the next 12 months will be bigger still and that creation will be king in 2022.

Artists, Streamers, Video Gamers and Social Videographers all take to the rapidly growing platform in order to push their branding messages onto Gen-Z. These creators, who can make an incredibly lucrative living from the content that they produce, play a key role in ensuring that brands stay on point when attempting to approach a younger demographic. Turning to creators and influencers to help produce believable and engaging content for their TikTok and Reels channels will undoubtedly pay dividends for brands in the future.

But not all brands get it right. There is nothing more “cringe” than a brand attempting to appear relevant by embracing a new channel and missing the mark by a mile. A prime example of this is luxury brand, Prada. Despite having almost 160,000 followers, comments on their TikToks have never even hit triple digits! This could be down to the fact that in order for TikTok and Reels to appeal to the masses, they need to feel relatable and inexpensive, funny and off-key, rather than high-quality expensive adverts.

Gucci’s example above proves that the days of high-budget celebrities flaunting expensive, out-of-this-world items are gone. When coming up with a video-content marketing strategy, brands need to envisage their content (and also content creators!) as flowers to be nurtured. Putting in that extra bit of time, love, patience and gaining that all important bit of luck will ensure magical results.

If brands want to understand the younger market and have success with Gen-Z, there’s clearly only one way: they’re going to have to come together on the Internet generation’s terms.

Whether it's more information on the above, or to discuss your Marketing Strategy, talk to the Mighty Social team today.