Call me a dinosaur, someone so out of touch with today's media world as to be but a distant spot in the rear-view mirror of an electrically powered, driverless transportation module ... but I really don't get the fuss about online influencers. First off, why is this new? There have been celebrities in advertising since Stanley Matthews told us in 1952 how he smoked Craven 'A's before destroying the opposition. And no doubt long before then, too. There have been hundreds of celebrities in ads, from Morecambe and Wise for Texaco, through to George Clooney for Nespresso. And who could forget Pepsi and Kendall Jenner? (Pepsi would no doubt like the answer to that question to be "everyone, please.") What are advertisers buying with influencers, anyway? Authenticity. Awareness. Newsworthiness. Plus, influencers come with their own online audience, whereas celebs in ads build an audience from those provided by the channel.
Why the Big Fuss Over Online Influencers?
