What is an Influencer?
The ecommerce is a kind of commerce via internet. On the Internet, many people sell their products in many ways. People on the Internet share post in which they are wearing clothes, upload videos while they make-up, and we do not realize that they are an influence for us.
Many factories show their products through advertisements. They design an ad and show us the product, its characteristics, range, way of working, and the benefits that it can give to you…
However, they have realized that there are people that in the social media are quite relevant due to the number of followers they have.
Many factories have a target audience, and they discover that their target audience is similar to the target audience of one influencer, therefore the factory contacts the influencer to collaborate and he or she announce their products or services.
The way to contact them is so easy. It is enough with writing an email or a direct message on Instagram to the influencer and telling him or her that the factory would like work with him or her, because they have seen how he/she expresses, their profile is what they are searching, and the factory looks for the number of followers that he/she handles.
With all this, the factory chooses this person to test their products or services, and they agree in a contract, from that moment on the influencer will announce in their account the products/services that the factory has provided him/her, and the factory is in charge of paying him/her for this work.
There is another kind of influencer, the brand ambassador. Being a Brand Ambassador, of one or more brands, means that the person looks authentic and represents the brand and its values, also they should be a communicative person. They should be available to attend to social, events, fashion shows… on behalf of the brand; the ambassador transmits a positive image and proactivity.
The person who represents the brand answers the people’s doubts about the products or services that the brand ambassador post. They are specialized in what the company offers.
A brand ambassador cannot be timid or introverted; they must give good image to the followers so that they can get a good image from the influencer, the product or service, and the company. The brand ambassador must identify him/herself with the brand and communicate to their target audience the values of the company and so they can increase sales.
INFLUENCERS: DULCEIDA (Spain), CHIARA FERRAGNI (Italy) and Oto Vans (Croatia-Spain)
DULCEIDA
Dulceida is the most popular influencer in Spain and one of most known influencers in the world, she is also a fashion blogger, brand ambassador, youtuber and instagramer.
She is thirty years old; she was born in Barcelona and her real name is not Dulceida, she is called Aida Domenech.
Talking about her family we can say that she has a brother whose name is Alex Domenech and she is married with Alba Paul, both are influencers too, due to Dulceida’s fame.
As a fashion blogger, she writes a blog, where she talks about the new trendies in fashion and as she is a brand ambassador of Venus de Gillette, Pantene, Tezenis, Rimmel London, Mac Cosmetics she includes all these brands in her reports. Dulceida has 2.6 millions of followers although you do not really need to one of those to know her because she is quite active in YouTube and Instagram and she always answers questions that her followers make her about the videos showing clothes, travels, about her…
The luxury brands invite her to go to the brands’ events, fashion shows (Madrid Fashion Week,
Milan Fashion Week, London Fashion Week…), photocalls, parties… as they know that all her followers will instantly see all the photos and posts that she is, all the time, uploading to the Internet. Millions of people will see her dress, shoes, make up, bag…. She was invited to ceremonies with no relation to fashion just to advertise what she was wearing as Goyas, Starlite, or the 40 Music Awards.
Furthermore, she has created her own clothes brand (Dulceidashop), two perfumes, her own festival (Dulceweekend), she has even her own hamburger.
CHIARA FERRAGNI
Chiara is an Italian influencer born in Cremona who has 17,6 million of followers. She is thirty-two years old. She has two younger sisters than her, Francesca Ferragni and Valentina Ferragni. And she is married with Fedez, who is a famous rap singer in Italy, he is also an influencer. They have a baby who was born in 2018, whose name is Leone Lucia Ferragni. Leone was considered an influencer when he was just 2 weeks as he wears Moschino´s nightclothes, tracksuits, shocks and sport shoes by Nike. The brands give him many clothes to wear in this way his mom and dad’s followers can see the bay’s clothes and create the necessity to buy for their kids too.
It is normal that the brands contact the parents, but the brands are so intelligent, and they bestow baby clothes upon Leo and the people see that they also want these clothes for their babies. Therefore Leo, probably, is one of the youngest influencers. Even their dog is influencer, Matilda Ferragni, she has got 315.000 followers on Instagram.
Chiara is a brand ambassador of Pantene, Calzedonia, Pomellato, Intimissimi, amfAR…
The brands invite her to their events or fashion shows all around the world… In these fashion shows, different brands show to the public their new collections of the new season. The influencers show in the Internet where they are, they record it and upload it on Instagram, and we all watch it.
Chiara writes a blog, since 2009, “The Blonde Salad”, which receives almost one hundred and ten thousand visits a day.
She has got her own brand of clothes and shoes, since 2013, “Chiara Ferragni Collection”, with real and online shops. She was the first influencer to create a brand of clothes and boutique of shoes.
She also is Instagramer and in her post we can see all the brands with she collaborate with, as: Tommy Hilfiger, Mini, Viktorandrolf Fragances, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes Benz, Furla, Max Mara, Calcedonia, Intimissimi, Burberry, Fendi, Victoria´s Secret, Dior, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Lancòme…
OTO VANS
Oto Vans has 394.000 followers. He is twenty-four years old and he was born in Croatia although he came to Spain when he was five years old. He has two younger brothers and one sister than him.
He became famous through You Tube as he uploaded videos when he was making up himself, the people started to pay attention to him because, their makeups are so originals and so fancy, and he was transmitting a new thing, the boys can make up too. In this way, the brands started to invite him to their events or fashion shows too. Oto is a brand ambassador of Benefit, Nyx Cosmetics…
Nowadays I watch many videos of makeup, and many boys are who make up themselves. I see it as normal and even brands too. Therefore, there are companies that give them products ans samples of makeup to try and the influencer boys give their opinion about the product in their profile in the Internet (You Tube, Instagram, Twitter…). Thanks to this, the companies, reach a new segment of the market and contribute to the brand visibility as we see normal that boy makes him up.
He also is Instagramer and in his posts, we can see all the brands, with which he collaborates,
as: Anastasia Beverly Hills, Nyx Cosmetics, Sephora, Benefit, so kinds of brands of lashes…
CONCLUSIONS
I think that the fast evolution of social media is due to those people who don´t spend time at home, because they work, travel, kids, school… People always have their phone in their hand, because we work with the mobile or our devices, we need to communicate. We are always connected.
All of this has made that the mobile phone is an important factor in our lives. Therefore, I think that the social media has had a fast evolution, because spending time with the phone is the only thing we do, and the apps’ developers have found an important market opportunity.
While we are happy with our phones, the companies have realized that they have an open window on the social media, so that people are not distracted from what is important: the companies’ own sales.
People are really engaged by social media. The most common thing is that we upload the information posted very frequently and new ad appear all the time. Every two videos on You Tube or every four tweets we watch a picture Telepizza; every three post on Instagram, you can see company’s services about redesign your living room… Even in the Instagram’s stories, you can see perfume ads, restaurants from your city, new clothes’ collections…
Then, the companies introduce a new factor; they thought how to enter in this new market. Easy, they contact with influential people in the society, via the Internet. Those people have specific profiles, with enormous number of followers, and many of them have similar target audience as the company, and they transmit the same values than the factory. They earn money promoting what the company send them, and the company gets a big number of customers and potential customers, the clients are interested in the brand and buy their products, everyone wins.
PERSONAL OPINION
I guess that the influencers will exist for a long time, for example, I read that Nike contracted famous athletes for them to wear their sneakers, like Michael Jordan or Steve Prefontaine, but they were not considered as an influencer, this profession wasn´t known as we know it now.
Now, being an influencer is a recognized profession, they figure as a freelance, and they are content creators. They began showing their clothes, with videos, blog posts… The brands realized that they probably could performed like models of their brand, but without the worries that the process to contract anyone causes. Being freelance benefits the brands, because the company do not spend money in contracts or social security… I think that it is a good market strategy because the companies do not spend money on record the fashion show, broadcast it, and send it directly to the consumer without the need of an ad.
In my opinion, I think that being an influencer is a fantastic work. Personally, I love to show my opinion, give the opinion of anything to anyone. They only give their opinion about a product or service, which the company have given him or her, and in addition, the company pays for it.
It looks easy, but I have found two problems, first, the influencer doesn´t have a private live, because they have become famous for showing content, but this must be constant. They always have entertained to their public with everything they do, they eat, they fly… The followers must be all the time entertained, and influencers must avoid losing followers because this could mean losing money and contracts. Another problem is if you don´t announce or post any photo or video with the product the company is paying you, because you do not like it, but you need the money, what do you do?
If you try the product or the service, and you think that it doesn´t achieve what the company told you. You do not agree with the benefits, some ingredients are bad for health, or this product goes against your values and ethic… this is an enormous disadvantage, the dark side if you need money. Therefore, sometimes they should choose between earning money or being loyal to your values and ideas.
In my opinion we must always follow our moral values and ethic, we will always look for the best way to feel good. If you consider that you are a loyal and a good person, you shouldn´t accept those kinds of projects, because I think that what I don´t want for myself I don´t want for others. It isn´t profitable for me if I do something that I know that is bad or wrong to anyone. I am sure that I wouldn´t hurt anyone to earn.
Being good will make us better people.
Razón: Este es el trabajo obligatorio de la asignatura optativa de Inglés Técnico 1 que comparten los Grados de ADE, Publicidad y Relaciones Públicas e IOI, de la profesora Amaya M. Barrio.
Temática: Los influencers como nuevo concepto de publicidad frente a la publicidad de radio y televisión o en papel. Aprovechamiento de los seguidores de los personajes de Instagram y blogs como público potencial de productos y servicios.
Alumnos: Esther Hernández de la Cal.
Curso: 2019-2020.
Asignatura: Inglés Técnico 1.
