The Influencer Landslide
I touched on my previous post that the current ‘influencer’ trend is leaving a very bitter taste in my mouth. I feel this trend is a slippy slope and we’re already half-way to the bottom. Current influencers seem ill-equipped to make good decisions about which companies to take money from and instead just chase the ££££s. On one hand their non-sponsored posts extol the virtues of health, mental wellbeing, inclusivity, whilst their paid for posts are promoting alcohol, junk food, credit cards. It’s not bad to promote these things per se - most of their audience are adults - but I can’t help feel a little uncomfortable when we’re surrounded by young people who suffer because of excessive drink and drug consumption or getting themselves into crippling debt to keep up lifestyles that far exceed their incomes. These social issues are real and they are affecting the mental health of our young people and I’m not sure other young people should be encouraging it.
Looking at current influencers, when you peel back the layers there is no depth, no offering beyond a large audience, which they have become entirely reliant on to make their living. The social media landscape changes all the time so when your 15 minutes are up, then what?
If we look back at influencers in the last decade, we see they were savvy individuals who had tangible skills that allowed them to successfully move into other markets and careers that will sustain them long after their influencer status has wilted.
Let’s take a look at three of them.
Leandra Medine
Medine is the quintessential wealthy New Yorker. She launched her blog Man Repeller in 2010 and it featured her self proclaimed “man-repelling” outfits. Those outfits were not exactly found in charity shops, they were luxury labels like Chanel, Dries Van Noten and Prada. to name a few. Her wealth and privilege was up front and centre and that wealth landed her a feature in the likes of Vogue a mere 3 days after she launched her blog. Make no mistake, if Medine was a poor girl from the Bronx putting together outfits from charity shops she would never have made it onto the pages of Vogue, even with the same USP. However, love her or hate her, Medine does have writing talent and has a Bachelors in Journalism. She moved fast and made the most of her influencer status quickly by writing a book, designing collections for Gryphon, shoe companies Del Toro and Superga, jewellery line Dannijo, and clothing line PJK. Additional brand collaborations include Michael Kors, Maje, BaubleBar, Stuart Weitzman, and Saks Fifth Avenue. She went on to turn Man Repeller into an online magazine and employed 14 members of staff to write for it. However, she left in 2020 after some staff accused her of being racist. Possible racism aside, Medine was shrewd and talented, enough to turn her influence into real opportunities.
Chiara Ferragni
The Italian blogger launched her blog, The Blond Salad, in 2009 while studying law. In 2011 she was featured in The New Yorker and Teen Vogue and in 2013 she wrote a book. Ferragni, like Medine, choses her collaborations and business opportunities carefully and in 2013 she designed a 9 shoe collection for Steve Madden and modelled for Guess. She even has her own Barbie doll! Ferragni has gone on to have her own line of footwear and in 2017, she opened her first Chiara Ferragni Collection store in Milan. She has over 10 million followers on Instagram and earns about $12,000 for a sponsored Instagram post. She is worth an estimated $8million. In April 2021, Ferragni joined the Board of Directors of Tod's Group, then in May 2021 she unveiled the Nespresso x Chiara Ferragni collection. A temporary pop-up cafe was set up in celebration of the capsule. She is a smart business woman who used her intelligence to make good choices and now has a business that can stand on its own merit. She has used her influence to forward a real career.
Susie Lau
Most of us have heard of Susie Bubble, the London blogger known for her quirky outfits and pigeon toed stance. Whilst Lau is the least prolific of this trio, her dedication to fashion and writing is unmatched and it gained her a job as digital editor of Dazed & Confused. Whilst she didn’t last too long there, she did go on to forge a successful career in freelance fashion writing. She also has earnings from working with brands such as Gap, Dr. Martens, Armani, and Selfridgesas well high-end luxury labels. Her sponsored posts on Instagram are very well considered and almost entirely with fashion brands. Being in London, the epicentre of offbeat fashion, worked greatly in Lau’s favour and much of her appeal was bringing the essence of that quirky Brit style to the world wrapped in very down-to-earth, approachable narration. Her blog no longer exists, but with over 500k followers on Instagram she is still a force in fashion.
These women turned the opportunities into real businesses. They didn’t purely rely on making money from sponsored Instagram posts. They branched out, created their own brand backed with talent and marketable skills. If you don’t have that, then you’re on a shoogly peg and will be more likely to advertise any old crap for money, which is the case which most influencers now. But mark my words, a backlash is coming. People are beginning to tire of endless sponsored posts and are looking for more authentic content that doesn’t come with a literal price tag. It’s not enough to fake smile your way through a cringe-worthy reel where you tell the world who you just LOVE *insert random brand here*.
We need more authenticity, more honesty. We need to be able to trust the people whose content we enjoy.
