As influencer marketing becomes increasingly popular, marketers and influencers both need research-based insights to optimize the creative and the messaging in videos. For example, The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires that influencers acknowledge sponsorships, but when and how the brand appears is likely to affect consumer response.
With the exponential growth of influencer marketing on platforms such as YouTube, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok, research that explores how elements of such videos (across text, audio and images) are related to outcomes that influencers and marketers care about, is becoming increasingly important. The Marketing Science Institute (MSI, now part of the ARF) and the Journal of Advertising Research (JAR) have both published new research insights on this topic.
A few takeaways:
- A study reviewed by MSI found that a brand mention in the first 30 seconds of an influencer video results in a significant increase in attention to the brand–but also a significant decrease in positive sentiment towards the video (and by implication, the brand). Consumer electronics and video game categories seem particularly sensitive to the negative impact of early brand disclosure. Thus, adhering to FTC requirements, promoting the brand, while keeping viewers positively engaged, requires careful fine-tuning.
- A study in the JAR found that consumers have different motivations for engaging with and purchasing from influencers. The researchers offer this segmentation based on why consumers follow influencers and how they react: Idea Seekers (32%), Silent Followers (20%), Entertainment-Driven Inspiration Seekers (17%), Spontaneous Entertainment Driven (13%), Influencer Unengaged (characterized by low levels of spend based on influencer recommendations, 11%), and Super Fans (high level of spend, 7%). The researchers recommend that brands select influencers who attract consumers with different motivations, rather than trying to appeal to all consumers and target those followers most likely to spend in response to influencer advertisements.
Sources: Manchanda, P. & Rajaram, P. (2021).
Video Influencers: Unboxing the Mystique. MSI Working Papers,
MSI.
Campbell, C., Farrell, J., & Sands, S. (2021, December 1).
What Drives Consumers To Engage with Influencers? Segmenting Consumer Response to Influencers: Insights for Managing Social-Media Relationships. Digital First,
The Journal of Advertising Research.
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