Influencing, Werbung und Glaubwürdigkeit – Wirtschaftsgipfel Deutschland

A guest article by Maren Schiller (blogger and Instagrammer). Maren Schiller is a discussant at the Germany Economic Summit, panel „Change through Influencer Marketing“.

Scrolling, liking, sharing – the basics of the smartphone generation. Whether it’s Facebook, YouTube or Instagram, at least one of the social networks is browsed daily for news and connects us with our friends, our family and – whether you like it or not – also with advertising. In a very specific way, the algorithm of our search terms and likes selects the appropriate advertising message from brand X and makes it present on our smartphone.

Credibility is the influencer’s currency

With the help of influencer marketing, companies can place their products „conveniently“ and, above all, cost-effectively in YouTube channels, for example. The decisive factor here is the reach of the respective social media star and, of course, credibility. Because advertising has never been more authentic than in the age of social networks. Influencers are characterized by a high degree of identification with themselves. The – let’s call it that – integration of „everyday“ problems and tricks makes them enormously tangible, especially for the young generation, and establishes a closer connection to them than to famous music artists. This is ideal for companies: the high level of visibility and trust in the person is an optimal environment for product placement. Depending on the reach of the account, the price of the respective post and the equipment of the products sent are calculated. It becomes problematic when labeling the sponsored post. The majority of influencers do not use hashtags such as #sponsored or #advertisement. They are intended to clearly convey the advertising character of the article to the recipients. Everything else falls under surreptitious advertising. It is also difficult for the audience without hashtags to see whether the influencer has been compensated for the post. Of course, this does not happen without reason: Paid opinion limits the highly traded credibility of the influencer and can have a deterrent effect on the respective subscribers. Many companies have now recognized this – they deliberately refrain from labeling. In this way, the target group is still suggested that the influencer posts the product out of his or her own conviction. However, this is problematic for both sides, as surreptitious advertising is a violation of the relevant media law regulations. Warnings or claims for damages are the result. Not to mention the loss of credibility.

It is therefore up to the influencer to mark such posts as advertising and thus make it clear that he is usually paid for the posting. It is important to maintain a balanced balance between sponsored and „normal“ posts and to regularly inform subscribers about their cooperations. With enough information about the individual contributions and a clear statement, credibility can be quickly regained, if not strengthened. After all, being an influencer is (now) a profession and a successful account is the result of a job well done. Contributions have to be produced, planned and organized. With a certain personal touch and an understanding audience, sponsored contributions can certainly be arranged. It is important to note that as an influencer, you should, indeed must, stand behind the product.

Change through influencer marketing?

But what about contributions that concern political decision-making? If certain opinions are said or represented only „through the flower“ – or better: through a filter – it is questionable how strong the credibility of the respective influencer is in this area of social life. When it comes to various purchasing decisions, the media power of bloggers, YouTubers or Instagrammers seems to be enough to advertise consumer goods even in high price segments. But what role do influencers play in the topic of the Bundestag election this year, for example? Do the young voters, if given, reflect the opinion of their favorite influencers?

On the one hand, I think that this type of communication is an opportunity for the German economy. Companies can use influencers to reach their target group in other ways and channels and enter into a dialogue. On the other hand, especially in the political environment, there is always the danger of a formation of will and opinion in favor of influencers, who often do little research and can hardly provide well-founded background information on their statements. In this respect, the smartphone generation should take a critical look at the contributions and build on high-quality news sources to form their own opinion.