Commentary: Not just glitz and glamour – it’s hard work being an influencer

Commentary: Not just glitz and glamour – it’s hard work being an influencer

When creators don’t know exactly where their next spend cheque is coming from, they are often willing to do anything that’ll take them money. This creates a destructive cycle where creators sell for less, companies pay much less for skilled services, and creators need to work longer to make ends meet.

PUTTING POWER TO THE HANDS OF MAKERS

But perhaps change, in terms of transparent prices terms and monetisation models, is arriving when brands are realising the power associated with creators in hooking up with consumers. Research by Nielsen and Rakuten released within September found that will 89 per cent of social media users throughout Asia follow influencers, with China, the Philippines and Indian seeing the highest proportions.

Of these followers, 4 in five state they are more likely to order items that influencers suggest, with product reviews being the most appealing kind of content except within China, where customers favour product demonstrations. Marketers require note that consumers will actively seek out creators’ voices when making purchasing decisions.

Even governments are jumping on the bandwagon in using influencers to promote programmes and policies . Indonesian government ministries, for example, spent US$6. 3 or more million (S$8. 87 milllion) on changer marketing from 2017 to 2020, using the Tourism and Innovative Economy Ministry spending the most.

Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has gone a step further and November last year, announced a training scheme intended for local creators to understand skills in content material marketing, audience engagement and data analytics for the purpose of monetisation and expanding overseas.

As the sector continues to develop, the particular regulatory landscape will even mature, demanding accountability from both manufacturers and creators while offering more protection to the consumers. In time, makers will have a bigger toolkit for growth , and perhaps overdue recommendation that they do have a real job.

Rohith Murthy is Group General Manager of Creatory by Hyphen Team , the brand and system for creators.