When launching a brand in the 21st century it is always inevitably connected and intertwined with social media and the social influencers within it. Whether the brand is big or small establishing itself with the right ambassadors and influencers is essential for its survival and success in the market and, possibly more importantly, the public eye.
In recent times we've seen the ascendancy of brands such as Under Armour with help from possibly the biggest social media influencer and arguably the most popular celebrity on the planet right now, Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock. This is a man with no sporting achievement to his name but can connect with an audience on a global scale. They have now established themselves as the fastest growing gym brand in the world. And now possess a huge share of the global gym wear market.
The market leaders Nike have even realised its power and alongside their array of top athletes, secured the services of non-other than the ever-popular comedian/actor Kevin Hart. Who also has a huge social media following and is also a close friend of Dwayne Johnson. We have seen their rise in popular culture and they have shown how this following can be used to influence the market.
The success of collaborations such as the ones mentioned above are, according to a publication by Forbes, due to two main factors.
- 1 Quality content
- 2 Consistency
It's the same two ingredients more or less with the success of any major achievement. Both in business and on a personal level.
Another important factor mentioned was Authenticity. As the rise of social influencing becomes more and more popular and thus more and more lucrative, we see a lot of multiple brand associations and this filters the authenticity of the content of the influencer. Therefore has less and less effect on the marketplace, and therefore affects both the quality of the content and the consistency of their message. The most successful influencers aren't seen with any other brand associations within the same sector.
One way to measure the authenticity of an influencer, according to an article in Vogue, was the interaction with his or her following. But not only the amount of interaction but the way the influencer interacts with their following. There must be a level of connection between the influencer and the audience in order to impact the market. This often meant that it wasn't the influencers with the biggest following that determined the level of influence but more their level of engagement with their audience.
If we look at the most successful brands in the world whether it's in sports, fashion, tech, food, cars, in practically any area of business, they are all irrevocably engaged in social influencers and promote themselves through the faces we have come to recognise within them.
- Does this make us buy them? Absolutely!
- Does it influence the choices we make? Absolutely!
- Will this always be the case? Quite possibly!
At GymPro, one of the main ingredients we look for in our brand ambassadors is their dedication and love for their chosen sports and athletic fields. It is as much their personal stories and struggles that we try to portray as well as their successes that we feel truly connects us to them. The closer we can bring our audiences to our athletes the more we can realise the potential in each and every one of us.
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