Celebrities vs. Influencers

If you were asked to compare your favorite celebrity and your favorite blogger who would you answer is most trustworthy? As you may or may not know, brands are using online influencers more and more in their marketing campaigns. Bloggers and other online influencers have almost reached the same level as celebrity endorsement and in some cases even go above and beyond. So what are the pros to both sides of influence for brands and marketers? Celebrities vs. Influencers get in the ring!

This illustrates the levels of influence and reach according to status

While many view celebrities as unattainable and only real in TV/film, bloggers are usually viewed as “regular people” with jobs, families and relatable lives. Although celebrities do usually have a larger following, bloggers and social media influencers have audiences that are dedicated to them, specific followers who tune in for specific inspiration and advice.

While brands can still benefit from the wide-range appeal of celebrity endorsed campaigns, bloggers and other online social influencers main goal is to share their opinion, offer advice and give tips. This makes them an organic fit and likely appeal for the higher ROI. Celebrities are very useful when creating brand awareness and bloggers for creating targeted content creating a connection between audience and brand and driving sales.

This image shows that word of mouth, which usually comes from a trusted friend or credible online source, is the number one most credible source.

Image source: http://blog.zuberance.com/word-of-mouth-rules/wom-rule-6-brand-advocates-are-5x-more-influential-than-paid-media/

Some of yesterday’s Golden Globe coverage shows just how everyday peopl’s posts get as many likes, favorites and retweets compared to celebrities, showing that the audience pays just as much attention to someone who has an online presence and isn’t in any way famous.

Check out this tweet from Jenny Johnson @JennyJohnsonHi5 that got as many likes as some of the celebrity posts last night

Compared with actor and musician, Steve Martin’s tweet of the night that has slightly more retweets, nonetheless being a celebrity one would think it’d be a larger difference.

In conclusion, popularity doesn’t always equal influence. Bloggers with a large following but who don’t advocate a brand with passion will be less effective in getting their audience to actually take action and/or purchase products/services. A blogger or online influencer with a smaller following can post an enthusiastic pitch of a brand’s product/service and have more success. It’s all about the reach and the content, it’s no longer just a popularity contest.