De-Influencing

It seems that the forecast for trending influencer marketing uptick in 2023 may be fiction more than fact. We’ve reported that it may be trending upaward this upcoming year through our research, but with economic uncertainty on the rise, that may not be true at all. Everyone in the U.S. has been more cautious with their spending habits and has increased their scrutiny over “influencer authenticity.” This became a recent reality when a popular creator was accused of wearing fake eyelashes to promote L’Oréal mascara. Our favorite part of this scandal is that it has been coined “Mascaragate.” We love a good pun… When influencers are paid for their reviews by certain brands, it raises questions over the authenticity of their reviews and promotions. Rightfully so! We find it hard trust anyone who was paid by a company to give me a review on a product or service. Would they tell me if the product sucked? Probably not. Influencer marketing worked in the past because their reviews were true to their opinions without any influence from particular companies. Therefore, something that created trust at the birth of the influencer was their negative reviews on any given products/services. This is actually the concept of de-influencer. De-influencer is defined as the act of telling followers what not to buy. This could be a way to bring trust back into the brand to audience gap but there are still issues here. Even if an influencer says use this and not that, are they being paid by the brand who they’re telling people to use? Gen Z’s trust in influencer marketing has been waning quite a bit since the end of 2022. There is a heightened need for authenticity.

While we don’t have all the answers, but we do think that investing in micro-influencers and regular people is where this road will lead. Found content is going to be that pot of gold at the end of the metaphorical rainbow. Investing in real people to connect authentically with people is where it’s at. It makes sense. Brands collaborating with micro-influencers whose audiences’ see as more trustworthy is another solution to this connection problem. It’s time to start fixing the trust issues with good content and transparency!

Psychology of Creativity

Neurology is intertwined with creativity and how it works within the brain. There is research to show that those who are creative use the three brain systems of neural networks: the default/imagination network, the salience network and the executive network. The salience network is a large-scale neuro network located deep within the brain. It is in charge of complex functions, such as social behavior, communication and self-awareness. This system plays a role in motivation and readiness to act to stimuli. The default mode is one that works when we are in our resting state. For example, when we daydream or thinking about a memory we use this part of our brain. It’s what creates simulations of possible scenarios and is also used for social cognition. Lastly, the executive network is one that monitors and resolve conflicts between thoughts, feelings and responses. This is the part of the brain that is used when someone is focusing intensely on a challenging task. Forging new creative connections in the brain are tied to certain personality traits of creative people. These include, but aren’t limited to, openness to new experiences, curiosity, positivity, high energy and persistence.

It has been said in the past that people who are creative are dominant right brained. However, this is a myth. As you noticed we talk about neuro networks above and whole brain functions. Each side of the brain is not separate from the other, especially when it comes to creativity, according to Anna Abraham. She also talks about the importance of the frontal lobe with involvement in creative ideation in an interview with Scientific American. Different parts of the brain will be involved in different parts of the creative process, hence the dynamic nature between neural networks. Study of the brain during the creative process is still in earlier stages. Much more research will be done in the coming years and we look forward to seeing what they find.

Found Content in Holiday Marketing & Advertising

We recently read an interesting article from AdAge about the state of holiday marketing this year and according to them, “promotional tops emotional.” Honestly, it makes sense with the state of the economy being what it is right now. The financial uncertainty during these times makes for a more discretionary consumer. That being said, we firmly believe that you don’t have to remove one to use the other. Why not use promotional and emotional messaging? You can have your cake and eat it to.

This is where incorporating user generated content and/or real-life situational moments into your marketing strategy comes in. Think – a bunch of friends enjoying a Friendsgiving around a dining room table. Nothing says holidays like emotional connections. It’s that time of year we foster our relationships with family and friends. We get nostalgic. We find kindness in our hearts to help others in need. Found content in your campaigns is one of the best ways to achieve this emotional bond with your consumers and gain their trust. Mix that in with some good promotional discounts and you’ve got yourself a customer for life!

Another reason to adopt found content into your marketing and advertising campaigns this season is your brand budget. Brands are not immune to the economic downturns and find themselves in financial uncertainty as well. Using real moment content campaign costs significantly less than traditional advertising.

Now you see how promotional and emotional advertising working in unison to not only increase revenue, but close the gap between your brand and your customers. It’s time to create a marketing and advertising strategy that includes found content.