Influencers: how far do they go to make recommendations?

Influencers, those Internet users who have gathered a community of several thousand subscribers on their social media and who share content with them on a daily basis, are increasingly present in the French media and in our daily lives.

At a time when the traditional advertising model is in decline (more than1 in 2 ads are not displayed because they are blocked by Adblocks), influencers are emerging as the most viable alternative for many brands. Why? Quite simply because the content shared by an influencer appears on their subscribers' screens only because they have chosen to follow them. This is a far cry from the intrusive formats of banners and pop-up ads, which seem to be tiring many Internet users today. Influencers, on the contrary, maintain close relationships with their followers, based on trust. They are expected to share their day-to-day experiences of consuming products they have liked (or disliked), and can thus enable brands to reach their targets far more effectively than advertisements could.

And it works! When they promote products, places such as restaurants, or services on their Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat or Youtube accounts, influencers vouch for the quality of what they put forward, and often succeed in seducing their followers.

And yet, influencers are the talk of the town, with some people wondering whether they are the mere representation of an ephemeral trend or whether, on the contrary, they reflect deep-seated changes in our consumer systems?

So how far can influencers go in terms of prescribing? Do they have a real impact on the consumption of their communities? Do they succeed in converting their subscribers into customers or consumers? And who can you trust to promote your restaurant?

Answers in figures with Malou.