Brand Trust and Marketing: The Shift to the Micro-Influencer

Trust is finicky. We trust our partners to tell us about the lunch in our teeth. We trust our parents to cautiously encourage our life choices. We trust our coworkers to meet our wandering side-eye at a lofty goal set by higher-ups. If our standard for trust is based in authentic interactions over shared experiences, how does this translate into an online setting?

For the past six years, brands have tapped into the trust influencers cultivated among their followers. Since 2020, the global influencer economy has grown from $9.7B to a projected $40B in 2026 (Statista). But, if the only connection to these personalities and a consumer is a screen and comment section, is this method sustainable? How is this trust evolving now that prominent influencers are no longer relatable to the average consumer?

The meteoric rise in the everyday person going viral and subsequently creating brands, products, and entertainment media through consistent online engagement will be studied in decades to come. When you think about it, there is something truly incredible about a handheld device slowly tearing away at the traditional rigidity of class structure.

One could argue that the democratization of celebrity and opportunity is one of the greatest feats of the age of social media. Class mobility is no longer exclusively contingent on pedigree and connections, but on an imagination and a few free apps. The railworker can turn into the robberbaron's robberbaron in a matter of minutes.

Conversely, one could posit that social media has bred an era of unprecedented inauthenticity and angst. Compounded by the rise in AI generated content, social media users are starting to tread lightly when it comes to buying into what influencers are selling.

A prime example of this phenomenon is beauty influencer Mikayla Nogueira. Once venerated for her quintessential working class Boston accent and penchant for recommending stellar products, like Icarus, she flew too close to the suhn (Bostonian version). A recent video advertising her makeup line's lip glahss (rated at 2.9 stars out of 5) has a comment section flooded with those of the likes of:

"$71. Is that a joke" · "And here's me struggling to buy food" · "$71 ?......in this economy??" · "Elf has the best dupes girl" · "eh."

Her most recent Chanel haul video, opening line being "So, I may have blacked the f*** out in Chanel yesterday" has been met with comments like:

"I can't even afford my insulin" · "over consumption at its finest" · "This is unfortunately so tone deaf" · "Nobody needs all this."

Mikayla's social strategy obviously plays into the rage bait to engagement cycle, but at what cost (literally). There is a fine line between aspirational content showcasing financial freedom and excessive consumption. With most Americans living one paycheck away from eviction, general social awareness is crucial to brand longevity right now.

That being said, as the cost of living crisis continues to unfold, and consumer sentiments steadily decline, can brands continue to rely on these unrelatable personalities to drive sales?

We think not. There is a shift that's already occurring from mega influencers to micro-influencers and nano-influencers. With higher engagement rates and more relatable content for the average social media user, these individuals are sowing trust that brands must tap into.

This niche of influencers are more affordable for brands, but that doesn't mean they should pull back their marketing budget. Rather than large scale brand deals with mega influencers, brands should be investing in experiential marketing for micro and nano influencers.

There is no better way to create discourse around a product or brand than hosting an event for small scale influencers. These individuals are still relatable to their followers, which could in turn incentivize free product UGC in the hopes that they'll be invited to an event in the future. Bringing aspiration back into the fold benefits the user who'll gain a following, and the brand that'll gain awareness and sales.

Sourcing unique vendors that complement the product or niche would add an extra layer of interaction to the event. Why not partner with a make your own fragrance vendor so attendees can create a fragrance that they feel reflects the lipgloss? If a brand's pillar is a commitment to cruelty free makeup, why not host a wellness event at a local farm that has goat or bunny yoga? There are ample ways to curate experiences outside of an open bar that resonates with both attendees, and their followers. Shared experiences happening offline that will translate into trust online.

Investing in relatability now will only set brands up for sustainable success. Gen Alpha is already showing vastly different spending habits than Gen Z and Millennials (Kadence International). With digitized lives revolving around screens, they're leaning towards brands that are socially aware (not relying on moderately tone-deaf influencers) and gamified experiences (incentivizing followers of micro influencers to post UGC). It's all connected, largely dependent on trust, shared experiences, and lipglahss.