Who are you influencing?
In the new age of acai bowls and quinoa, you can be anything you say you are.
It all started with the Instagram bio – If you have an opinion about something you’re a ‘creative consultant’, if you like arranging things you’re a ‘curator’, if you own a DSLR you’re a ‘fashion photographer’. It’s pretty obvious you can con the world into believing you are whoever you say you are. After all, who’s going to challenge you? The Instagram police?
But what exactly does it mean to be a ‘key influencer’ these days? If you take it in the most literal term, everyone’s an influencer! That lady in Coles who, with a cheeky grin alerted you to the $1 chocolate; or the bar-tender that encouraged you to perk up that single to a double. They influenced you, so are they influencers?
Key influencers within our vast media landscape are the movers and shakers of our industry. Most brands use your large social media following/celebrity endorsement as methods of promotion, meaning you can forge a career out of simply being popular. We’re basically all slowly becoming the Kardashians!
This long tail of emerging influencers and bloggers is also spawning virtual talent management agencies such as Platform Me. These platforms allow businesses and marketers across the world to gain access to the who’s who of social media – offering products or payment in exchange for endorsements and collaborations. It’s now easier than ever to plug your brand through influencer endorsement.
Fashion Designers know that their target customers are flooding social media sites and they want to be heard! Social media has, and is, changing the fashion industry and it’s anyone’s guess what the shift will continue to look like.
Zac Posen’s Spring Summer 2015 collection was partially influenced by comments and suggestions from his 700k strong following on Instagram. He started by posting images of stunning sunsets from a recent holiday to his IG page and followers began asking for these prints to be incorporated on his garment. So the new perspective on his creations began!
As a result, a dress featuring THAT sunset from THAT Instagram image became part of his 2015 collection. We’re in the fashion driver’s seat now – who’d have thought?
Your Instagram following is important when attending go-sees and approaching casting directors. Just as it’s important to make sure your personal brand is saying the right thing about you. Casting directors like to ensure you have a steady following and correct image for the job from more than just your tangible portfolio.