January 30, 2025
Leveraging Online Personalities to Engage Consumers, Build Trust & Drive Conversions
When was the last time you bought a product because an influencer popped up on your feed? A month ago, last week, this morning… We listen, and we don’t judge.
Once a niche PR tactic, influencer marketing has become the cornerstone of brand strategies. It is the practice of partnering with individuals who have strong, engaged followings in order to increase reach, awareness, and ultimately, sell products. This shift reflects a growing preference for leveraging authentic, relatable voices to connect with audiences in ways traditional advertising cannot – essentially, breaking the fourth wall.
As visual storytelling and emerging trends continue to shape our marketing campaigns, understanding these dynamics is essential to remaining relevant in today’s digital-first landscape.
From Marie Antoinette to Famous Pets: The Evolution of Influencers
The origins of influencer marketing can be traced as far back as the 15th century with figures like Queen Elizabeth I and Marie Antoinette, setting the standard for beauty and fashion trends. By the early 1900s, brands like Coca-Cola had begun using fictional icons, such as Santa Claus, as their spokespeople, while the 1980s and 1990s saw companies like Nike tapping into the star power of celebrity endorsements from athletes like Michael Jordan.
The influencer space expanded in the 2000s and 2010s as reality TV stars took to the screen. Think MTV Cribs, Jersey Shore, and Keeping Up With The Kardashians. The curtains were pulled back, and audiences could enjoy an inside look at “reality”, fostering deeper connections with big personalities. Now, as social media has dominated the digital space, anyone can be an influencer, from TikTok creators and fashion gurus to gamers and even internet-famous pets.
Want to learn all about Influencer Marketing in 2025. See our POV and What’s Next:
Unlocking the Power of Influencers Through PR
Trust, the foundation on which earned media is built upon, is an influencer’s bread and butter. As a result, influencer marketing was first utilized as a way to enhance PR strategy by generating buzz and strengthening the brand’s credibility. For example, makeup brands, such as Glossier and MAC Cosmetics, frequently send PR packages or “gifts” to micro or macro-influencers on YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok in exchange for an honest review or unboxing video.
While not a replacement for traditional PR, influencer marketing complements brand storytelling by ensuring consistent messaging across social media, blogs, podcasts, and more. Influencers emotionally connect with their followers, bridging the gap between brand narratives and consumer experiences.
The Rise of Content Creators, Monetization & Personal Brands
As influencer marketing continues to thrive, content creation has become a full-time job. Influencers now expect monetary compensation for posts and partnerships. Their ability to reach highly engaged, targeted audiences makes them as effective as paid media. Influencer marketing agencies and platforms have now created standardized payment scales to facilitate contracts and enable brands to hold creators accountable. Pricing continues to rise, with factors like giveaways, affiliate links, and repurposed ad content driving up costs.
User-generated content (UGC) has also changed. While all influencers are content creators, not all content creators are influencers. Typically, UGC creators focus on producing staged content for brands, often without a large following. Influencers, on the other hand, leverage their personal brand. They capture real-life, candid experiences, offering unscripted moments that build trust, loyalty, and enhance engagement through long-term collaborations.
The switch from niche experts to personality-driven influencers reflects a broader strategy to connect with larger audiences using an organic and impactful approach. Brands are even jumping on the creator bandwagon by sharing behind-the-scenes moments and advocating directly to their audiences. Figures like Captain Kate McCue, who grew a personal audience of over one million, drove awareness and sales for Celebrity Cruises, demonstrating the power of human connection in marketing.
How Doom Scrolling Turned Into Online Shopping for Gen-Z & Millennials
In the past decade, online shopping has completely transformed, cementing influencer marketing as a central force. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest now serve as shopping hubs, allowing direct purchases through in-app links.
The impact is undeniable – 93% of marketers use influencers to boost brand awareness and drive conversions, with 69% planning to increase budgets in 2024. On the consumer side, 86% of users make purchases influenced by creators at least once a year, and nearly half shop regularly based on influencer recommendations.
For Millennials and Gen Z, influencer marketing is more than a passing trend – it’s a primary way to discover new products. A study conducted by Pew Research Center found that nearly 50% of Gen Z women have purchased a product based on an influencer’s recommendation, with Gen Z men following at 28%. Among Millennials and younger Gen X, 41% of women and 24% of men rely on influencers for purchasing decisions. These numbers reflect a generational shift toward valuing relatable, authentic voices over traditional advertising, positioning influencers as trusted experts.
Gen Z has also fully embraced short-form video platforms like TikTok, while blogs, once popular with Millennials, struggle to remain relevant. The constant need for SEO updates and compelling visuals makes it difficult for blogs to keep up with the fast-paced digital landscape. TikTok’s short, engaging videos and viral-friendly algorithm have made it the go-to platform for brands seeking authentic connections, creating a high demand for TikTok influencers.
So, what’s next for influencer marketing? The future will see more integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic influencers, while human influencers will continue to gain greater creative control. Many are stepping into business ventures, launching their own lines, podcasts, and agencies, and even transcending digital spaces – like Addison Rae’s pop stardom and Alix Earle’s presence at NYFW. As influencers continue to expand their impact across industries, marketing is becoming more dynamic and personal than ever before.
Leveraging Influencer Marketing for Your Brand
Roar Media has fully embraced influencer marketing as a powerful tool to amplify brand visibility and drive engagement. During CocoWalk’s Summer Solstice events, Roar partnered with 9 hyper-local influencers to generate buzz around activities like cocktail-making, yoga, and aura readings. This collaboration resulted in a significant increase in impressions (+70.3%), social engagements (+149.9%), and engagement rate (+46.7%), demonstrating the effectiveness of hyper-local influencer partnerships in reaching target audiences.
In another long-term partnership with travel duo Chews to Explore, Roar Media leveraged influencers to boost awareness and bookings for Viva Wyndham resorts. With a collective following of 119.3K across YouTube and Instagram, Chews to Explore highlighted guest experiences at multiple resorts, creating ongoing buzz and building long-term loyalty. The continued collaboration includes future plans for 2025, illustrating Roar’s ability to forge meaningful, lasting relationships between brands and influencers to drive results.
Looking to harness the power of influencers? Our savvy team of social media strategists and public relation mavens is here to help you create an engaging influencer marketing strategy that aligns with your brand identity, consumers and business goals.
CITATIONS:
- https://www.aspire.io/blog/the-evolution-of-influencer-marketing
- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/10/style/lactation-cookies-billboard
- https://sproutsocial.com/insights/influencer-marketing
- https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/11/21/for-shopping-phones-are-common-and-influencers-have-become-a-factor-especially-for-young-adults/