Increasing digitisation has meant that the use of social media has expanded, beyond a means for communication to a strong marketing base. 50% of shoppers have made a purchase based on recommendations on a social media network. Additionally, a recent survey showed that as of July 2015, 53% of social media users recommend companies and products that they like on Twitter. The power of social media as a marketing tool is therefore not to be underestimated.
One industry that is really leveraging this power is the modelling industry. The modelling industry has boomed through its use of social media. The top models in the world right now are those with the most followed social media account. The ‘millennial models’ have up to 70 million followers on Instagram and they are using this following to their advantage. A tweet from Kendall Jenner is now so influential that it is worth the equivalent of a $236,000 advertisement campaign and she is paid from $125,000 to $300,000 for one Instagram photo. When Estee Lauder cast Kendall Jenner as the face of their beauty campaign last year, they gave a statement that the reason why they had chosen her, was her influential social media following. Additionally Kendall’s Chanel campaign last year caused the brands’ earnings to rise nearly 38%.
The way that the most successful models use social media as a marketing tool to dramatically influence purchasing choices is remarkable. In fact, communications professionals should take note of the following rules that supermodels follow in order to use social media to their advantage.
Showing a Personality
Models have to think carefully about what they post on social media to intelligently leverage their personal brands. Through the notion of ‘everyday’ supermodels, models can ensure that they are more relatable. By simple acts of promotion such as i) behind the scenes fashion shots and ii) #nomakeupselfies, models have enabled their fans to see them also as people. Customers enjoy feeling that they are friends with and admire the model that inspired them to buy the brand. This is seen by the huge popularity on social media of Taylor Swift’s girl squad, every teenage girl wants to befriend them. Marketing loves a personality.
The same can be said for multinationals, where showing a more human side is hugely beneficial on social media. Through commenting on current affairs, publishing insight pieces and internal news, multinationals give themselves a personality and are relatable to consumers.
Balancing marketability with authenticity
Be intelligent and business smart, the Kardashian brand is worth up to $300 million. This requires strong business acumen. One of the ways in which models use this business acumen is through finding the right balance between marketability and authenticity. If supermodels put their name on too many products and excessively advertise, they lose their authenticity. For example, if a model promotes an animal welfare brand and then is seen wearing a fur coat, their authenticity will be lost. Social media posts will come across as targeted and fake, the value of them lost. This relates to all brands. Moving to politics, one of the strong arguments behind Hillary’s presidential loss is that she didn’t come across sincere or genuine, especially on social media, because she put her name too liberally on too many policies.
Multinationals should also follow this notion of authenticity by engaging on topics that are of genuine interest to them, rather than doing it to increase performance. Posting regularly whilst not trying too hard is beneficial. Trying too hard comes across as insincere and unauthentic.
Many see the rise of models on social media as vapid; promoting unrealistic body images, overpriced clothes and superficial lives. However, regardless of whether you like them, their marketing skills are undeniably impressive. The appearance of nonchalance and coolness whilst subtly selling a product is something that the millennial models have perfected. This is especially skilled as consumers are retreating from blatant advertising and being ‘sold’ a product. A model’s role as an influencer in a digital era is something that should be observed and adopted. It has huge potential for multinationals and as digitisation only increases, the full extent of this will be seen.
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