Socially Ambiguous Social Media: You’ve Never Ad It So Good

Thanks to a new generation of consumers, meaningful advertisement is no longer the oxymoron it once was

Might I interest you in something that will eliminate the puffy bags under your eyes and make your face look a decade younger? Would you like to learn how, in only a few short weeks, you could have 8-pack abs and a butt the very embodiment of a peach emoji, without exercise? Well scroll no further, I have the perfect deal for you!

I’m sure this sounds like the thousands of eye roll-inducing ads you have encountered on social media. Well, the strategies companies are using to obtain your business have evolved and the change is due to a fundamental change in the expectations of consumers. People born between 1978 and 1994 are the first generation to be raised “on the internet.” This age group expects to have information at their fingertips and the freedom to control the information they consume. As a result, this group of consumers does not tolerate the traditional marketing tools. It is up to the businesses to change and adapt their marketing strategy to cater to the consumer, a wise move since it is expected that this age group will be as large or larger than the baby boomer generation. As a result, companies are not as likely to only use internet advertisements that demand your attention with bright colors and annoying jingles or celebrity endorsements to market their products as they have in the past.

One great example of how marketing strategies have evolved is Rihanna’s Fenty/Fenty Beauty marketing campaign. I cannot remember the last time I saw Rihanna personally promoting her cosmetics or lingerie line. Her marketing specialists must realize that simply using the old marketing method of building a website, paying for general internet advertisements and television advertisements splashed with images of her modeling new products might not find or appeal to their target audience as it once might have. Consumers now choose to support companies and products they truly believe in and can personally connect with. Besides, Rihanna would look great regardless of what she wears, but using her image to promote her own product would not be the smartest or most effective way to engage her desired customer. Instead, her marketing strategists choose to utilize one of the top marketing trends that 91 percent of social marketers use to improve website traffic and develop a long-lasting community of consumers: social media influencers.

Use of this marketing strategy is becoming more common since 1 in 3 consumers trusts a social media influencer’s words over what a brand says. This statistic definitely resonates with me. After years of watching many of the same YouTubers share their relatable day-to-day struggles and successes, I do tend to believe them and often purchase products they recommend. This method of advertisement is so subtle in nature as most of the influencers I follow usually present the sponsored products casually during their vlogs. So, via influencers’ video recorded product unboxings, posts while wearing her merchandise, and cosmetic how-to videos, Rihanna’s company has flourished by utilizing connections that were already established through social media. I imagine that the monetary return on her marketing investment must be staggering.

Let’s take a step back though because just finding the perfect influencer to represent a company, is not as easy as selecting a seemingly popular person and reaching an agreement on their sponsorship fee. To ensure that their company is partnering with the right influencer, social media specialists must identify the influencer’s true audience engagement rate and whether the influencers audience fits within their buyer persona.Companies accepting vanity metrics or “likes” as an indication of an influencer’s powers of marketing persuasion over actual audience engagement rates are a thing of the past on all social mediums now. Additionally, since companies have made their goal to truly connect and build a community of consumers who trust their products, social media managers can’t afford to choose an influencer that has a history of promoting numerous brands solely for the paycheck as this negates their desire for an authentically genuine testimonial.

An even more interesting fact about our Fenty example was the strategic selection of social media influencers chosen to humanize the brand. Initially, I thought it was either clever marketing or a commendable decision since influencers of all shapes, skin tones, and clothing sizes were utilized which further developed the feeling of an all-inclusive community of body-confident women. However, I think it correlates to the original statement that consumers’ expectations have forced companies to reevaluate their marketing strategies. The role of the consumption process has changed in the current business environment where the consumer has become the central factor. The consumer now has the information and the authority to impact the operations of the company. Filling that niche then was perhaps in response to certain consumers’ choices to no longer spend money with brands that only desire to cater to a single demographic.

Although I’ve only mentioned the use of one social media outlet that connects companies to consumers, there are so many available now to keep social media marketers very busy in hopes of earning your business. However, it is important for them to consider the penetration of each social media tool in the consumer market and how each tool can be effectively utilized by the company. A comprehensive strategy which focuses on a relevant business objective has become necessary. So, whether it’s YouTube, Instagram, Facebook or TikTok, social media managers definitely have to be proficient in the intricate functions of every social media medium and know how to creatively use them in ways that will bring their company a substantial return on the time or money invested.

Overall, marketing is no longer an extravagant ploy to get your money and leave you feeling used and duped. Our generation is too decerning for that, so things have changed, making the job of a social media manager in today’s market that much harder. However, at least we can say that our generation changed the course of business marketing across the world and keeps creating the multi-faceted, entertaining social apps that everyone will hopefully enjoy for years to come.