The Power of the Influencer

Warning: This post may make you die of jealousy.

Regardless of all the flack Millennials may get, they’re killing it on social media, raking up hundreds of thousands of global followers. And you know what these Millennials are saying?

Show. Me. The. Money.

There’s 15-year-old Baby Ariel who lip-syncs; Logan Paul, a goofball who busts a split all over the world; Huda Kattan, a makeup artist who blogs about beauty and shares makeup tutorials; Zack King the “digital magician.” They are  on Vine. Facebook. Snapchat. YouTube. Instagram. They are everywhere the younger generations are. They are the celebrities of today.

Their postings have gone from merely recreational, personal posts to full-fledged, paid plugs from some of the biggest (and smallest) brands in the world. Brands are paying big bucks to have these social media-savvy, uber popular “influencers” plug their products and services. It makes sense. So much sense. The reach that a single paid plug on one of the influencers’ social media channels can warrant is unprecedented in the reach a traditional ad campaign may have. Which is exactly why the advertising industry is capitalizing on them. Never before could you reach four million targeted people. But with a post from someone like Zach King, a brand can.

So the next time you roll your eyes at the “entitled Millennials,” know that they are the ones who’ve found a formula to cash in, and cash in hard.

Buckle up: the world of advertising continues to grow.

Want to know more? Check out this great story from CBS’ 60 Minutes.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-kim-kardashian-logan-paul-social-media-influencers/