Over the past decade, social media has completely transformed marketing methods. What brand today doesn't have a communications plan that includes Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, etc.? Some brands even promote their products exclusively through these communication channels.
To promote their beauty products, clothing, or food, brands rely on people who have large social media followings. Today, we find advertisements for all sorts of products on our news feeds. But can we trust the influencers who promote them?
In this article you will discover:
- What is the job of an influencer?
- What is ethics in the world of influence?
What is the job of an influencer?
Encouraging purchases in a more or less subtle way...
Product placement is the practice of paying for a product to be featured in visual content. This isn't a very recent marketing practice. The first media used for product placement were films and, later, music videos. The goal is to position the product as naturally as possible, so that the viewer doesn't feel like they're being sold something. It's more of a perspective where the viewer identifies with the character and, in order to resemble them as much as possible, they must want to buy the same products that the character uses on screen.
If we take a French film like Taxi, the main actor always drives the same brand of car for all five parts of the film. We don't have sales figures for the film, but we can imagine that if Peugeot paid to appear in all five films, the return on investment must be significant. Product placement can be a significant source of income for producers, representing up to 5% of a film's budget.
However, marketing managers saw a new opportunity to sell their product: social media. A person creates an audience around the content they produce—fashion, cooking, lifestyle, travel, etc.—and can interact with it daily, unlike actors in a movie.
Influencer marketing
The democratization of social media and the scale it has taken have given rise to a new profession: influencers. This refers to a person who influences the opinions and consumption of their followers. Creating content to feed their profile on the platform of their choice has become a full-time job for some. Just as all work deserves a salary, influencers are compensated based on the content created. This can be in-kind compensation: a brand sends its product and the influencer chooses how to present it to their community. It can also be financial compensation: the brand pays the influencer who will present the product to their community.
Ultimately, brands need influencers to sell their products, and influencers need brands to get good compensation.
Ethics and influence: an impossible mix?
Sell at any price
The downside of this system is the temptation for influencers to promote products they don't necessarily like, or probably don't use, for the sole purpose of getting paid. This strategy is risky, even harmful, for them because they could lose the trust of their followers and therefore the influence they have over them. Many accounts have appeared on Instagram precisely to denounce these practices.
Some influencers manage to retain their followers despite promoting questionable products. This is particularly the case for those who advertise dropshipping brands. But what is dropshipping?
Dropshipping
It's a business strategy where a brand doesn't own the stock of the products it sells: it plays more of an intermediary role. Brands take care of setting up the website, the sales plan and setting prices to make the biggest possible margin. Once you order the products on their websites, they in turn place orders with Chinese wholesalers (mainly Aliexpress and Wish) who have the stock and who take care of sending your order directly to you. The problem with this method is that unsuspecting consumers buy products that are worth 10, 20 or 30 times their original price. Dropshipping is misleading because the brand makes you believe that it is the one creating the products, which is totally false!
We end up buying very low-quality products at the price of good quality products. Furthermore, these products travel halfway around the world, increasing CO2 emissions, and are manufactured in factories that exploit their workers for a few euros a month.
The niche of eco-responsible influencers
Fortunately, social media isn't just full of influencers promoting dropshipping; some even choose to promote brands with eco-responsible approaches. The most conscientious among them are willing to turn down highly lucrative partnerships because they don't align with their ethics.
It is because these influencers share the same values that we defend at Ludis that we have decided in this article to present to you 10 of them who offer quality content:
- @lecoindelodie
Passionate about design, architecture, and fashion, Elodie shares her discoveries, inspirations, and lifestyle. She favors Made in France and second-hand products and strives to raise awareness among her 125,000 Instagram followers and the 282,000 people who follow her YouTube videos.
- @lapetitegaby
Want to go organic but don't know where to start? La Petite Gaby is the influencer you need. She offers all the advice you need for your transition on her YouTube channel and Instagram account. What we love about La Petite Gaby is her frankness and honest opinions on the products of the brands she features, even when it comes to collaborations.
- @benjamincarboni
You've probably already heard about initiatives to clean beaches of their waste. This is what we call a cleanwalk, literally a clean walk. On his Instagram account, Benjamin (aka Cleanwalker.off) gives us ideas so that everyone can take action on their own scale and thus improve the state of the planet. He is also the author of the book Déclic écologique (Ecological Click) , in which 18 committed personalities tell him about their ecological awareness.
- @cacomenceparmoi
Continuing in the same spirit, Julien Vidal also suggests actions that everyone can take at their own level, every day and everywhere. He also provides information to understand why it is important to act and that together we can improve the world we live in. He is the author of two best-selling books, the first "It Starts with Me" and the second "It Will Change with You."
- @rosabohneur
If your resolution for 2021 is to quit fast fashion, then Rosa's Instagram account and YouTube videos will provide you with inspiration and the advice you need to make it happen. There's no excessive hauling, no encouragement to overconsume, but rather a focus on secondhand goods and upcycling for the most eco-responsible lifestyle possible.
- @dpontarlier
Like Rosa, Dan offers you committed men's fashion brands on his Instagram account. He describes himself as a Fashion Activist who promotes sustainable fashion. The clothes we wear have an important place in the responsible world of tomorrow. He also wrote the book From Trash to Runway , a guide to reducing and recycling your clothes .
- @dearlobbies
Independent and unfiltered media managed by Roxane Nonque. The goal is to say out loud what is hidden from us. Through her Instagram account, she aims to raise awareness and encourage people to think, particularly about ecology. She collaborates with many responsible brands as well as Greenpeace.
- @girl_go_green
Camille volunteers at the Maison du Zéro Déchet and advocates a minimalist, slow-life lifestyle. To this end, she shares seasonal organic recipes, tips, and other DIY ideas for making your own natural cosmetics on her account . She shares her commitment to the environment and only collaborates with ethical fashion brands.
- @iznowgood
Céline launched the Iznowgood blog 4 years ago to talk about ethical fashion. Then, little by little, the blog opened up to discuss everything related to a responsible and respectful lifestyle and consumption. She notably completed a world tour without a plane: The Slow World Tour, which can be found through a series of vlogs on her YouTube channel. Otherwise, you can follow her daily life on her Instagram account.
- @demodha
We couldn't end this top 10 without mentioning a Besançon influencer! Anjena, who runs the Demodha account, suggests you follow the path to zero waste, going plastic-free, and favoring French, committed, and organic artisans. All that's left is to subscribe to her account to begin your transition step by step with her.
Conclusion
We hope you now have a clearer understanding of the profession and role of influencers. Social media is an integral part of our daily lives, and it's important to be mindful of the messages being conveyed. Influence and ethics can go hand in hand, which is why we wanted to introduce you to the eco-responsible accounts we follow.
This is obviously not an exhaustive list, so if you follow any eco-friendly influencers that we haven't mentioned, please let us know in the comments.
See you soon!
The Ludis team 🐍