Back in Jan 02, 2024 I wrote "Influencers, the new propagandists" and two years later it seems this aspect of the industry has exploded. The global creator and influencer economy is valued at approximately $250 billion, with dedicated influencer marketing spending making up around $32 billion to $34 billion of that total. (1) Estimates scale to USD 89.90 billion by 2034. (2)
Let's revisit some of that post:
What exactly is an Influencer?
An "influencer," AKA: Brand Ambassador, is someone who has: the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of his or her authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with his or her audience. a following in a distinct niche, with whom he or she actively engages. The size of the following depends on the size of his/her topic of the niche. It is important to note that these individuals are not merely marketing tools, but rather social relationship assets with which brands can collaborate to achieve their marketing objectives.
Influencer Marketing Types:
Different types of Influencers is a ranking for deciding how much you are willing to spend for the peddling. Celebrities vs opinion leaders with extensive knowledge on the subject of a product, lifestyle or category. Regardless of the level of investment, overtime most consumers know when a person has been hired to hock a product and which one's are doing it as a service to a community. One of the most memorably Influencer Marketing fails of all time was "KENDALL JENNER ENDS POLICE BRUTALITY WITH A PEPSI." (1) This shouldn't be too much of a surprise as the Kartrashian's are well known for their willingness to push anything for money, so there true connection to a product, category or target is irrelevant. They are modern day Snake Oil Salesmen and almost all segments of the population are aware of this. Ironically they share the second biggist influencers debacle with dead musician t-shirts too.
Influencers in social media are people who have built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a specific topic, but many are paid schills.
Then there is Oreo. Oreo collaborated with influencers Dan and Phil on a Lick Race challenge to see who could lick an Oreo clean first. Dan and Phil did not disclose that their content was paid by Oreo’s parent company Mondelez. (2) When a dishonest attempt at 'sell-promotion' is revealed it becomes propaganda and good ole' Dan and Phil had to take down their paid Oreo video.
Sell-promotion is at the heart of the issue when using Influencers. When a consumer see's through a paid Influncer for it's thin one sided sell they and the product they are pushing will fail, losing their audience forever. Turtle Beach game accessories made this error with their 2024 Stealth Ultra controller launch. The product was (is) a gigantic technological leap forward
Which brings us to today. Openly Socialist / Communist NYC Mayor Mamdani has been caught using tax payer dollars to pay social media influencers to improve his image. Some making as much as $20,000 and they are illegally using an encrypted Signal chat group to discuss talking points a clear violation of NYC law. "there are two types of relationships in place" when it comes to Mamdani's influencer army. These consist of what they call "pilot programs" to promote city initiatives and also a Signal group chat just for influencers where the mayor's office sends out "daily updates, talking points, and clips to use in their posts." This is also where they're invited to official events. The group formed out of the Creators4Zohran group that fueled his campaign as the first Muslim mayor of New York City. New York City residence paying the salaries for propanganda to promote of anti-American Socialist / Communists is beyond disturbing. (4)
Then there's the dark part of influencer's. Well, the darker part. At the dawn of the Cold War, the CIA looked to make culture a subversive weapon. A year after the CIA was formed, the Pentagon established the position of an entertainment liaison officer. They have assisted and funded the production of 60 film and television shows. However, to begin with, its initial aim was to hide its existence from entertainment. "How the CIA infiltrated Hollywood" outlines the journey. Let us not forget in 2013, Congress abolished the domestic dissemination ban, which has led to a heated debate about the role of the federal government in free public discourse. In simple terms this allows the U.S. Government for the first time to use propaganda against it's own citizen's. Northwestern University has a deep dive into the massive change and wrote, "The Smith-Mundt Act Before And After The Repeal Of The Domestic Dissemination Ban." "Although the 2013 repeal of the domestic dissemination ban promotes greater government transparency and may help counter anti-American sentiment at home, it also gives the federal government great power to covertly influence public opinion."
Authentic: adjective, au·then·tic, not false or imitation : REAL, ACTUAL
Regardless of your personal political affliation, buying social media influencers and bot armies to serve as boosters for Mamdani as opposed to journalists who ask tough questions and seek truth. Influencers, by design, seek clicks and both promote and affirm the mayor's plans and initiatives. (3) Democat PA Senator John Fetterman explained one of the many sinister goals of the DSA agenda: "Fetterman says, ‘they want to impoverish middle class whites’ and that is absolutely correct. Listen to any one of them talk long enough and they will eventually link capitalism to white supremacy. It’s not true, but it is one of their favorite talking points." (6) There are also deep ties between Mandami's financial backer, Mandami's family are multi-millionaires from India. To say Mamdani is a walking contradiction is an understatement. According to the standards of left-wing activists, Mamdani— who is one of them—is “filthy rich.” Born to a wealthy Indian family in Uganda, his family moved to South Africa when he was five years old. When he was seven, his family moved to the United States, finding a home in New York City. Mamdani himself did not attend NYC local public schools. He spent his elementary school years at the Bank Street School for Children. It is not a school for the middle class, never mind the poor: Tuition is over $66,000 a year. (7) Groups directly linked to terrorism: His donors include the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Its Unity & Justice Fund contributed $100,000 to New Yorkers for Lower Costs, the largest pro-Mamdani PAC. CAIR has terrorist ties and was named as a co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case; it provided over $12 million to Hamas. DSA Fund’s goal as building a cross-state network of radical elected officials acting in unison to achieve DSA national goals.
Again, the issue: Tax payer funded propaganda used to Influence American's into the removal of their own rights and freedoms. As a marketing firm or Influencer turning a blind eye to these fake narrative to intentional destroy of the Nation for money is unethical and immoral.
In-short, an authentic, reality based creative solution, connected to a big campaign idea is prefered as tactical one-off's often fail and propaganda Influencer's are no different.