Unless you’ve been living on a desert island or under a rock, you’ll have heard the word ‘de-influencing’ flying around the social sphere. Despite the name, it doesn’t reference the public mobbing of influencers, but actually references a pretty substantial shift in the influencer world.

De-influencing is a trend that has gained huge traction over the last few weeks, with the #deinfluence on TikTok racking up over 210 million views already. This trend sees influencers being brutally honest about the products and purchases that they have encouraged their audiences to make or have been influenced themselves into buying, that quite frankly were not worth the money or hype.

This all comes after some pretty huge backlashes against influencers and brands for promoting products in an un-authentic, or down right fake way. Mega influencer Mikayla Nogueira’s viral mascara video where claims of ardell wispies false eyelashes being used was viewed over 57M times… with neither brand or influencer releasing any sort of statement on the ad, it led to an influx of videos giving truthful reviews of the product and added fuel to the sparks of de-influencing. 

For brands, agencies and influencers alike, a trend such as deinfluencing might sound worrying. Is the creator economy going to survive this? Will audiences still want to watch and listen to content from influencers? Is it still worth the investment? 

If anything this has been the shift the influencer marketing has needed. We’re waving goodbye to cringey product placement style content, over hyping sub-par products and faking results and saying hello to authentic storytelling. Where influencers now have the opportunity to connect their communities to brands they love and use through engaging and informative content. 

It all boils down to trust and this is where brands can utilise this trend to their advantage. 

• Approach your influencer campaigns with a tiered strategy. Tap into those nano and micro-influencers. Their audiences trust their opinions and see them as relatable – they’re also the most engaged

• Be clear in your brief. Give real and honest talking points about the product they’re using and don’t allow them to dramatise results 

• Take time to build authentic relationships with influencers. Work with people who align with your brand, values and audience and nurture them into being long term ambassadors

• Align your strategy with your consumers. Bring them into the conversation from the beginning through co-creation, audience engagement exercises and research 

De-influencing, if nothing else, is further reinforcing this movement away from overconsumption, mass spending and throw-away culture. This trend may initially cost brands some impulse purchase revenue, but if they pivot their strategy and lean into the learnings of this trend then they’ll establish a stronger and more long-term relationship with their audiences resulting in brand loyalty and ultimately an increase in lifetime value. 

As our star Brand Partnerships Manager, Kendra is always happy to talk strategy, growth, and all the ways we can help brands NOT get de-influenced. Connect with her on LinkedIn here or click here to start a conversation.