Micro influencers trusted by Gen Z

STAT OF THE WEEK:

50% of Millennials and Gen Z trust influencer promotions

Morning Consult has spoken to Yahoo Finance about its latest study, ‘The Influencer Report’ and the findings suggest that influencers are a major part of the social media experience for younger consumers.

According to the survey of more than 2,000 13-38 year olds, nearly three quarters (72%) of this cohort actively follow influencers on social media.

The report aimed to explore generational attitudes towards influencers, with a focus on who young Americans follow, why they follow them and also their levels of trust towards those they follow online.

Around half (52%) of the Gen Z sample surveyed and exactly 50% of the Millennials said that they trust influencers to give them good advice about the brands and products that they endorse on social media.

Interestingly, the same respondents turn to their chosen influencers’ opinions over their favourite celebrities and athletes, though less than website – and news -based product reviews.

In terms of favourite social platforms, Instagram ranked highest amongst Gen Z and Millennial females, while Google-owned YouTube is preferred by their male counterparts.

The research concludes that the US influencer market has huge potential, with young Americans largely willing to post sponsored content and generally happy to make organic mentions of brands they like.

BRAND OF THE WEEK:

Made.com invites influencers to snap its products in bespoke-built “instapartment”

Home décor brand Made.com has marked a commitment to influencer marketing with the unveiling of an Instagram-friendly apartment. Indeed, the brand has gone as far as to describe the space as an “instapartment” and “a haven for Instagrammers”.

 The apartment, located directly above its Amsterdam showroom, has been created to showcase Made.com products, ready for deco influencers to snap and post. This latest activity follows the creation of a European-wide influencer team at the online furniture retailer this January.

According to The Drum, Made.com hopes to open up more sites like this one beyond Amsterdam.

“Our aim is to create more spaces like this that give real context for our designs while being awesome locations that people want to visit,” said Jo Jackson, chief creative officer for Made.com

The site will also reportedly use the space for welcoming people to events and workshops. It could also serve as the ultimate on-trend crash pad for Made.com staffers!

PLATFORM NEWS:

Instagram ‘stalker’ app is Ghosted from Google’s Play Store

Facebook-owned Instagram has succeeded in seeing off ‘stalker’ app Ghosty, after announcing it would send a cease and desist letter to developers of the app which offers access to private Instagram profiles.

The makers of Ghosty have since removed its app from Google Play Store.

The app works on a subscription model, requiring users to give it access to their own profile and data and to also invite their friends on board. People can only use the app if at least one of their friends has also signed up to the service in exchange for their data.

When people join Ghosty any private Instagram profile to which they have access then becomes available to the rest of Ghosty’s user base – including videos and photos on the private profile.

The shady app has unnervingly been downloaded 500,000 times since its April launch.

Tech site Android Police described the app as “sketchy from the get-go” adding that Ghosty “takes advantage of Instagram’s APU to create “a stalker paradise”.

Once people have joined Ghosty, they are then enticed to pay for bundles or view adverts to access more private accounts.

Facebook’s position on Ghosty was clarified by a statement citing: “This app violates our terms. We will be sending a cease and desist letter to Ghosty ordering them to immediately stop their activities on Instagram, among other requests. We are investigating and planning further enforcement relating to this developer.”

And in other platform news….

TikTok is running tests that enable influencers to embed social commerce links in their videos on the app, Ad Week reports. It’s early days for this new functionality, so we’ll keep you updated as this one progresses.