The power of social media influencers has capsized the world of digital marketing, with perfectly edited posts of avocado on toast that are almost enough to make it look tasty. But, with brands striving for consumers trust, there is great irony in relying on the same platform that brought Fyre Festival to do so.
As consumers demand authenticity, companies are running into the arms of their familiar companion UGC (user generated content).
UCG is content created by unpaid contributors- from images, videos, hashtags, challenges and so on. UCG is 9.8x more likely to influence a purchase decision than influencer marketing.
Stop me if you think you‘ve heard this one before.
The year is 2014. The sun is shining. Your timeline is filled with videos of people throwing buckets of ice over themselves. #alsicebucketchallenge has taken over. 8 weeks and AUD$115M in donations later, the power of UGC had never been so apparent.
Source: Youtube
UGC is nothing new. So why are we seeing a boom now?
Consumers are growing frustrated with the inability to find honest-to-goodness information online. Glorified bribes in the form of influencer posts are so mass-produced that consumers are shutting off from them.
What does this mean for marketers?
In the age of inauthentic marketing, UGC emerges as the light at the end of the tunnel. Providing trustworthy information to help purchase decisions is more aligned with the desires of consumers today and often cheaper than paying rent to an influencer.
Do you see a future where influencer marketing has no influence?
Beth Johnson Marketing 
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