Just when and how did the creator economy get so big?
Social influencers and user generated content (UGC) are an undisputed mainstay of brand marketing today. Goldman Sachs thinks it could be worth half a trillion dollars by 2027. The traditional role of the media as the sole intermediary and arbiter of what is deemed ‘quality’ and ‘trustworthy’ has gone forever. Whatever you’re looking for, whether it’s advice on fashion, food, travel, cleaning or dogs, the worlds of Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Snapchat and more are awash with a dizzying amount of content, ranging from the informative and educational to the comedic and stomach-churning, with varying degrees of quality and accuracy.
Whether we’re talking macro influencers such as the Hollywood elite A-listers, or micro influencers with a community of super-specifically focussed enthusiasts, influencers’ ability to connect with people as both consumers and citizens is unparalleled when compared to traditional media today.
And for those in the business of behaviour change, this age of the influencer presents a golden opportunity to help pique much-needed interest in our planet’s preservation and help change people’s behaviour by reaching them through the mediums they consume most, to meet them where they actually are.
We’re excited about the number of green influencers shining a much-needed spotlight on how to live a more sustainable lifestyle. And their importance in spreading new ideas, role modelling and changing behaviour is both powerful and necessary. For while those at the vanguard of the shift to a more sustainable future might know all about the tech, innovation and policy changes needed to get us there, it often pretty much feels like we’re just shouting into the void of our own ecosphere. If we’re looking for real behaviour change at a citizen level, the opportunity to enrol a group of influencers whose reach has completely overtaken traditional media is both enticing and powerful.
Consider the following: when YouTubers MrBeast and Mark Rober launched a fundraising campaign in partnership with the Ocean Cleanup and Ocean Conservancy to clean up ocean plastic, their 182m subscribers had donated over $33 million in a matter of weeks. That is some serious reach: #TeamSeas cut through in a way no traditional media campaign could – and the first many in middle age heard about it was from their kids imploring them to cough up for the important cause.
And if we could turn some of the energy displayed in the punch-ups across supermarkets when the hotly anticipated PRIME drink conceived by influencers KSI and Logan Paul landed in the UK into a positive zeal for a greener lifestyle, that would be pretty awesome.
Yes, in today’s world, if you want to embed public behaviour change you need to enrol the guardians of popular culture and media consumption: the influencers. But who are the influencers of today? The profile of the ‘traditional’ influencer has evolved into a shared space of part entertainer, part subject matter expert, part activist, part media generator. As evidence, step forward Thred, which convenes a network of planet-positive changemakers who are ‘Shaped by Youth Culture. Powered by Social Change’, founded by the irrepressible dynamo Jenk Oz. Other such notable influencers are the film-maker, photographer, storyteller and campaigner Alice Aedy; or Maya Penn, the CEO eco-designer and sustainable fashion influencer, whose content also generates significant engagement.
Indeed, we’re definitely seeing the rise of the ecoinfluencer and purpose-driven influencer, whose audience has been built around a higher level of awareness of the world’s increasing social and environmental issues. Their passion and commitment to this cause is driven by their values and beliefs and mirrored by their many followers. Some start online and move into the real world, (like MrBeast) while others like the self-styled Youthful Climate Activist and Accidental Athlete Craig Cohon start their activism in the real world (in his case walking 4000km for carbon removal) and as a result, garner a huge amount of social media attention which can then be directed on behalf of relevant brands and issues.
Where activism meets consumerism we find green influencers leading the way with all manner of tips about how to clean your house sustainably or cook with zero waste. As one example, step forward Immy Lucas, champion of the low-impact lifestyle. With 154k followers on Instagram, Immy has spent almost a decade carving a niche as a respected advocate for how to live sustainably. Her YouTube channel ‘Sustainably Vegan’ has 296k followers and covers everything from tips on zero waste cleaning to low-waste bathroom essentials and how to live a zero-waste lifestyle.
Wendy Graham is another seasoned sustainability influencer who uses her blog, Moral Fibres, to help make sustainability simple for her 14.4k Instagram followers. Her content covers food and drink, home and garden, saving energy advice and green cleaning, and she’s author of ‘Fresh Clean Home’, a book showcasing recipes for natural cleaning products.
Elsewhere, Christie, a.k.a @sedonachristina, is a zero waste lifestyle champion who shares her passion for the outdoors, wellness, and all things sustainability with her 216k YouTube subscribers. While LA-based Jhánneu Roberts uses her influence across YouTube, TikTok and her 43.5k Instagram followers to encourage them to live more mindfully. Her content spans minimalist living and low waste, to sustainable food habits and eco travel tips.
And sustainable food and drink influencer Max La Manna is the content-creating chef who has racked up 503 million views on TikTok by being behind the kind of easy, low-waste recipes and hacks that have seen him also amass one million followers on Instagram.
Influencers can play an important role in any comms activity, and are often part of a launch strategy for challenger brands who need that word-of-mouth endorsement to cut through cost effectively. Finding the right influencer to work with, who shares your values as well as your interests can take considerable work. You might be surprised to find that it’s as diverse and as complex a marketplace as the traditional media world. So just because the balance of power has shifted from the traditional landscape to a different terrain, you still need to proceed with caution.
If you’re looking to integrate influencers into your consumer and corporate campaigns, figuring out who will be the right fit for your brand requires some judicious research and more than a smattering of marketplace savvy. It’s certainly prudent to work with an agency intermediary to help you find the right fit of someone who possesses an audience that matches your key demographic, who has authority in a shared target audience, and who can help you get the best out of that working relationship.
Astute influencers have worked out how to engage, entertain, and persuade; the trick is to get them similarly excited about your mission and brand. After all, in a mutually beneficial relationship they’ll also then get to align their reputation with meaningful causes. Because when we’re talking about brand fit, if there’s one thing today’s savvy consumers can spot, it’s inauthenticity. An influencer needs to align transparently with your brand values, and any collaboration needs to resonate as both legitimate and natural. Whether you’re looking to reach a new audience, or build further relationships with an existing one, trust and authenticity are the holy grail wherein real engagement and conversion lies.
