There are influencers and there are pretenders. Influencers get their clothes from the Gucci store; pretenders get their Gucci clothes from Alibaba. Like the influencer, the pretender posts aesthetically-pleasing images to capture your undivided attention. What separates these two distinct personalities is the quality of their followers, not the quantity.
Dear Social Media User,
As you know, marketing is quite the powerful tool; and consumers, such as yourself, are enthralled by the aesthetics and whimsical lifestyles depicted by influential brands and figures. Not only does influencer marketing increase its brand awareness, thanks to you, it establishes the base of any consumer-brand relationship: your trust.
As the greatest figures are often quoted, “It is thanks to you, the public, I am where I am today.” And you, being the fanatic that you truly are, get emotional and teary-eyed. It’s a win-win isn’t it?
When football season knocks on the door and America’s Team is undeniably guaranteed Super Bowl favorites by their credulous Cowboy fanbase, that’s trust at its finest, so much so Jerry Jones has kept it real since 1996. Any Knicks fans? New York, we here. More like, New York, we cold. And for those of you reading who have no interest or understanding of sports, how bout them Kardashians? Kylie Jenner, aren’t you the world’s sexiest billionaire? Be my guest (and fact check the sarcasm of this post).
The truth is no one likes the truth. What do I mean? Putting philosophy aside, those who have lied and willingly conceal their web of deception with a smile on their face consequently get their smirk wiped off by truth’s revealing. Regarding your digital world, please consider influencer fraud. What defines this falsehood? The followers' facade is the answer.
There are influencers and there are pretenders. Influencers get their clothes from the Gucci store; pretenders get their Gucci clothes from Alibaba. Like the influencer, the pretender posts aesthetically-pleasing images to capture your undivided attention. However what separates these two distinct personalities is the quality of their followers. Not the quantity—the quality is what differentiates them. The influencer’s follower list mostly comprises real people like you and other verified users. The pretender’s following mostly comprises bots looking for a good time… literally.
For the brothers out there, a word of advice: don’t follow every sexy señorita wearing a bikini. It’s tempting, especially when your lonely night kicks in. But what if I told you, your long-lost love @therealsucker is not a real profile. In fact, it is being managed by a 54 year-old nymphomaniac and his other simp friends. How alluring is the creation of a fake account of a person who does not exist? Very much so, it gets you going. This group of noobs seductively turned you into a nincompoop by using stock photos. And the worst part is, your infatuation for @therealsucker will not be long-lived because Instagram steals your girl by finishing her: account deleted.
Don’t be a nincompoop. Instead, follow these simple rules to avoid the follower's facade and avoid influencer fraud:
A special thank you goes to Manuel Cabello for helping us draft this post.
Pfeiffer Law Corp is a law firm with an emphasis on social media and entertainment law.
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