The De-Influencing Era: Why Fake Doesn’t Sell and Authenticity Reigns Supreme
Hype fatigue: why de-influencing is a wake-up call for brands everywhere.
The public aren’t stupid.
In fact, they’ve become more savvy than ever before.
And they’re tired of the same old, boring ads featuring recycled influencers.
Personally, I’ve also felt quite annoyed with the framework. Why are celebrities and high-profile media personalities getting free stuff to promote when they’re the ones who can afford it?
But I digress.
We’re in the middle of an ongoing cost of living crisis, and everyone is pinching themselves.
21% of Brit consumers less likely to be influenced by the recommendations and posts of influencers
20% reported skipping ads featuring influencers, while 16% less inclined to engage with influencer content altogether due to the rising cost of living.
The rise of de-influencing is not something you can escape and brands need to pay attention to this shift before they risk alienating their audience altogether.
This trend, which is only getting more popular with more than 750 million views on TikTok, began last year with thousands of videos tagged #deinfluencing.
The videos served as genuine appeals for people to push back against the influencer culture that they believe encourages overspending. These creators argued that viral haul videos, most of which showcase free gifts sent to influencers, pushed an “unsustainable and unethical cycle of capitalism”, leaving regular consumers stretched thin financially.
Whether or not you agree with the critiques, it’s a telling sign of how people feel about influencer-driven marketing and a reflection of how much tougher the social media and marketing game has become for both influencers and brands to connect meaningfully with their audiences.
What does this mean? Only those who are genuinely good and always adapting will survive.
People are becoming more aware of the inauthenticity behind certain marketing tactics, and they’re choosing to say no.
Let’s take Pride for example.
Why do brands only do something to support the community in June? For performance sake? Even if that’s not the sake, that's how it will appear to the average consumer.
So at TFR we’re advising our clients who claim to stand with the LGBTQ+ community to do something all the time. Stand for something. Be real.
The truth is brands and business owners who don’t stand for anything will one day be forgettable. Trust me.
Gone are the days where brands are meant to stay far away from politics or social issues, Gen Z and millennials won’t let you do that.
Learn from those leading the way:
Refy and Topicals are two brands that immediately come to mind as leaders in creating some of the best marketing strategies.
These two brands have built both an online and offline community that champions them left right and centre.
Why? It's because they’ve found these fun ways to make everyone feel included - a sense of belonging, where owning the product isn’t just about the product itself but it's actually about being part of the movement.
Let’s break it down even further:
Founder journey: Olamide Olowe founded Topicals in 2020, raising $2.6 million. Two years later, she announced a $10 million funding round after experiencing 3x revenue growth in 2021 alone. In 2023, they were expected to have a full-year revenue range of $20 million to $30 million.
Marketing strategies thus far: A brand trip to Bermuda with 16 influencers to promote their Butter Mist product and then there was Detty December in Ghana for their faded under eye masks.
Ghana as a destination? Genius. For the if you know, you know crowd.
With the country trying to establish itself as one of the top tourism destinations in Africa, it made perfect sense for Topicals to choose it as the location for their influencer trip.
Beyond the digital impact and the viral moments of the week-long trip, the collaboration with Ghana wasn’t just a branding exercise, it was an opportunity to connect with the local culture and community. By partnering with AfroFuture (formerly AfroChella), one of the continent's most influential African music festivals, Topicals reinforced their commitment to building a sense of belonging and inclusion.
There’s no better way to not just talk the talk but walk the walk than by immersing themselves in one of Ghana’s biggest festivals, where their products could be seen and experienced by the people of Ghana firsthand.
So, when they eventually launched in Nigeria earlier in June, it didn’t come as much of a surprise because they had already laid the groundwork for a strong connection to the African market, and expanding to Nigeria was a natural next step in their global strategy and their story.
All it comes down to is knowing your audience, knowing what they want, and creatively giving it to them time and time again.
Founder Journey: Jess Hunt co-founded Refy in November 2020, focusing on minimalist, user-friendly beauty products. Within three weeks of launching, beauty retailer Sephora approached Refy to stock its products. Just six weeks after its initial drop, the brand sold out completely and built a restock waitlist of over 100,000 sign-ups.
Marketing Strategies: Refy nails founder-led content marketing. Jess Hunt takes a very hands-on approach, consistently posting about the products she uses and how they fit into her routine on her personal social media, where she has a following of 1.3 million. She is also regularly featured on the brand’s social media, modelling new products, participating in campaigns, and sharing tutorials.
This approach highlights Jess’s understanding of the power of her personal brand, which she built long before launching Refy alongside Jenna Meek.
Founder-led marketing is the in thing right now, it brings a sense of closeness with consumers, making the brand feel more relatable, especially when there’s already an established community.
The takeaway? Whether you're a brand owner or a marketer, remember: the public is smarter than ever, and the most successful brands will be those that show up authentically, consistently, and with a genuine desire to connect and contribute. The future of marketing isn’t just about what you sell, it’s about what you stand for.
Until next time, keep listening, keep learning, and keep evolving.
And make sure you digress often. Curiosity is key to winning in this game.
Charlotte