Influencers Shaping Public Opinion: Impact on Perception and Consumer Behavior

By: Rawan Al Sayed, Digital Marketing Specialist & Consultant

“If you make customers unhappy in the physical world, they might tell 6 friends. If you make customers unhappy on the internet, they can each tell 6,000 friends.” ~ Jeff Bezos

Introduction

Social media influencers have become pivotal figures in shaping public opinion and influencing consumer behavior. This article delves into the mechanisms through which influencers exert their impact and presents a case study to illustrate their profound effect on public perception and consumer choices.

Social Influence Theory

Kurt Lewin first proposed the Social Influence Theory in the middle of the 20th century. It examines how people are impacted by the people in their social surroundings, such as influencers, opinion leaders, and peers. It explores the influence of social interactions on attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors as well as the strength of interpersonal relationships.

Social influence can occur through compliance, identification, and internalization:

• Compliance involves changing behavior in response to a request without altering personal beliefs, like wearing a brand recommended by an influencer.
• Identification happens when individuals adopt behaviors or opinions of someone they admire, such as fans emulating celebrities.
• Internalization is the deepest form, where an individual’s beliefs or behaviors change to align with their social group, integrating these changes into their value system and leading to long-lasting behavioral shifts. (Blackbyrn, 2024)

The Dynamics of Influencer Impact

Influencers operate at the intersection of personal branding and social networking. Their ability to affect public opinion and consumer behavior can be attributed to several factors:

1. Trust and Authenticity: Influencers are often perceived as more relatable and trustworthy than traditional celebrities, allowing them to build strong connections with their audiences.
2. Engagement: High levels of engagement through likes, comments, and shares amplify the reach and impact of influencers’ content.
3. Niche Expertise: Influencers often specialize in specific niches, making them credible sources of information and advice within those areas.
4. Social Proof: The popularity and following of influencers provide social proof, making their endorsements and opinions more persuasive.

Take Kylie Jenner, a well-known influencer with millions of Instagram followers, as an example. Her support of cosmetics has influenced not only consumer behavior but also standards and trends in beauty.

Brand Case Study: Gymshark

Gymshark, a successful gym activewear brand, has partnered with various creators known as ‘Gymshark Athletes,’ who regularly create content for the brand. The brand offers these creators discount codes that their followers can use when shopping for Gymshark activewear.

This approach has significantly boosted the brand’s popularity on social media, driving substantial business growth. The brand’s hashtag #gymshark boasts over 13 million posts on Instagram alone. Over the past few years, Gymshark has considerably improved its sales and revenue through its influential marketing efforts.

Gym Shark’s Influencer Strategy: In Depth

• Product Endorsements: Influencers integrated Gymshark’s activewear and accessories into their daily workout routines, showcasing the products in their fitness videos and posts.
• Educational Content: Influencers created content explaining the benefits of a consistent fitness routine, backed by scientific research and personal testimonials, to motivate their followers. This helped showcase Gymshark consumers are experts in the fitness field further enhancing the brand’s image.
• Engagement Initiatives: Influencers hosted live Q&A sessions, interactive polls, and fitness challenges, encouraging their followers to actively participate which increased the brand’s reach.
• User-Generated Content: The campaign leveraged user-generated content by encouraging participants to share their progress using the campaign hashtag. This created a sense of community and motivated more people to join.
• Exclusive Discounts: Influencers offered their followers exclusive discount codes for Gymshark products, incentivizing purchases and tracking conversions.

Gym Shark’s Influencer Strategy: Results

• Increased Brand Visibility: Gymshark’s presence on social media significantly increased, with the campaign hashtag generating millions of impressions and engagements.
• High Engagement Rates: Posts related to the campaign garnered significantly higher engagement compared to average posts, indicating strong audience interest and participation.
• Boost in Sales: Gymshark reported a notable increase in sales of its activewear and accessories during the campaign period, driven by the exclusive discount codes and increased brand visibility.
• Positive Public Perception: Sentiment analysis revealed a substantial increase in positive mentions of Gymshark on social media, highlighting the campaign’s success in fostering a supportive and motivated fitness community.

Conclusion

Gymshark’s success demonstrates the powerful impact of strategic influencer outreach on brand growth. By partnering with ‘Gymshark Athletes’ who authentically integrated the brand into their fitness journeys, Gymshark effectively leveraged the credibility and reach of these influencers to amplify its message.

Influencers have a profound impact on shaping public opinion and consumer behavior through their ability to authentically connect with their audiences. By leveraging their credibility and reach, influencers can significantly alter perceptions and drive consumer actions.

The influence of these digital personalities is instrumental in guiding consumer behavior, demonstrating their critical role in modern marketing strategies and brand success.

References

• Abidin, C. (2018). Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online. Emerald Publishing Limited.
• Blackbyrn, S. (2024, June 4). Understanding the Social Influence Theory — Coach Foundation.Coach Foundation.
• Brown, D., & Fiorella, S. (2013). Influence Marketing: How to Create, Manage, and MeasureBrand Influencers in Social Media Marketing. Que Publishing.
• De Veirman, M., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2017). Marketing through Instagram influencers:The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. InternationalJournal of Advertising, 36(5), 798–828.
• Financial Express. (2021). 16 Influencer marketing campaign examples [+ key takeaways]. (n.d.).
• Roşca, Vlad. (2020). Implications of Lewin’s Field Theory on Social Change. Proceedings of theInternational Conference on Business Excellence. 14. 617–625.