‘We have all the worries of the world on our shoulders and Amanda Holden is prancing about with her Gucci bag.’ 

‘Everyone: “how am I going to stay warm and pay my energy bills??!!”

Amanda Holden: “my Gucci bag has it’s own scarf”’ 

A TikTok post from Amanda Holden promoting LK Bennett clothing while holidaying in Sicily went viral last week for all the wrong reasons. As these two Twitter responses underline its all too easy to come across as tone deaf in the wake of the cost of living crisis.

In many ways as a celebrity Holden doesn’t necessary embody authentic influencer culture; where brands have driven both direct sales and influence by partnering with micro-influencers with smaller followings, but arguably more meaningful connections. 

Nonetheless as the market faces up to economic anxiety; marketers are placing a greater emphasis on earned media and amplifying paid-for partnerships. Yet does gifting celebrities with gifts to share simply underline that their lifestyles are not just out of reach for the average consumer, but out of touch with the reality of an increasingly squeezed middle?  With this in mind we asked a selection of industry experts if influencer culture can survive a cost of living crisis?

It’s important to start by saying that celebrity influence and influencer culture are different things. Neither are dying out any time soon, but we need to get the industry to a more real, honest place - movements such a #nofilter and #bekindonline have showcased in recent years that this is what consumers want.

The cost of living crisis should be an eye opener for brands and marketeers to look at those more relatable and hard-working smaller influencers - who are helping their followers through the crisis. Brands also need to partner more closely with influencers to deliver unique, interesting content that’s meaningful for both brand and influencer while being relevant in culture.

That’s where our collaborative, earned-first approach really comes into play - when writing influencer strategies for brands my first thought is ‘how do we create content that is useful, current and worth the audiences’ valuable time?’ But it’s equally important to think about the value exchange for the influencer as this is their business, their livelihood, and we should be engaging with them with this in mind.

The key to any successful marketing and brand messaging is understanding the needs, wants and overriding sentiment of your audience and consumers, and in a cost of living crisis many people’s priorities shift significantly and quickly.

Brands need to consider how their own relationships with their consumers can be altered - the strategic creative process is key to ensuring the messaging and tone is on point and not lost in translation.

Creators can be a very effective way of delivering your brand’s message in an authentic, sensitive way but it needs a considered approach - you can’t just throw money at influencers and not expect any misfires.

The bottom line is recession or not, people still spend money. They might be more cautious about how they spend, but they still want to enjoy hobbies and they will need to make all the usual, fundamental purchases. The opportunity is still there but brands need to take a much more mindful approach and use all available insight and data to ensure they are striking the right tone in their narrative.

People have been predicting the downfall of influencer culture for a while now. But let’s face it, it isn’t going anywhere! 

We saw the backlash in the news during Covid-19 with creators dashing off to Dubai to escape lockdown restrictions, predicting that this would put an end to influencers with their lavish and sometimes ill-thought-out lifestyle choices. 

Amanda Holden’s content is actually a parody of an existing creator @pattipinkcake on Instagram, an Australian who presents her daily looks in the most kitsch way – it’s comedy gold and an in-joke that doesn’t land if you don’t know. Hence, #ifyouknowyouknow which is where this gets us into trouble. 

'That’ viral TikTok goes to show that having a well thought out approach to what platforms, creative content and audiences are talking about and engaging with day to day is essential. Tactically using influencers and creators just won’t cut it anymore. You can tell when something is fired out, and so can the people who follow - they’re not afraid to call BS when they see it. The audience will also take it on face value, won’t know if you’re making an “in-joke” and will remix your content to their own take. 

There’s huge value in listening to the context of what’s being talked about online and investing strategically in approaching the right creative partners on the right platforms, and with the relevant audiences. And not underestimating the audience for taking something at face value. 

Whilst influencers, celebs and creators have an audience to reach with the content they share day to day, they continue to be a viable channel to creatively communicate through. Marketers need to be empathetic to the wider context of how they’re using this channel and who is watching and be ready to respond if the conversation or joke moves in the wrong direction.