Are Celebgrams Still Relevant In Digital Marketing When The Future Is Audio?

In this article, we will try to answer an important question: whether it is worth it to spend a sizable amount of money to collaborate with Celebgrams during this difficult time and amidst the rise of audio content. 

5 minute read.

As society becomes more aware of the dark arts that marketing tactics used to influence their purchase behaviours, social media influencers gained a vantage position for offering transparency and originality in providing product review or service recommendation. According to McKinsey & Company, this type of “word of mouth” marketing generates more than twice the sales of paid advertising. No wonder why we’ve been seeing a lot of projects involving brands and influencers overloading our Instagram feeds and at the same time, creating an industry where being a Celebgram is a high-paying job.

In spite of the strong potential it could bring to your business, in this time of economic turmoil, is it still worth it to spend a sizable amount of your annual marketing budget to simply collaborate with one Celebgram? Well, in the attempt to answer the question, we discuss three relevant topics to provide perspective on working with Celebrgams amid the rise of audio social media. 

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1. The Rise of Audio Contents

An article posted on MIT journal shows that the future of social media might be audio. The prediction is based on the current social media landscape where audio based social platforms such as Clubhouse, Spaces on Twitter, Fireside and Sonar are flourishing and amassing huge numbers of new users every day. The convenience it gives to people to consume information and the way it fits the dynamic of urban life are the two big appeals. Audio socials are also praised for their effectiveness in providing a chance for in-depth conversation and contextual understanding that texts or visuals cannot hold. So, if you have been grappling with the fact that working with Celebgrams are too costly, it might be wise to consider audio socials as an alternative in your marketing mix instead. However, it is also important to note whether your products features are best explained through words or imagery. If the answer is the latter, then working with Celebrgams, even though it could be pricey is still worth trying. 

2. The Increasing Awareness of Influencer Marketing Tactics 

With the long track-record of marketing influencers (an article posted on Forbes states that influencer marketing has existed since the 1930s), people are getting more educated on the way influencer marketing works. It is no longer a secret that brands who pay Celebgrams to promote their products or services, tend to have editorial or creative control on the content, which eventually compromise the authenticity of the message.   And let’s not overlook the fact that since influencer marketing has become an industry, fake followers can be traded or bought to make the Celebgrams seem more famous than they really are. Furthermore, In a research done by Influence.co, it is shown that 62% of respondents agreed that influencers should not promote products that they actually don’t use. A similar result occurs in research conducted by Statista.com, in which 88% respondents in the UK believe that influencers should disclose information if a content that they post is a paid advertisement. Although audio socials are paving ways for content creators to earn money, the newness of audio socials are giving audiences a fresh start and hope to find honest reviews or at least, making the content creators a better communicator. We can notice that someone is not telling through his or her voice.  

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3. Content-Saturated Market 

There are 500,000 active influencers on Instagram. All competing to get your attention by sharing content regularly, if not aggressively. Social media users spend their time on screen minimum two hours a day.  This number has augmented from the past years, particularly during the lockdown creating a demand for digital detox. This is when marketing your products or services with Celebgrams becomes problematic. The combination of visual and written content needs more time and effort to consume. It requires attention and oftentimes, requires the audience to stop doing activities that they're supposed to be doing. So, before you consider splashing some cash to pay a top Celebgram to create content for your business, think again, whether it is worth it! The problem is different, of course, if you run a business within the fashion industry or interior design which will need an excellent quality of visual contents that Celebrgams can offer. 

With all that being said, collaboration with celebrgrams is not totally irrelevant. However, with more marketing alternatives available these days, revamping your marketing mix to fit the demands and landscape of the future, could be a good decision. So, will you try to include Clubhouse in your marketing mix? 

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If you are still in need for advice regarding digital strategy, feel free to let us know!