The best influencers might be closer to home than you think. In a poll headlined ‘Rise Of The Everyday Influencer’ it appears 89% of consumers prioritise recommendations from individuals they ‘know’ and ‘trust’ over traditional advertising channels.

According to data company Statista, the UK marketing landscape has shifted, showing that influence now goes beyond just celebrities and social media content creators. Hence, everyday people are now playing a significant role through genuine connections and personal recommendations, its report shows.

It’s now about authenticity and personal connection becoming key factors when it comes to purchasing decisions.

As an example, it highlights the success of It Cosmetics’ Hello Sunshine campaign that teamed up with City Girls Who Walk to sponsor a stroll through the Upper East Side and Central Park to promote the launch of its new SPF. 

“It has become clear that genuine customer advocacy now holds the power over extensive brand promotion efforts, as customer advocates have a 50% higher likelihood of influencing purchases”, the report said.

Pauline Oudin, CEO at future-forward experiential marketing agency Gradient, said: “Consumers today are not just looking for products; they seek genuine connections and experiences that resonate with their values and engage their community.

“The superpower of experiential marketing is that it can bring a brand story to life and invite consumers to be the main character. This immersive moment is a natural conduit to content creation and sharing and, often, brand product advocacy. For the audience, seeing a friend’s real content and genuine perspective can be more compelling than posts from influencers, who may have been paid.”

Oudin added: “We see the best results when the experiential content comes from multiple sources; the brand, the influencers and the consumers. It becomes less about simply extrapolating content from an event and more about evolving a physical happening into an ecosystem of experience throughout technology.”