Influencer Marketing vs. Celebrity Endorsement, Which Is More Effective?

Simultaneous with the continuous advancement of the Internet and social media, one of the marketing efforts of businesspeople is to leave traditional celebrity endorsers and turn to social media influencers like vloggers and so-called Instafamous individuals. It is the time when outsourcing influencer marketing became widely used as an essential part of marketing strategy.

But before the existence of social media marketing, such as influencer marketing, traditional marketing like celebrity endorsement was preferred by many marketers to achieve successful brand awareness. Marketers aim to trigger consumers’ willingness to purchase or use the product or service endorsed by celebrities, according to the Effectiveness of Celebrity Endorsers (Journal of Advertising Research by Atkin, C., & Block, M. (1983).

Through celebrity endorsement, the fame of celebrities was attached to the brand. It was a marketing scheme so that people who idolize celebrities tend to associate themselves with your brands. Thus, they will buy your products.

However, everything changed when outsourcing influencer marketing arrived. Many marketers decided to switch and apply this innovative marketing strategy after discovering the cost-effectiveness it gives to promote brands to the right audience. Influencer marketing builds word-of-mouth advertising by using individuals who are trusted and credible in their niches. By using influencers, they are building up your brand image in their followers’ minds.

Celebrity endorsers help brands because of their popularity, but they are not interacting with people. They can only be seen, but most of them are not reachable. Unlike influencers, they are like ordinary people who can be easily communicated and associated with their followers. Through their social media platforms, they have constant interaction with the people who support them.

Influencers are also considered specialists. They build communities around themselves within their niches. For instance, if the influencer is a mother of a healthy baby, her recommendation for infant formula is very effective. She shows credible recommendations within the targeted audience.

In contrast with celebrity endorsers, for example, Michael Jordan doesn’t need to be a fashion expert to recommend a popular brand of outfit. He could easily convince his fans to buy the products. But that is the end of it. Celebrity endorsement doesn’t create credibility. But with influencer marketing, you are building trustworthy products because of the credible influencers. A trustworthy person gives a long-lasting impression.

Outsourcing influencer marketing also becomes effective because influencers “wear many hats.” They were perceived to be creators of the entire brand message.

In influencer marketing, the influencer is perceived to be the creator of the entire message. As bloggers, they are the ones writing the post. As YouTubers, they are the ones making and editing the video. The entirety of the brand message is considered theirs, and that lends it certain credibility and authenticity that celebrity endorsement failed to do. Celebrity endorsers are only the faces of the brand message. The brand itself creates the message, and the celebrities only help to relay it.

Thus, between influencer marketing and celebrity endorsement, marketers could easily identify which marketing strategy is the most effective way to achieve, not only profitable brands. But more than that is the trustworthiness and credibility that your brand could build.

At OnlineFactory, you can acquire not only an excellent outsourced influencer marketing team that will help boost your brand. But also outsourcing customer service to provide your customers excellent support, and great content management needs.