It is time for augmented creators

The influencer marketing universe runs fast. And, in parallel, the players in the field are also evolving, to the extent that today we no longer speak of influencers but of content creators and community economy. However, there is more: thanks to new Metaverse technologies and augmented reality, the influencer becomes a true augmented creator. Ceo of Buzzoole, a martech company specializing in technologies and services for influencer marketing, Gianluca Perrelli explained this to MFF. It is a sector in great ferment that this year will touch 294 million euros, marking an 8% increase compared to 2021, according to data from Upa-Utenti pubblicità associati, an associative body that brings together the most industrial, commercial, and service companies that invest in advertising and communication in Italy.

According to research by the same association, 81% of companies use this communication lever, mainly for the purpose of reaching new consumer segments, improving engagement, or increasing brand equity. For 56% of the companies surveyed, spending on influencer marketing is part of the media budget, for 35% it resides in the marketing budget, while 9% of the sample said they fund these initiatives with communication budget. «The world of influencer marketing has changed a lot over the past few years. Influencers went from being simple actors posting photos in search of likes to content creators, that is, creators of content, capable of bringing engaging storytelling to life. However, today, we are moving towards a new paradigm», Perrelli explained to MFF. «New tools, such as the Metaverse and augmented reality, for example, are giving rise to the augmented influencer: empowered by new technology and tools, they create engaging experiences and activate their fanbase».

Next-generation creators indeed ignite real communities and give rise to new forms of economy in which it is not only the influencer who gains, but also those who interact with them. «The relationship between follower and influencer is changing. The follower went from being passive to actively participating in the work of the creator who, in turn, tries to retain the followers who interact the most. The paradigm evolves and becomes that of play to earn: interact and earn with me. Hence, community economies are born that initiate real economic transitions. There is no shortage of examples. Elettra Lastra is an 82,000-follower creator who maintains a monthly book club, The blue room, run through Instagram. Generally, once a month, she organizes a live show on Instagram in which she shares her thoughts about the book of the month and engages with her community. She recently held the monthly meeting in-person in Parco Sempione in Milan, which sold out in very few minutes. Another example is Estetista Cinica (Cristina Fogazzi): she organizes pop-ups in almost every major city in Italy. She places a pink van with influencers such as Paolo Stella, gives away museum tickets to encourage visits to Italy's artistic heritage and organizes treasure hunts in various cities of Italy with the help of other influencers, such as Giulia Valentina and Daniela Collu. She hides 3 tokens in the city, clues are given on VeraLab's Instagram profile and followers search for and use them to pick up products in the store. She also organized pink friday on the day of black friday: those who were subscribed to the newsletter received exclusive discounts.

«Exchange currency of the community economy are also the Nfts, non-fungible tokens, certificates of ownership of real tools that are enjoying wide success. For example, followers buy or receive Nfts through which they are able to participate in virtual events or appointments,» Perrelli added, who a few months ago presented Zaira, the new meta influencer created by Buzzoole, a project aimed at bringing Gen Z closer to the most cutting-edge brands that want to approach the new territories of the Metaverse. In particular, the main audience of virtual influencers are women between the ages of 18 and 34 (about 45%). In addition, there is also a large portion of very young people between the ages of 13 and 17 (14.47%), twice as many as those who follow a regular influencer of which the percentage of Gen Z representatives is around 7%. «CGI, meta-world values, storytelling. These are the elements that determine the eco-system of our meta influencer. It is an ambitious project, which we have been working on for several months and is already finding the interest of new partners and clients for the creation and development of new synergies and projects. Indeed, virtual influencers can create empathy on par with real people if they can tell credible stories and stimulate the curiosity of their audience. Moreover, they have an engagement rate three times higher than real influencers». (All rights reserved)