What you see might not be what you get
If you spend any significant amount of time on social media, you’ve noticed the rise of “influencer marketing” — endorsements from people and organizations who supposedly possess expert levels of knowledge and/or social influence in their fields. (See
What is an Influencer? Influencer Marketing Hub, Feb. 1.)
Sarah Osei of Highsnobiety, a German streetwear blog and media brand and production agency, cites a new study on the phenomenon conducted by the cybersecurity company Cheq and the University
of Baltimore. Influencer fraud — in which influencers pay for fake followers or engagements — is costing advertisers more than a billion dollars a year, according to the study, originally reported by The Business of Fashion. The survey found that
25% of the followers of some 10,000 influencers are fake. Another survey of 800 brands and marketing agencies, conducted for the same study, found that two-thirds had worked with influencers with fake followers.
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