If you’re a millennial, this is why YouTubers have a greater influence on you.
Television was the primary medium where people consumed news and entertainment for many decades. Almost every commercial advertisement featured celebrities vouching for the benefits and greatness of the products or services and this continues today.
However, with the rise of social media, the declining popularity of TV and people’s growing dislike for advertising are prompting a redefinition of the word, “celebrity.” The YouTube creators are gradually becoming more influential as they set up trends and driving opinions online.
As of 2015, millennials are the largest consumer demographic with about $1.3 trillion in purchasing power which makes them a choice target for brands. However, majority of millennials seldom watch TV and do not care much about what mainstream celebrities have to say about products or services. Instead, they trust their social media tribes and peer advice more.
A survey on 1500 people in 2015 on the most influential figures among American teenagers conducted by professor Jeetendr Sehdev, a brand strategist from the University of Southern California has shown that the top five in Variety’s survey are comprised entirely of YouTubers and they are up to five times more influential than other celebrities.
So why do YouTubers have a greater influence on millennials?
- YouTubers are easily accessible
YouTube has more than a billion active users . The platform is so expansive that it can be accessed in 76 different languages, accounting for 95% of the world’s population.
2. YouTubers are good at rapport building and drive more engagement with the viewers.
People find it hard to relate to traditional celebrities who always seem to act according to their PR strategies rather than free will. On the contrary, YouTubers connect better with people by being approachable and having more interactions with their viewers. They reply to comments regularly and schedule Q&A sessions frequently with their community, where no questions are off limit. h
3. YouTubers set trends and shape pop culture
Most millennials agree that YouTubers set more trends than traditional celebrities these days. In fact, 70% of subscribers say that YouTubers have changed and shaped the pop culture and 60% of them say they would make purchasing decisions based on the recommendation of their favorite YouTubers.
Conclusion
YouTube influencer marketing has a great impact in brands because it can drive consumers from awareness to consideration to conversion all in one fell swoop. This is even more persuasive than just having a celebrity endorsing a product in an advertisement with zero engagement with the audiences.
So what do you think about the rising popularity of YouTubers among the millennials? Feel free to share your thoughts with me.
Mandy's Marketing life 