NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 11 – In the ever-changing world of marketing, new terms like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Environment Social and Governance (ESG), and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) have cropped up, reshaping the way brands connect with audiences.
Today, we have a fresh player in the game – influencer marketing. While this isn’t entirely new, it has been making waves for its dynamic nature. Celebrities endorsing products have been around for a while. However, with AI and social media, influencer marketing has taken a new direction globally.
Influencer marketing is not a new concept. It used to be all about famous faces promoting products on billboards, television, and radio. However, with AI and social media, it has experienced a shift. Social media platforms have become essential for marketing strategies worldwide giving influencer marketing a whole new face.
The COVID-19 pandemic hit the fast-forward button on the influencer marketing landscape in Kenya. With people stuck at home, it meant more time spent online and brands realized that this was a chance to connect with their consumers on a different wavelength. AI came into play, shaking up traditional marketing, and as a result, making data-driven insights is slowly but surely becoming the new norm.
Times are changing, and so are our digital habits. TikTok’s rise as one of the main social media platforms has introduced short, creative content to everyone. Podcasts, once niche, are now part of our daily routine, offering a new way for brands to connect with consumers and audiences. Instagram is turning into a shopping hub, where aesthetics and buying go hand in hand.
Social media trends wield remarkable influence over the ever-evolving landscape of influencer marketing. These trends are the driving force behind major shifts from conventional promotional strategies to engaging narratives that resonate with the audience.
As social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram continuously introduce new features and formats, influencers are adapting their content creation to match the prevailing styles. Reels and TikTok challenges have become the currency of engagement, transforming how brands and influencers collaborate.
As algorithms evolve to prioritize meaningful interactions, influencer marketing is steered by the shifting tides of social media trends, emphasizing real connections and genuine engagement over metrics.
Brands are opting to sign influencers with smaller follower counts but higher engagement. Influencer marketing is now all about real connections and trust, not just big numbers. This shift shows how influencer marketing is growing, focusing on what truly matters.
Unlike the old days when one-size-fits-all ads used to sell, today’s digital consumers want content that is tailored to them. Audiences now pick and choose what they consume, valuing authenticity and personal connection. Brands are now having to re-evaluate their strategies – having to think smarter and create stories that matter.
For the past 15 years, the marketing landscape has transformed exponentially. We’re in a pivotal moment in history where things are changing faster than ever. Influencer marketing isn’t just a buzzword anymore – it’s reshaping how brands and consumers interact. Brands both locally and globally need to work to embrace this change, adapt, and thrive in this new era.
One company driving this evolution from within Kenya is AIfluence, a technology driven advertising platform that identifies trusted voices that engage, nurture, and activate the right audience to accelerate customer acquisition and growth for global brands.
The platform focuses on taking advantage of the budding creator economy by boosting financial literacy, development of payment solutions and the provision of tools and resources to enhance the sector. They were recently crowned the winners of the Visa Everywhere Initiative (VEI) Kenya finals, going a step further to win the Audience favourite award at the regional finals for Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (CEMEA).
VEI is a platform that empowers fintechs and entrepreneurs to showcase the most ground-breaking, impactful solutions in the world of payments and commerce.
Since its launch in 2015 VEI has helped over 12,000 startups from across 100 countries, to collectively raise more than $16 Billion USD in funding. Access to the digital economy drives equitable, inclusive growth, and VEI is an important means of supporting the innovators playing a leading role in this space.
There were more than 200 applicants who entered the competition from across the country, each with solutions aimed at delivering innovative payment and commerce solutions to consumers and businesses.
Loop were a sponsor for this year’s competition and together with Visa will provide mentorship and coaching to the top 20 startups from this year’s list of applicants.
AIfluence is geared towards driving word of mouth at scale by turning everyone into an influencer. Their platform allows them to analyse multiple accounts based on an organisation’s needs to tailor a list for them to engage with that meets their exact criteria.
This will serve to ensure that any influencer campaigns are more impactful. The idea for the company was derived from the experience of Nelson Aseka, the company’s CEO and Co-Founder, who helped to grow a whiskey brand by turning bartenders into ‘influencers’.
He realised that these bartenders were the driving force behind consumer choices because not only were they easily accessible to individuals on a night out, but they were also trusted.
By working to educate the bartenders and immersing them into the whiskey brand, they helped to recruit more customers and turn this whiskey brand into their drink of choice. This experience is what Nelson tailored AIfluence on, which in the three years it has been operating has expanded to 23 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and the USA.
In the ever-evolving world of marketing, influencer marketing is the newest baby on the block. It blends old-school charm marketing principles with modern technology, creating a new way for brands to connect.
From celebrity endorsements to AI-powered metrics, influencer marketing reflects our times and hints at the future. Kenya and the world are embracing this change, setting the stage for a new era of marketing – one where influencers are taking the spotlight and authenticity wins hearts.
