Adnews have recently mentioned that Coca-Cola will tap into social media influencers to launch a limited-edition introduction to their no sugar line; orange.
We are all aware of the growing impact social media influencers are having, and how they are transforming digital marketing.
Socialnomics mentions how such users eliminate the middle-man, as companies pay the influencer, rather than the platform (i.e: Facebook/Instagram/etc.), resulting in a more cost-effective campaign for organisations like Coca-Cola, but also higher profits for the influencer.
But Coke doesn’t need to save money… a TV advertisement or billboard on a major highway definitely isn’t going to break the bank… so why choose digital influencers?
One reason may be because the trend is spreading, but another is potentially that larger scale celebrities have seemingly bottomless bank accounts, and the products they endorse can be pretty costly. By tapping into people who aren’t so unalike you and I, Coke is proving their product is targeted to the everyday consumer, not the people with a wallet the size of Kylie Jenner’s.
Social media influencers are a good ‘space to watch’. Advertising quite clearly wasn’t the aim behind creating social media forums, yet it’s currently a large part. How will these platforms respond… will they implement rules such as Instagram’s #ad regulation? Will they ban it altogether? And what are the other benefits of a large corporation such as Coca-Cola utilising online influencers?
digitalmarketingblogbysarah.wordpress.com 
Hey Sarah!
I find this discussion really interesting. I am a huge advocate for social media influencers, because they genuinely are more down to earth, relevant and way more relatable to, than to a Kardashian or Justin Bieber. I am a huge supporter of ‘Steph Claire Smith’ which i’m sure we all know of, as she promotes products which i believe she genuinely uses and isn’t just to manipulate her followers to purchasing the products she promotes. It’s amazing in the shift in influencers, as such regular people can create such a name and reputation for themselves these days. By Coca-Cola using such influencers is highly benefiting for their product, as such influencers have such large amounts of loyal followers, that most followers would ‘get around’ what their idol/influencer is trying to promote. Well, i know i would!
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I definitely agree with you Taylor Jayde! Using people more relatable is a useful and more effective technique and it seems to feel less like we’re being manipulated. Particularly for Coke, which is such a widespread product which a lot of people already drink and its status as low-involvement, I think people are more willing to try these items when its endorsed by the likes of Steph Claire Smith and other influencers. I wonder though if it will grow to the point of next to everyone being some sort of endorser, and will lose its efficacy? It will be interesting to see
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I think it’s a smart move for Coke to utilise social media’s influencers, as they are cheaper than running a traditional campaign on TV or billboards. Also, followers admire who they choose to follow, so immediately consumers may like Coke more because someone they like is endorsing it.
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