USEDITION

ALMOSTFAMOUS:

INFLUENCERS’

GROWINGIMPACTON

U.S.CONSUMERHABITS

JULY2025

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES

METHODOLOGY

ABOUTTHISSTUDY

?ThesurveywasconductedbydentsuviaToluna,anonlineresearchpanel.

?AdministeredonJuly7,2025.

?Distributedamongarandomsampleof1,000U.S.respondents18yearsofageorolder.

?Controlsfornationallyrepresentativeweightingacrossage,gender,region,raceandethnicity(usingthelatestpubliclyavailableU.S.Censusnumbers)

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES2

dentsu

OURTHEMES

01TOPCONSUMERINSIGHTS

02HOWCONSUMERSAREENGAGINGWITHINFLUENCERCONTENT

03INFLUENCERS’IMPACTONPURCHASINGDECISIONS

04DISCOVERINGINFLUENCERSANDTHEIRCONTENT

05HOWAIISTRANSFORMINGTHEINFLUENCERLANDSCAPE

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES3

SECTION01

TOPCONSUMERINSIGHTS

THESOCIALINTERNETISREORIENTINGAROUNDINFLUENCERSVS.PLATFORMS

Mostfollowersengageinfluencersacross

multipleplatforms,denotinghowourmedia

consumptionisnowdrivenbythepersonalitiesweengagewithasopposedtotheplatformswealreadyuse.Celebritiesarethemostfollowedpersonalities,buttherearesignificantnuancesacrosscohorts.

TRUSTISTHENEWCURRENCY—NOTEVERYBRANDPARTNERSHIPEARNSIT

Consumersexpectinfluencerstobetransparentaboutbrandinvolvementinthecontentthey

produce,andtheyexpectthemtopartnerwithbrands,products,andservicesthatare

pertinenttotheirfieldofexpertise.Over-

postingsponsoredcontentisconsideredanoffenseworthyofunfollowing.

FROMINFLUENCETOACTION:THENEWRULESOFCONSUMERPERSUASION

Typically,themoretimepassesthelesslikelyaninfluencer-inspiredpurchasewilltakeplace.Notableexceptions:In-personpurchases

usuallytakeplaceaftersomeresearch,and

influencer-inspiredB2Bpurchasescantakeaslongasaweek.

CONVICTIONOVERCOUPONS:CONSUMERSWANTPROOF,NOTJUSTPROMOS

Postsexplainingproduct/servicebenefitsand

postswhereinfluencersaretryingproductsandservicesorusingthemindailylivesare

consideredbyconsumerstobemoreeffectiveininspiringpurchasesthandiscountcodes,

vouchers,productunboxingpostsorcontentwherebrandrepresentativesarebeing

interviewed.

INFLUENCERDISCOVERYISN’TONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL—PLATFORMCHOICEREFLECTSINTENT

YouTubeistheplatformwheremostinfluencerdiscoverytakesplaceandisespeciallytrustedforitsalgorithmicrecommendations.Onthe

otherhand,Instagramismostusedwhen

chasinghashtagsandisconsideredtobetheplatformwiththebestsearchcapabilities.

ASAIFILLSTHEFEED,HUMANVOICEBECOMESAPREMIUMASSET

Halfofconsumerssaytheyareturningto

humancreatorsasareactiontotheincreasing

amountofAI-optimizedandAI-generated

contenttheyseeonline.AIusageonbehalfof

humancreatorsistoleratedaslongastheideasandpersonalitiesofinfluencerscontinuetobereflectedinthecontent.

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES4

SECTION02

HOWCONSUMERSAREENGAGINGWITH

INFLUENCERCONTENT

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES5

MOSTCONSUMERSENGAGEWITHINFLUENCERCONTENT.

Celebritiesarefollowedattwicetherateofmegainfluencers–proofthatfamestillholdsourattention.Boomersover-indexonnotengagingwithinfluencercontent.

WHICH,IFANY,OFTHEFOLLOWINGTYPESOF

INFLUENCERSDOYOUENGAGEONLINEWITH

MOSTOFTEN?

Celebrities

26%

Idon'tengage

withinfluencers

orcontent

creators

38%

62%

engagewith

influencer

content

Mega-influencers

(1M-10M

followers)

12%

Nano-influencers

(1k-10kfollowers)

5%

Macro-influencers(100k-1Mfollowers)

11%

Micro-influencers

(10k-100kfollowers)

8%

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES6

“IDON’TENGAGEWITHINFLUENCERCONTENT”

31%

Men

46%

Women

11%

GenZ

20%

Millennials

43%

GenX

Boomers75%

dentsu

GENZCONSUMERSGRAVITATETOWARDSMEGAANDMACROINFLUENCERS.

Ontheotherhand,GenXaremorelikelytoengagewithnano-influencers(1-10kfollowers).

WHICH,IFANY,OFTHEFOLLOWINGTYPESOFINFLUENCERSDOYOUENGAGE

WITHONLINE?

MEN

Celebrities

(123i)

Mega-influencers

(111i)

Micro-influencers

(105i)

WOMEN

Macro-influencers

(106i)

n/a

n/a

GENZ

Mega-influencers

(166i)

Macro-influencers

(163i)

Micro-influencers

(150i)

MILLENNIALS

Celebrities

(123i)

Mega-influencers

(111i)

Micro-influencers

(105i)

GENX

Nano-influencers

(120i)

Micro-influencers

(113i)

n/a

BOOMERS

n/a

n/a

n/a

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES7

MOSTCONSUMERSFOLLOWINFLUENCERSACROSSMULTIPLEPLATFORMS.

ThisisespeciallytrueofGenZers.Conversely,Boomersover-indexonfollowinginfluencersonasingleplatform.

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGBEST

REFLECTSHOWYOUUSUALLYFOLLOW

ANDSUPPORTINFLUENCERS?

Ifolloweach

influenceracross

multiple

platformsand

supportthemwith

paidsubscriptions

16%

Ifolloweach

influenceronone

platform(forfree)

44%

56%

followacross

multiple

platforms

Ifolloweach

influenceracross

multipleplatforms

(forfree)

40%

8

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES

SingleplatformMulti-platformMulti-platform+paid

Men

Women

GenZ

Millennials

GenX

Boomers

16%

44%

50%

40%

38%

43%

42%

35%

18%

16%

16%

40%

17%

48%

46%

41%

41%

8%

dentsu

ENTERTAINMENTCONTENT,PERSONALITY,ANDTUTORIALSARETHEBIGGESTDRIVERSFORINFLUENCERFOLLOWING.

Whileitistheleastchosenoption,asmanyas3in10respondentsindicatefollowinginfluencerstomakedecisionsintheirprofessionalsphere.

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGREASONSBESTREFLECTWHYYOUENGAGEWITHINFLUENCERS?

47%

Theypostcontentthatisrelevanttoentertainment(movies,comic

books,etc.)Iamafanof

45%

TheyarepersonalitiesthatIenjoy,regardlessofthecontenttheypost

45%

Theypostcontentthatisrelevanttomypersonalhobbiesandhelpsme

pursuethem(e.g.,tutorials).

41%

TheypostcontentthathelpsmeunderstandaspectsofpopularcultureIwanttoknowmoreabout(e.g.,celebritynews,awards,etc.)

Theypostcontentthathelpsmeunderstandthelatest

41%

newsandcurrentevents

Theypostcontentthathelpsmetakebettercareof

37%

myselfandmylovedones

Theypostcontentthathelpsmestayontopofthe

36%

latesttrendsinpopularculture

32%

Theypostcontentthatisrelevanttomyprofessionalsphereandhelps

memakedecisionsatwork

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES9

MOSTCONSUMERSARECONFIDENTINTHEIRABILITYTODISCERNSPONSOREDCONTENTFROMINFLUENCERS.

MenandMillennialsarethemostconfidentintheirabilitytotellwheninfluencercontentissponsored.

HOWOFTENCANYOUTOTELLTHEDIFFERENCE

BETWEENANINFLUENCERPOSTTHATIS

SPONSOREDANDONETHATISN’T?

Icannevertellthedifference

betweenthetwo.

3%

Icanrarelytellthedifference

4%

Icantellthedifferenceallthetime

39%

SometimesIcantell

thedifference,

sometimesIcan't

17%

76%

all/mostofthe

time

MostofthetimeIcantellthedifference

37%

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES10

“ICANTELLTHEDIFFERENCE

ALL/MOSTOFTHETIME”

AllthetimeMostofthetime

42%

33%

36%

42%

40%65%

Men

37%

79%

35%

Women

37%

72%

41%

GenZ

74%

84%

48%

Millennials

29%

GenX

71%

25%

Boomers

dentsu

MOSTCONSUMERSSUPPORTINFLUENCERSPOSTINGSPONSOREDCONTENT,BUTTRANSPARENCYANDAUTHENTICITYAREKEY.

Only6%ofrespondentsareagainstsponsoredcontentaltogether.ThesharerisessignificantlyamongBoomers.

HOWDOYOUFEELABOUTINFLUENCERSINCLUDINGSPONSOREDCONTENTIN

WHATTHEYSHARE?

I'msupportiveofit,regardlessofwhether

Ipreferor

itisdisclosedorauthentic

11%

thatinfluencersdon'tincludesponsoredbrandedcontentinwhattheyshare

6%

(Boomers=18%)

I'msupportiveofitaslongasitdoesnotaffecttheauthenticityofthecontent

theyusuallymake

36%

I'msupportiveofit,aslongasitisdisclosedthatthecontentissponsored

47%

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES11

WHENITCOMESTOSPONSOREDCONTENT,TRANSPARENCYISVALUEDABOVEAUTHENTICITY,BUTTHEREARESIGNIFICANTNUANCESACROSSCOHORTS.

Surprisingly,GenXandBoomersputauthenticityabovetransparency,whileGenZandMillennialsdotheopposite.TherearenosignificantdifferencesbetweenMenandWomen.

HOWDOYOUFEELABOUTINFLUENCERSSHARINGSPONSOREDCONTENTIN

WHATTHEYSHARE?

I'msupportiveofitaslongasitdoesnot

affecttheauthenticityofthecontenttheyusuallymake

I'msupportiveofit,aslongasitisbeingdisclosedthecontentissponsored

36%

ALLCONSUMERS

47%

37%

GenZ

48%

30%

Millennials

58%

41%

GenX

36%

44%

Boomers

29%

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES12

CONSUMERSAREOKWITHSPONSOREDCONTENTASLONGASIT’SFREETOACCESS.ITSINCLUSIONINPAIDCONTENTISREJECTED.

Theyalsoexpectsponsoredcontenttorevolvearoundthesametopicstheyusuallypostabout.

“IEXPECTTHEPAIDCONTENTIRECEIVE

FROMINFLUENCERSISUPPORT/SUBSCRIBE

TOBEFREEOFSPONSOREDCONTENT”

Disagree

30%

Agree

70%

Millennials=79%

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES13

“INFLUENCERSSHOULDONLYMAKE

SPONSOREDCONTENTTHATISRELATEDTO

THEIRFIELDOFEXPERTISETHEYNORMALLY

COVERINTHEIRREGULARCONTENT”

Disagree

25%

Agree

75%

Millennials=81%

dentsu

OVER-RELIANCEONSPONSOREDCONTENTISCONSIDEREDAWORSE

OFFENSETHANLACKOFTRANSPARENCYORBADRECOMMENDATIONS.

Onceagain,Millennialsstandoutasthecohortthatissignificantlymorelikelytopayattentionandstopfollowing.

WHICH,IFANY,OFTHEFOLLOWINGWOULDCAUSEYOUTOSTOP

FOLLOWINGINFLUENCERSYOUENGAGEWITH?

IstopfollowinginfluencersifIend

upbeingdissatisfiedwitha

product/serviceIpurchased

becauseoftheirrecommendation

IstopfollowinginfluencersifIdiscovertheydidn'tdisclosethecontenttheypostedissponsored

Istopfollowinginfluencersifthe

majorityoftheirpostsare

comprisedofsponsoredcontent

StronglyagreeSomewhatagree

24%39%

23%40%

63%

63%

27%42%

Millennials=69%

Millennials=69%

69%Millennials=75%

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES14

SECTION02

IMPLICATIONSFORMARKETERS

THINKIMPACTVS.REACH.

Differentcohortsover-indexonengagingwithdifferentcategoriesofinfluencers,sodon’tassumethatthesizeofthefollowingequalsthecampaign'ssuccess.Furthermore,

considertheplatformsthatarealreadyapartofyourmarketingmixandwhichinfluencershaveafootprintthatnaturallyoverlapswiththem,asmostconsumerswillengagewith

thembeyondasinglechannel.

KEEPINFLUENCERSINTHEDRIVER’SSEAT.

Whenitcomestosponsoredcontent,consumersexpecttransparencyandwantthistypeofcontenttobeadjacenttotheinfluencer’swheelhouse.Nooneknowswhatworkswiththeirfollowerbaseaswellascreatorsthemselves.Asopposedtohandingthem

prescriptivebriefs,letthempitchyoutheirideasforhowyourbrandmightfitit.

THINK‘SPECIAL’AND‘TARGETED’INFLUENCERPARTNERSHIPS.

Overexposureinbrandedcontentcanbeaturn-offforconsumers,andsocanbeshowingupinthewronginfluencer’sstories.Workwithexpertswhounderstandtheinfluencer

landscapeandcandeterminewherethereisanaturalfitbetweenyourproducts/services’valuepropositionanddifferentcreators’contentspecializations.

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES15

dentsu

SECTION03

INFLUENCERS’IMPACTONPURCHASING

DECISIONS

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES16

ALMOSTHALFOFCONSUMERSMAKEWEEKLYPURCHASESINSPIREDBYINFLUENCERS.

ThisbehaviorisdrivenbyMenandespeciallybyMillennials.

HOWOFTENHAVEYOUPURCHASED

SOMETHINGAFTERSEEINGITINAN

INFLUENCER’SCONTENTINTHELASTYEAR?

Never

12%

Daily

19%

42%

Multipletimes

29%

ayear

havepurchasedweekly

Weekly

23%

Monthly

17%

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES17

“IHAVEPURCHASEDATLEAST

WEEKLY”

DailyWeekly

Men20%26%46%

Women17%18%35%

GenZ

18%19%37%

Millennials

28%34%62%

GenX

11%20%

31%

Boomers

9%

5%

dentsu

65%

45%

41%

ONLINEDOMINATESINFLUENCER-INSPIREDPURCHASESBUTIN-STORESTILLMATTERS.

Millennialsaresubstantiallymorelikelytohaveboughtsomethinginspiredbyaninfluencerinaphysicalstore.GenXaremorelikelytodosothanGenZers.

WHEREHAVEYOUMADEPURCHASESAFTERSEEINGSOMETHINGINAN

Online(throughwebsite,app,ordirectlinkprovidedbytheinfluencer)

Inaphysicalstore

INFLUENCER’SCONTENT?

80%

ALLCONSUMERS

49%

81%

Men54%

79%

Women

42%

78%

GenZ

#3

Millennials

88%#1

77%

GenX

#2

72%

Boomers

30%

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES18

ONLINEPURCHASESINSPIREDBYINFLUENCERSTENDTOBEIMPULSIVE,WHILEIN-STOREPURCHASESTAKEPLACERIGHTAFTERSOMEINITIALRESEARCH.

Morefrequentexposuretotheproduct/servicedoesnotnecessarilytranslateintogreaterlikelihoodtopurchase.

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGHASOCCURREDFORTHEINFLUENCER-

wOnlineIn-storewNever

INSPIREDPURCHASESYOUMADEONTHEFOLLOWINGCHANNELS?

#1

Iusedalinkprovidedbytheinfluencerorwenttothestoretomake

thepurchaseIMMEDIATELYAFTERseeingthepost

60%

Isearchedandresearchedtheproduct/servicestheinfluencerhadpostedandmadethepurchaseRIGHTAFTER

Isearchedandresearchedtheproduct/servicestheinfluencerhadpostedaboutbutonlypurchasedATALATERTIME

Ieventuallymadethepurchasebutaftertheinfluencerpostedabout

theproduct/serviceMULTIPLETIMES

IeventuallymadethepurchasebutONLYAFTERIwasexposedtoadsforthesameproduct/serviceinothermedia

35%

16%

46%

49%

12%

56%

40%

12%

50%

39%

#1

55%

36%

#1

19%

19%

#1

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES19

“IUSEDALINKTOMAKEANONLINEPURCHASE

IMMEDIATELYAFTERSEEINGTHEINFLUENCER’SPOST”

64%

55%

54%

74%

54%

47%

Men

Women

GenZ

Millennials

GenX

Boomers

INFLUENCERINSPIREIMPULSEBUYINGANDTHECHANNELSUSEDVARYBYCOHORTS.

MenandMillennialsaremostlikelytopurchaseimmediatelyonline,whereasWomenandGenZaremostlikelytodosoforin-storepurchases.

“IWENTTOTHESTORETOMAKETHEPURCHASE

IMMEDIATELYAFTERSEEINGTHEPOST”

Men

Women

GenZ

Millennials

GenX

Boomers

38%

34%

33%

25%

41%

31%

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES20

INFLUENCERCONTENTDRIVESIMMEDIATEONLINEPURCHASES,ANDSAME-DAYIN-STOREDECISIONS.

Themoretimepasses,thelesslikelypurchasesareinspiredbyinfluencers–ortobeperceivedassuchbyconsumers.

HOWMUCHTIMEPASSEDBETWEENBEINGEXPOSEDTOA

wOnlineIn-storewNever

PRODUCT/SERVICEINAPOSTANDPURCHASINGIT?

ImadethepurchaseWITHINACOUPLEOFHOURS

ImadethepurchasetheSAMEDAY

ImadethepurchasetheSAMEWEEK

ImadethepurchasetheSAMEMONTH

ImadethepurchaseWITHIN2-3MONTHS

ImadethepurchaseWITHIN4-6MONTHS

ImadethepurchaseEVENLATERINTHEYEAR

61%

#1

32%

15%

45%17%

40%16%

43%

15%

51%

39%

18%

50%

36%

22%

47%

38%

23%

50%

45%

51%

#1

#1

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES21

WHENITCOMESTOIMMEDIATEINFLUENCER-INSPIREDPURCHASES,MILLENNIALSCLEARLYFAVORONLINE,WHILEGENZALSOLEANONPHYSICALSTORES.

Menaremorelikelytopurchasewithinhoursonline,whileWomenareaheadforimmediatein-storepurchases.

“IMADEANONLINEPURCHASEINSPIREDBYAN

INFLUENCER’SPOSTWITHINACOUPLEOFHOURS”

Men

64%

Women

56%

GenZ

57%

Millennials

75%

GenX

51%

Boomers

42%

22

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES

“IMADEANIN-STOREPURCHASEINSPIREDBYANINFLUENCER’SPOSTWITHINACOUPLEOFHOURS”

Men

31%

Women

34%

GenZ

35%

Millennials

31%

GenX

32%

Boomers

25%

dentsu

WHENITCOMESTOONLINEPURCHASES,INFLUENCERCONTENTISBESTATDRIVINGSUBSCRIPTIONADOPTIONANDTHESALEOFSPECIALTYPRODUCTS.

Whenitcomestoin-storepurchases,influencercontentisbestsuitedtodrivingthesaleofeverydayitems(e.g.,groceries,casualapparel,etc.)

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGCATEGORIESMAKEUPMOSTOFTHEPRODUCTS/SERVICESYOUPURCHASEDONTHE

FOLLOWINGCHANNELSASARESULTOFINFLUENCERCONTENT?

#1

Subscriptionservices

Specialtyproducts/equipment(e.g.,tools,instuments,etc.)

OnlineEverydayitems(e.g.groceries,casualapparel,etc.)

58%35%

15%

54%42%

17%

#1

53%52%

9%

In-store

NeverLuxuryitems

Servicesformyhouse/property

Professionalservicesformyfamily(e.g.,accountants,etc.)

Travelpackages

48%40%

21%

46%40%

22%

46%40%

23%

45%37%

25%

#1

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES23

CONVICTIONOVERCOUPONS:CONSUMERSWANTPROOF,NOTJUSTPROMOS.

Eveniftheyaremadeinaninfluencer’ssignaturecontentstyle,adsaredeemedtheleasteffectiveformofpromotion.

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGFORMSOFINFLUENCERCONTENTAREMOSTEFFECTIVEIN

CONVINCINGYOUTOMAKEAPURCHASE?

Contentwheretheinfluencerexplainstheprod./serv.benefits

Sharinghowtheinfluencerusestheprod./serv.intheirdailylife

Try-onsandlivedemos

Sharingexclusivediscountcodesorvoucherswithfollowers

30%

27%

27%

26%

ExplainingT's&C'sofacampaignrelatedtoaprod./serv.

Productunboxingvideosorposts

Interviewswithbrandrepsendorsingtheprod./serv.

Adscreatedbyinfluencersthatfittheirtypicalcontentstyle

38%

37%

36%

34%

densu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES24

INAB2BCONTEXT,INFLUENCERPOSTSAREMOREEFFECTIVEININSPIRINGPURCHASESFORTANGIBLEGOODS.

Professionalandcontractorservices,aswellassoftware,arelesslikelytohavebeeninspiredbyinfluencerpostscomparedtospecialtyequipmentandhardwarefortheworkplace.

WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGCATEGORIESHAVEYOUPURCHASEDONBEHALFOFYOUR

EMPLOYERASARESULTOFENGAGINGWITHANINFLUENCER’SPOST?(*)

Specialtyequipment(e.g.,machinery,uniforms,etc.)

Officehardware

Professionalservices(e.g.,ITsupport,marketingagencies,etc.)

Software

Contractororfreelancerservices

Ihavenotpurchasedonbehalfofmyemployer

47%

46%

42%

38%

27%

58%

(*)Onlyaskedtorespondentswhosaidtheyfollowinfluencersonmattersrelatedtotheirprofessionalsphereandtomakedecisionsatwork.

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES25

B2BINFLUENCERSCANINSPIREACTIVEENGAGEMENTFROMBUYERSTHATUSUALLYRESOLVESINWEEK-LONGCONSIDERATIONCYCLES.

6in10ofthosewhohavemadeinfluencer-inspiredpurchasesonbehalfoftheiremployersreportusingalinktobuythereandthen.ThisisquiteoutstandingconsideringthattypicalB2Bdecisioncyclescantake2-3monthsormore.

WHATOCCURREDAFTERSEEINGTHEINFLUENCER’S

POSTFORTHEPURCHASESYOUMADEONBEHALFOF

YOUREMPLOYER?(*)

Iusedalinktomakethepurchase

Iresearchedthe

product/servicefurther

Iwenttoaphysicallocationtocompletethepurchase

Iattendedaconference/tradeshowtolearnmore

Ireachedouttothevendor

(*)Onlyaskedtorespondentswhosaidtheymadeaninfluencer-inspiredpurchaseonbehalfoftheiremployer.

60%

44%

56%

64%

41%

26

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES

WHENDIDTHEPURCHASEONBEHALFOFYOUR

EMPLOYEROCCURINRELATIONTOWHENYOUSAW

THEINFLUENCER’SPOST?(*)

WithinacoupleofhoursThesameday

Withinthesameweek

Withinthesamemonth

Wthin2-3months

(*)Onlyaskedtorespondentswhosaidtheymadeaninfluencer-inspiredpurchaseonbehalfoftheiremployer.

Withinthesameyear1%

Ittookmorethanayear1%

43%

10%

22%

19%

4%

dentsu

SECTION03

IMPLICATIONSFORMARKETERS

BASEYOURFUNNELEXPECTATIONSONCHANNELANDCATEGORYNUANCES.

Influencer-inspiredpurchasestendtobeimpulsiveandimmediateforproductsandservices

(e.g.,subscriptions)thatarepurchasedonline,whilethepurchaseofphysicalproductsin-storemayrequirerepeatandprolongedexposureonthepartoftheconsumer.ModeltheKPIsfor

yourinfluencercampaignonthenuancesofwhatisbeingsoldandwhere.

DESIGNCUSTOMERJOURNEYSTHATCATERTOEACHCOHORT’SPREFERENCES.

Thenextbestactionaftertheconsumerhasengagedwiththeinfluencer’spostmayvary

accordingtowhetheryouaretargetingMillennials,whowanttoimmediatelymovetoa

checkoutpage,orGenZers,whoappreciatetheopportunityofcheckingouttheproductin

theflesh,inaphysicalretailenvironment.EvenforD-T-Cbrands,considerwhethertherearepop-upopportunities,perhapsinvolvingtheinfluencersthemselves,thatmightmakesense.

THINKLIKEALIFESTYLEBRAND.

Regardlessofthecategoryyourproducts/servicesinhabit,sponsoredcontentbyinfluencersresonatesthemostwithconsumerswhentheyareshownthecreatorsstandingupforthe

product/service’sbenefitsandusingthebrandinreallife.Howcanwhatyouarepromotingfitwithinalifestylenarrative,sotheconnectionpointbetweenthecontentfeaturedby

influencersandotheradspromotingthesameproductorservicefeelsmoreorganic.

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES27

dentsu

SECTION04

DISCOVERING

INFLUENCERSANDTHEIRCONTENT

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES28

YOUTUBEISCONSUMERS’FAVORITEPLATFORMWHENITCOMESTODISCOVERINGNEWINFLUENCERSTOENGAGEWITH.

Instagram,Facebook,andTikTokarealsowidelyusedfordiscovery.

ONWHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGPLATFORMSDOYOULEARNABOUTNEWINFLUENCERS/

CONTENTCREATORSTOFOLLOW?

YouTubeInstagramFacebook TikTokTwitter/X Spotify TwitchPinterest

AppleMusic/podcastsLinkedInDiscord RedditBlueskyThreadsPatreon

Noneoftheabove

42%

40%

39%

18%

11%

8%

8%

7%

6%

6%

5%

5%

4%

3%

2%

53%

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES29

PLATFORMSFORINFLUENCERDISCOVERYVARYRADICALLYACCORDINGTOGENDERANDGENERATION.

GenZover-significantlyonusingTwitch,Apple,andDiscord,whereasBoomersfavorLinkedInandFacebook.

ONWHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGPLATFORMSDOYOULEARNABOUTNEW

INFLUENCERS/CONTENTCREATORSTOFOLLOW?

MEN

Reddit(120i)

Spotify(118i)

LinkedIn(116i)

WOMEN

Pinterest(125i)

TikTok(115i)

AppleMusic(114i)

GENZ

Twitch(175i)

AppleMusic(157i)

Discord(150i)

MILLENNIALS

Twitter/X(122i)

Reddit(120i)

Facebook(120i)

GENX

Facebook(130i)

LinkedIn(116i)

YouTube(111i)

BOOMERS

LinkedIn(150i)

Facebook(142i)

Pinterest(137i)

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES30

YOUTUBE’SALGORITHMINFORMSTHEMAJORITYOFNEWINFLUENCER

DISCOVERIES,WHILEINSTAGRAMISFAVOREDFORHASHTAGSEARCHES.

YouTubeisalsowheremostconsumerssearchforinfluencerswhohavebeenrecommendedbycreatorstheyalreadytrust.

ONWHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGPLATFORMSDOYOUDOTHEFOLLOWINGTO

DISCOVERNEWINFLUENCERS/CONTENTCREATORS?

CheckMostPopularLists

Check

TrendingNowLists

CheckYou

MayAlsoLike

recommendati

ons

CheckUp

Nextcontent

queues

Search

hashtags&

keywords

Search

influencers

namedropped

byfavorites

Trigger

random

recommendati

onsby

platforms

Searchfor

known

influencers’

other

channels

#1

YouTube

21%

YouTube

22%

YouTube

26%

YouTube

28%

Instagram

22%

YouTube

29%

YouTube

20%

YouTube

25%

#2

Instagram

20%

TikTok

20%

Instagram

21%

Instagram

21%

YouTube

20%

Instagram

21%

Instagram

18%

Facebook

21%

#3

Facebook

20%

Instagram

20%

TikTok

21%

Facebook

19%

TikTok

20%

TikTok

19%

Facebook

18%

Instagram

21%

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES31

INSTAGRAM’SSEARCHISCONSIDEREDTHEBESTBYCONSUMERS.

Conversely,Twitter/XandRedditareconsideredtohavetheleastsatisfactorysearchcapabilities.

WHENLOOKINGFORINFLUENCERS,HOWSATISFIEDBYTHEFOLLOWINGPLATFORMS’SEARCHRESULTS?

SatisfiedSomewhatsatisfiedNotsatisfiedDidn'tuseonthisplatform

Instagram

Pinterest

Patreon

YouTube

Twitch

Facebook

Discord

Bluesky

Threads

TikTok

Spotify

AppleMusic

Reddit

Twitter

LinkedIn

75%

21%23%

26%23%

24%25%

24%27%

35%

34%33%

2%2%

6%1%

0%3%

6%1%

4%2%

4%1%

8%0%

6%2%

0%

0%

5%1%

71%

71%

70%

70%

70%

68%

65%

63%

62%

61%

39%

4%0%

54%

33%

50%

49%

34%

4%4%

11%

16%

2%

0%

43%

57%

dentsu

PARTOFTHEDENTSUCONSUMERNAVIGATORSERIES32

63%

52%

72%

74%

68%

69%

69%

YOUTUBEANDPATREON’SALGORITHMSARECONSIDEREDTOBETHEMOSTEFFECTIVEINMAKINGINFLUENCERRECOMMENDATIONS.

Ontheotherhand,consumersaredissatisfiedwiththerecommendationsonBluesky.

HOWSATISFIEDBYTHEFOLLOWINGPLATFORMS’RECOMMENDATIONS