By Fran Prince, account director
It might sound counter-intuitive, as creators are usually wary of featuring negative product reviews on their channels for fear of alienating potential partners, but when done right, deinfluencing can go a long way to reinforcing trust and honesty between an influencer and their audience.
What is the deinfluencing trend?
Deinfluencing is the latest viral video trend doing the rounds on the social media platform TikTok, where users debunk much-loved products with cult status and suggest alternatives (often much cheaper) that do the same thing for less money. Creators often round-up their favourite ‘dupes’ (something almost identical to the more popular product) and tell their followers what not to buy.
What is the impact of deinfluencing on marketing?
Brands might need to pivot strategies slightly, but it’s no less evident that influencers still have power over consumer purchases in 2023.
Deinflunencing is still influential in its own right. It’s based on consumers making lifestyle swaps and looking to save money wherever possible, spurred on by the current economic climate and the cost-of-living crisis. Brands may even latch onto the deinfluencing trend if they truly believe their product is a ‘dupe’ or a better alternative to another more popular brand.
In today’s economic backdrop, consumers are looking for ways in which the online content they digest can help them to save money and save the planet in turn. Likewise, brands are investing more in micro-influencers that resonate with ‘real’, more true-to-life circumstances.
Gen Z culture specifically is far more concerned with the problems associated with overconsumption. At its roots, this is how the deinfluencing trend started, with influencers questioning often over-hyped products and whether they’re really worth the money.
The key for brands looking to make a connection with their target audience is an authentic voice offering concrete advice on bettering the lives of their followers. Additionally, products need to add real value and hold credible reviews for the future, over the past few years this genuineness been hampered by the transparency of paid for influencer content set by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ensuring product reviews and hauls look obviously paid for.
Questionably, the deinfluencing trend may be offering a bit of a loophole to current ad regulations, as the trend negatively impacts more ‘viral’ brands but replaces them for others. Some of the most popular products being ‘deinfluenced’ include the beauty industry but also home and interiors – brands like Olaplex, Charlotte Tilbury and Amazon are often featured in these videos to name but a few.
Products that can back up claims with robust results and scientific evidence have nothing to fear from this new social media storm. This is not the end of the influencer, rather a shift in mindset for consumers, creators and the brands they work with.
Get expert social media advice
If you’re looking to change tactic with your social media and promote your items via a new influencer marketing strategy – whether it is offering energy saving advice at home, cost savvy cooking hacks or you simply want to educate consumers on why your products are so beneficial to our everyday lives, then please contact us today for a consultation.
