Snapchat and MAGNA Media Trials report says branded influencer content partnerships are essential keys to marketers’ playbook

With media spend on the global influencer market expected to approach $6 billion in 2024, a new research report released by Snapchat and MAGNA Media Trials revealed how content creators and brand-sponsored content could push the industry even further.

The robust study called “Unleashing Influence: A Marketer’s Guide to Influencer Success” explored users’ perceptions and preferences across five countries including Australia, France, Saudi Arabia (KSA), The United States of America (USA), and the United Kingdom (UK).

The inclusive group of participants in the study, from different generations and diverse demographics, shared thoughts on positive influencer traits and how they feel about brands sponsoring influencer content on social media.

Says Hannah Rook (pictured below), head of intelligence and insights, Magna Australia: “Australian social media users are increasingly drawn to and engaging with product related content, whether it be tutorials or product reviews, when consuming content on social platforms. This makes the influencer market a very attractive proposition for brands, however, rules of influencer engagement are important to ensure brands align themselves with positive user experiences. This research explored influencer qualities that are preferred by Australians to help establish a set of criteria brands should seek when selecting influencers to work alongside.”

Honesty was the #1 trait (67%) that brands could seek from influencers to drive engagement in brand-sponsored content, more than creativity (47%) and charisma (38%). Creators who routinely shared personal experiences (58%) and engaged with their audience’s comments (56%) fared well on being perceived as honest and authentic. Transparency went together with trust across countries. Brand-sponsored content should be clearly identified as such, especially if you are in Australia where 92% of research participants ranked this as very to somewhat important. Moreover, transparency about sponsorship increased the likelihood of brand engagement (+63%).

Adds Rook: “Overall, this natural alignment made the content and influencer come across as trustworthy and authentic, which led to positive outcomes for the brand including +51% interest in researching the brand and +49% product purchase intent.”

Australians were in support of brand participation in social content with research showing Australians were highly receptive to brand-sponsored influencer content, with an average of 88% receptiveness, and this was true for Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X participants, all of whom were over 80% receptive. A further 61% agree they were primarily on social media to follow influencers (61%).

Says Tony Keusgen, managing director, Snap Inc. Australia and New Zealand: “Snapchat has always been different to traditional social media – it’s where 8 million Australians come to express themselves authentically and connect with people they care about. For creators, Snapchat allows them to build real relationships with our community by showing a unique and more behind-the-scenes look at their lives. The power of genuine connections creates a positive environment for advertisers on Snapchat.”

In the USA an additional content viewing experience was shown to participants on a platform that they regularly use. This line of inquiry presented insights on aligning purpose and platform to get the most out of brand-sponsored content partnerships with influencers. Of the users who were on Snapchat, on average 57% used the platform to keep tabs on their favorite creators’ daily lives. They divulged that Snapchat creators “felt like a friend” (55%), which dovetailed with the data on how users engaged with Snapchat as compared to other platforms (nearly 60% use Snapchat to connect with friends and family).

Additional Key Takeaways:

• • Brand marketers can build trust by working with influencers who are authentic and create connection with their audience through effective behaviors such as talking about their mistakes and lessons learned (60%), providing evidence and facts about their topics (58%), and openly sharing their real lives not just curated lifestyles (57%).
• • Transparency is a must for brand/influencer partnerships. Customising content disclosures for the audience goes a long way – Australian’s preferring voiceovers (26%) followed closely by hashtags (25%)
• • Different platforms serve different purposes, from building community to exploring interests, and brands could better connect with target audiences by strategically aligning their products and brand-sponsored influencer content with their preferred platform.
• • Marketers can position influencers as trusted partners for audiences in their brand decision making journey, and this can be amplified on platforms like Snapchat where brands can lean into users’ attraction to personal connections.