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Pelayo Díaz was caught in the state of alarm in Punta del Este. Pioneer in the national scene of men's fashion blogs with his blog Kate loves me , the influencer visited Uruguay to attend the wedding of some friends. The previous days he had traveled here and there, dropping by the parades in New York, Paris and Milan. After his return to Madrid, the converted into a public figure when he worked as a stylist for the disappeared Telecinco Cámbiame program - his own wedding in 2018 copied the cover of Lecturas magazine -, he had to change the enviable hotel breakfasts by infinity pools for cookies dinosaur-shaped industrial buildings.
"We try to be positive, but we have the right to feel bad about what is happening," says Eduard Torres
The million followers he accumulates in @pelayodiaz, his Instagram profile, witnessed the abrupt irruption in his publications of the new normality accepted by all. Her routine is now starring in selfies in pairs with a mask, design cufflinks, motivational messages or recycled snapshots to evoke that, this time, yes, any time past was better.
The change imposed by the coronavirus crisis can be extrapolated to the profiles of any fashionable prescriber. Last February, Eduard Torres (@ eduardtorres7), who keeps 300,000 souls outstanding not only for their ability to create earthy and realistic looks , but also for their musical versions guitar in hand, was attending a Calvin Klein event in the New York neighborhood from Nolita. Now confined with his family, the 24-year-old from Barcelona nostalgically remembers that “spectacular party” in which he was able to immortalize himself along with one of his idols, the actor Ncuti Gatwa (Eric in Sex education ). He did not imagine that, soon after, he would have to continue to nurture his profile of past discards accompanied by slogans such as: "We are a sad generation with happy Instagram photos." “Networks increasingly draw a perfect life that is not such. Even in these times we try to be positive, but we have the right to feel bad about what is happening, "he admits.
Accused by so many of showing an idyllic hypertrophied reality, prescribers today are forced to replace dream trips with a daily routine sifted by digital filters. Despite the limitations of setting and message, they still need to engage a vast audience and nurture a well-oiled industry. From the specialized agency Human to Human, they assure that the investment in influencer marketing has doubled in the last year, overcoming for the first time the barrier of 100 million euros in Spain and exceeding 7,000 worldwide. Having mutated into real celebrities who are interested in both style and intimacy, these young people have professionalized their trade to the point of billing 6,000 euros for a sponsored image if they approach a million followers. "We have become entrepreneurs who employ many people, from photographers to editors," says Pelayo Díaz. But the current difficulty in communicating fashion-related content, while the window blinds are still lowered, encourages unknowns about whether their business model will manage to remain undaunted when all this is over.
The covid-19 will force the 'instagramers' to show maturity due to the suddenness of events
According to Human to Human data, as of March 15, 18% of collaborations with digital talents were canceled and 58% postponed. “The fashion and luxury sector is one of those that has been most affected by confinement and one that will take the longest to recover. In the first few weeks, many brands didn't even want to produce content because it could lead to rejection. In this second phase of adaptation to the new reality, actions can be resumed little by little as long as it is done with great care, ”explains Luis Díaz, founder and CEO of this agency specializing in influencer marketing . Taking into account that firms facing a crisis in a solid position recover up to nine times faster than those that reduce their investment, according to Kantar, most choose to remain present in the day-to-day of the consumer despite the circumstances. .
Prescriber and actor Álvaro Mel (premiered on television in La otra mirada ) is known as @meeeeeeeel (yes, with eight is). At 23, he is one of the most successful male profiles in our country, surpassing 1,300,000 followers. Few like him master the language of Generation Z, both in the urban spirit of their outfits and in the irreverent vocation of their photos. "These days I try to give a message of support and encouragement, so that my followers can get ahead in the best possible way." Empathy and social sensitivity will be key to surviving in the postcovid-19 world, forcing instagramers to show maturity supervened by the suddenness of events. This is corroborated by Sarah Owen, senior insight editor at international trend forecasting consultancy WGSN: “Every marketing action should be honestly linked to supporting your local communities, frontline workers and the most committed members. vulnerable of society ”.
Experts agree that the influencer is a useful tool for brands to keep in touch with an audience that spends even more time glued to the mobile than before (up to an hour more on average per day, according to the consultancy Smartme Analytics). But the context has changed and, until the storm subsides, the way of communicating must also adapt to reality so as not to fall into frivolous messages that can hurt sensitivities and backfire. Episodes that could pass as anecdotes just a couple of months ago today can jeopardize your future as prescribers. "Firms will avoid having influencers who damage their reputation, opting for those who during these times have perfectly represented the values of the brand," says Beatriz Portela, CEO and founder of Okiko Talents, a pioneering Spanish agency in our country in the digital talent management.
In this sense, the case of the artist Miranda Makaroff, daughter of the designer Lydia Delgado and well-known, in addition to her colorful and vitalist idea of art and content on social networks, for spreading theories on her personal networks on antidotes for any evil. The most recent thing was to affirm that the coronavirus vaccine would not be necessary "if we were taught to manage our cells with our minds as children". The avalanche of reproaches was immediate, taking almost as many headlines as the controversy starring Pelayo. The Asturian raised blisters after a luxury pet farm sent him a gift to Vidu , a two-month-old Pomeranian who arrived at his home by courier within days of declaring the state of alarm. Although he prefers not to comment further on it, in his virtual profile he sang the mea culpa to his followers. "I apologize because we never wanted to offend anyone. […] I am still shaping it, but I want to communicate my immediate intention to collaborate with an animal protector, ”she wrote.
"The firms will have those who have perfectly represented the values of the brand," says Beatriz Portela
While Instagram demands commitment and deontology, another social network steals millions of users boasting conflicting values. Neither perfection nor gravity has a place at TikTok. This escapist oasis, famous for its musical memes and a spontaneous character allergic to controversy, has expanded its target audience beyond the teenagers who until now took it over. Daniel Illescas (@danielillescas), who has managed to reach a million faithful on Instagram thanks to his careful snapshots traveling the globe and a physicist who has led him to parade for firms like Custo, is one of the thousands of users who in recent years weeks has been seduced by what is undoubtedly the social network of the moment. “It allows you to show your craziest and most extroverted side. People like to see something more natural, not just sitting in front of the camera. We have been happy with the quarantine, ”he reasons. The period of confinement has made it easy for celebrities, microinfluencers - and anyone who didn't belong to Generation Z - to get acquainted with the spirit without fear of TikTok's ridicule and, as they predict from WGSN, the advertising investment will inexorably shift towards the Asian application.
In a scenario in which, as a study by consultants Ey and Boston Consulting Group points out, turnover in the national fashion sector will decrease between 35% and 40% and will jeopardize up to a third of jobs, the creativity is on the rise. “We are bringing out a more artistic part, talents that we didn't think we had. I don't know if it's a product of imagination or boredom, but everyone is doing different things, "says Mel. The man from Salamanca focuses his posts on his own image: of the last hundred photos published on his profile, he appears posing in 99. And considering that he is confined with his trusted photographer, also instagrammer Gerard Estadella, it does not seem that he is going to have trouble continuing to generate content. With an increasingly demanding audience, the term natural selection is repeated among experts. "They have been saying for ten years that the figure of the influencer is going to die out, but we are still there," concludes Pelayo. Desiring that brands distinguish imaginative and supportive creators, he himself questions his own prediction: “Every year I see more empty and messageless people with followers. It is important that those who do more for society are valued than displaying a polyester dress made in India. ”
The princes of Instagram face these days a point of no return, urged not only to continue counting the likes of their portraits by millions , but to raise awareness about the new values that promise to prevail in the post-crisis industry. No one dares to answer the question of what their work will be like in a sector forced to completely rethink itself - from points of sale to parades - and before an overwhelmed society. Its aspirational entertainment factory boasts enough muscle to withstand the coming economic downturn, but, like almost every other aspect of our past life, it will surely not return as we knew it.
The May issue is now available in PDF format, and is downloadable for free by clicking here.
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