If  we don’t take into consideration today’s fuss about influencer marketing strategies and take a look at the history we will see that influencer marketing has even started before the creation of social media. The definition of the “influencer” is a person with the ability to influence potential buyers of a product or service by promoting or recommending the items on social media. Clear message and easy to understand but is it? Can anybody be an influencer? 

What makes a Person an Influencer

Beautiful minds inspire others. Just think, do we like influencers just because we want to be like them?  The answer is  yes for some of us, but for the rest of us, we value the effort they put in their work. The influencers inspire us to be the best version of ourselves, do the right thing in every condition and keep pushing our boundaries.

The influencers take action deliberately. They don’t have magic sticks which make all of their dreams come true. They build their name bit by bit. No matter if we call them content creators, mentors, guides, experts or anything like that, they all serve to the same purpose. Creating the impact they were aiming for is their solemn duty.

Honesty saves everyone’s time. Indeed it does. Would you rely on someone who lies to you? Possibly there isn’t any worse thing for  an influencer to tell a lie and get caught. Because once it happens that influencer’s credibility flies out of the window and it’s unlikely to repair again. The reputation is the essence of the influencer’s ability to influence.

This is not a controversial matter, whether or not you have a great thought or actions, if you have people who think like you, in another word if they can relate with you, these people will follow you. However was this always like that? Let’s have a look at the dusty pages of history.

The Blonde Bombshell was on Duty

The Blonde Bombshell, Marilyn Monroe skyrocketed the sales of Chanel №5. In April 1952, Marilyn Monroe appeared for the first time on the cover of Life Magazine, and the article mentions her answer to the question, “What do you wear to bed?” and her reply, “a few drops of Chanel №5”.

Now when we see one or another celebrity praise a perfume it’s quite normal, but Marilyn Monroe was the first celebrity who was endorsing a perfume. Chanel №5 is the most famous and best selling perfume but the popularity of the icon escalated in the twinkling of an eye. 

After that brands discovered the way to use the power of popularity and public images of the celebrities they use it unceasingly. That was easier to entice potential customers with the personalization of celebrities’ looks and their ways of living. 

A Long Way from Down to the Top

Have you heard about Nancy Green? She was one of the first African American models in history to become the face of a popular food product. She didn’t have a beautiful body to show off, we can’t call her a scholar because she was’t. Nancy was a slave, then nanny and cook finally an influencer who fight against the racial discrimination. 

In 1889 Nancy Green was hired to promote a brand called “Aunt Jemima”. The product itself was out of ordinary for its time, self-rising pancake flour with a Black woman’s face on the box  made an instant hit across the country. If we look at the 21st century’s individual’s perspective, yes the design may seem racial and stereotypical nevertheless it was innovative for the 1880s. Green made the big chunk of money while working for the brand for 33 years until her unexpected death. Moreover she became one of the most influential advocates who spoke out against poverty and equal rights.

“Because They’re Worth It”

If you go out and ask a random person who is the second person did a revolutionary act in any case for the first time, it would be doubtful that you will find the right answer. However, we know our pioneers. In 1971, when women didn’t even have a voice over the product specifically manufactured for them, L’Oréal made something groundbreaking. Those days were special for the women’s rights movement  but still advertising controlled by men and women were completely left out.

“Because I’m Worth It” said brand ambassador Joanne Dusseau for the first time and it changed the views of women forever. Some sources claim that L’Oréal came up with this tagline because they wanted to beat their competitor Clairol and encourage women to spend more money on their product. Well, it worked. Because in the 70s almost every commercial featured male actors and showed their perspectives. If you take a look at Clairol’s ads in the 1970s you will see women with a male voiceover. However in the L’Oréal advertisement we see a woman who narrates that she  bought  a premium beauty product for the first time just for herself. The tagline slightly changed over the course of history and evolved its latest form, “ Because You’re Worth It”. Yet no matter how you comprehend it the slogan has been translated into 40 languages and it gave women confidence when they didn’t use to feel they are worth it. L’Oréal didn’t just became the pioneer in feminist advertising, more importantly it influenced the women’s outlooks about themselves.

It doesn’t matter who was the first influencer or when  exactly influencing has started. What we are making of it is the thing we need to focus on and thrive. Try to be a better influential leader to relate and impact others in a deep and sincere way.

AboutRumiya Mammadova

Rumiya is a dedicated and compassionate content writer who specializes in the field of digital marketing. She's committed to her job and wants to be part of a challenging working environment.