Influencers' Relationship to PR

Everyone is familiar with how a celebrity’s endorsement can heavily influence the public’s opinion. While celebrity endorsements have the potential to provide easy publicity for an organization, controversies are bound to arise with people who are so often in the spotlight. For example, someone like Kim Kardashian receives media attention for almost everything she does, whether it’s good or bad. Kardashian’s ads for her bronzer kits were met with various accusations of promoting blackface, although her kits were sold out in a matter of minutes. This particular situation could have been avoided if someone on a PR team, whose job it is to prevent these types of controversies, had worked closer with the marketing and advertising teams putting the campaign together. For celebrities to make sure that their media attention is positive and that they are prepared to manage a scandal, it is essential that a PR team is working closely with all departments.

Another type of influencer is a social media Mega-influencer, who typically reaches over 1 million followers. Although influencers in this category have a large reach, they do not have a very intimate relationship with their publics’ diverse mix of backgrounds and interests. Working with mega-influencers, who in some cases hold celebrity status, tends to run smoothly if you have the funds to work with them. Their personal marketing and advertising team will likely make sure any work done with the mega-influencer produces an effective campaign. However, managing mega-influencers may result in managing the same sort of crises that celebrities like the Kardashians have to deal with. The volume of followers these influencers have means that they are very much in the public eye. Having a team of people dedicated to making sure these mega-influencers maintain a strong and non-controversial personal brand is crucial.

So what do you deem as a more effective way to reach an audience? A celebrity endorsement or working with a mega-influencer? Does the strong management team of a celebrity seem worthwhile enough based on the higher cost?