Italian consumers and influencers: the trust relationship remains high (even after the Ferragni case)

After the judicial vicissitudes involving Chiara Ferragni, has consumer confidence in influencers changed? Surprisingly, but not so much for an economy that in 2023 generated around 400 million euros in Italy and almost 20 billion euros worldwide (data shared by the European Commission in a note published on 17 October 2023), no. The research conducted by BVA Doxa - FLU, a company specialised in influencer marketing and part of the Uniting Group, examined the period between October 2022 and January 2024, involving a sample of Instagram users aged 18 to 54. Among the main findings, 94% of users access Instagram at least once a day (82% several times a day) and two out of three follow at least one influencer, while more than half follow more than 10 influencers.

Between 2022 and the beginning of this year, the number of Instagram subscribers who follow average well-known influencers, i.e. profiles with between 100,000 and one million followers, increased from 53% to 66%, while the number of users who follow ultra-famous influencers, profiles with more than one million followers, decreased (from 33% to 23%) - a sign, perhaps, of a preference for more sectoral and competent personalities than the big names coming out of the social media segment.

It is especially interesting to discover how Italians' trust in influencers has remained very high, despite the media and legislative repercussions caused by the so-called Ferragni case: almost 90% trust the influencers they follow, with 77% of respondents declaring that they know how to recognise whether a piece of content is sponsored or not. With regard to the purchasing behaviour of users, two other data stand out that help to understand the world of social media as a tool for promotion, sales and purchases: 62% of the users involved in the survey appreciate sponsorships and for 86% the post on social media is still the starting point for a subsequent purchase (+ 3 points compared to 2022). In fact, more than two out of three Italians buy a product because they have seen it sponsored on social networks.

"In the last few weeks, insiders and outsiders have commented on the Ferragni case and, more generally, on the influencer marketing sector, albeit with very different levels of expertise," comments Rosario Magro, chief operating officer of FLU, Part of Uniting Group. "Thanks to the research carried out in collaboration with BVA Doxa, we wanted to bring out the consumer's point of view, which is crucial for understanding whether this episode has been processed in the right way. From the data, it is interesting to note how the level of education of users about the world of influencers has become much more refined over the years. Peace of mind in being able to recognise when one is faced with a sponsorship is among the key elements of the trust that consumers maintain in influencers. Indeed, influencers remain a point of reference for the knowledge of new products and their subsequent purchase. The search for competence, as a distinctive trait, denotes an increasing professionalisation of the role'.

The survey conducted by BVA Doxa - FLU shows how creators are increasingly seen as a form of communication similar to advertising, with a significant growth in competence as the element rewarded by consumers in the action and profession of an influencer. While transparency remains the value most valued by consumers, competence rose four points from 2022 to January 2024, while the element of spontaneity lost six points. In evaluating what is offered to them, 67% of Italians say they have a critical sense to understand messages they can or cannot trust. "As FLU, the picture that emerges from the work carried out with Doxa is very important, confirming that influencer marketing is now a mature sector in Italy too," Magro adds. "We welcome it if the media attention of this period leads to even greater clarity, but be careful, because the tools for finding your way around have existed for some time, starting with the Digital Chart drawn up by the Advertising Self-Discipline Institute. Our hope is that this affair will push all players towards a correct use and knowledge of the existing tools, to the benefit of the entire sector'.