{"id":16569,"date":"2020-04-07T13:50:45","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T05:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/?p=16569"},"modified":"2021-06-23T15:45:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-23T07:45:54","slug":"young-instagram-influencers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/varsity.com.cuhk.edu.hk\/index.php\/2020\/04\/young-instagram-influencers\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Instagram influencers"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Mandy Yim<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working as young Instagram influencers has become a trend among
university students for self-recognition and some pocket money.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CatCat Cheung Ka-man, a Year 4 university student of Hong Kong Baptist University, has started working as an Instagram influencer since 2018. The communication major student has worked with more than 280 brands in two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Cheung is at an event at the LeeGardens. Photo courtesy by Carmen Cheung Ka-man<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Cheung has taken part in a wide variety of advertisements for various products such as electronic gadgets, jewellery, cosmetics, hotpot restaurants, paper-packed beverages and even shower gels.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She found jobs from online media platforms such as Mingo, SpreadIt, Vfluencer, Touchbase and CastingAsia. Some companies approached her directly by sending her invitation messages via Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cApart from money and free products, I also receive free facial treatments, free meals as well as chances to participate in cocktail events,\u201d Cheung says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung says that even though the job nature of being an Instagram influencer is simple and no professional knowledge is required, influencers may still face unexpected difficulties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheung recalls an unforgettable experience. \u201cDirections\ngiven by brand companies on advertising posts are sometimes unclear. A company\nonce required me to express the mood of excitement and surprise at the same\ntime while biting a Cheesy BBQ Meatball Sandwich. I felt embarrassed though I\nsuccessfully finished the task,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Cheung is promoting some lipsticks. Photo courtesy by CatCat Cheung Ka-man<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Cheung also reveals that she usually waits for one to two months for payment after posting an advertisement. \u201cSome companies even forgot to pay. Influencers had to remind companies to settle payments,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While some university students are keen to join the online marketing industry, some have quit the trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ruby Kao Hoi-tung, a Year 2 student of City University of Hong Kong, started her career as an Instagram influencer in 2018 when she was 18. The business major student\u2019s Instagram account now has more than 4000 followers. Her one-year contract with Maybelline has just ended. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kao’s picture appears on Maybelline’s counter. Photo courtesy by Ruby Kao Hoi-tung<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore working with Maybelline, I have been doing online advertising for three brands. They are Shu Uemura, M.A.C and Happy Socks. I contacted the brands through online media platforms such as Zolar,\u201d she adds, \u201cThey are one-time jobs. I did not have a long-term employment relationship with the brands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zolar, formally established in early 2019, is an associated business of New Media Group, a media company in Hong Kong. It does matching for brands and job seekers who want to join the influencer marketing industry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kao was not satisfied with  jobs she had when she was a freelancer. \u201cThe money I got from one-time jobs was little. I only got sample products and travel allowances after posting advertisements. The pay was low which was around $100 per post,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She joined a digital marketing program initiated by Maybelline, namely Babelline Society, in March 2019 and signed a one-year contract. According to the contract terms, Kao was not allowed to create any advertising posts for other cosmetics companies. The program recruited university and secondary school students as promoters for both online and offline promotions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBesides money, the main factor pushing influencers to continue their career is the vanity to be famous,\u201d Kao says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing accepted by Maybelline is my greatest reward in this career. I feel like my ability in marketing is recognised,\u201d Kao says, \u201cI had an interview before I was successfully selected as Maybelline\u2019s online influencer. The interviewers required me to design a campaign to promote their brand and pitch an idea to them. I was so glad that my idea brought me to the company.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Kao prepares for her Instagram post at Mabybelline’s studio. Photo courtesy by Ruby Kao Hoi-tung<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI used to prepare shooting equipment and make-ups myself when I was not a contract staff of Maybelline. I had to take selfies and edit them by myself when I did one-time online marketing campaigns for other brands. The whole process took several hours,\u201d she says. Maybelline, in contrast, provided studios and photographers for Kao. The arrangements made Kao\u2019s job much easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite receiving full assistance from the brand, there were times when\nshe thought about quitting the industry. \u201cI worried about how others thought of\nme. I questioned myself, \u2018Do my followers like my photos? Do they think I am hard-selling?\nWill they unfollow me?\u2019 I felt stressed,\u201d she says. These worries faded away\nwhen her friends once actively assisted her in selecting photos for an\nadvertisement campaign of Maybelline. \u201cTheir encouraging words motivate me a\nlot,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But Kao has no plan to renew her contract with Maybelline. \u201cSome people around me dislike Maybelline due to political reasons,\u201d Kao says. She will also stop promoting other brands and start her own YouTube channel. \u201cI want to start my own channel this summer for myself instead of for other brands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI spend time understanding products before I promote them in public,\u201d Kao says, \u201cI want to live up to the expectations of my followers.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Marsha Yu Man-shan, a Year 3 student of Hong Kong Baptist University, also stopped working as an online influencer after joining the industry for a year.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI started my freelance work as an Instagram influencer when I was in Year 1. I was 18 at that time,\u201d she adds, \u201cI joined this industry only for money.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Yu is at an event held by Kiehl’s. Photo courtesy by Marsha Yu Man-shan<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

She describes the industry as disordered and messy, as anyone can join\nthe trade.  \u201cEveryone can be an\ninfluencer. Many of them spread product information just for money rather than\nrecommending high-quality brands to others. Advertising posts are neither\nrepresentative nor convincing. Customers may be misled,\u201d she says.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also faced the problem of low and unstable income like Kao. \u201cIt is impossible to have a full-time and long term career in online marketing as an influencer as the income fluctuates,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the main reason why Yu gave up her online marketing job is the anti-Extradition Law Amendment Bill (anti-ELAB) movement in Hong Kong. In her view, it is inappropriate to post advertisements during the social movement because they distract others from knowing the most updated information of movement. Therefore, she shifted the focus of her Instagram posts to news about the movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI may still consider re-joining the industry when the anti-ELAB issue is not a topic of intense debate in Hong Kong,\u201d Yu says.  <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Under the influence of the social unrest,\nmedia companies have also been observing a drop in the number of Instagram\ninfluencers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Director of Zolar, Doris Kuok, who has been working in online marketing for 15 years, says the number of teenagers joining the online marketing industry has dropped due to the social movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuok thinks that influencer marketing ties closely with the social situation. \u201cInstagram users follow an influencer only when the influencer has in-depth and constant sharing on a specific theme, such as food and cosmetics. If an influencer shares diversified topics, for instance, political affairs, information about masks and sterilizers, as well as commercial advertisements, followers may lose interests as they find some content not suiting their tastes. They may unfollow the influencer,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCreating posts that relate to a wide range of topics causes the loss of style and character in influencers\u2019 Instagram account,\u201d Kuok says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

<\/strong>Dr. Wu Shih-chia, a professional consultant of the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says both promoters and target audience of online advertisements are mainly teenagers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cBrands that adopt influencer marketing are selling trendy products related to fashion, travel, fitness and beauty. Since the young generation is the potential customers of these products, companies would like to hire teenagers to be their influencers,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She thinks that free products, the sense of satisfaction in influencing other people and honorarium are the reasons that attract university students to join online advertising market. \u201cSome students may even become a full-time influencer after graduation,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe purpose of using influencers for promotion is not to turn a non-famous product to a famous one,\u201d she adds, \u201cInstead, it aims at reaching the target audience through the influencers\u2019 close social networks.\u201d She adds that the strategy of influencer advertising is not a matter of coverage but the closeness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional information about Instagram marketing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram, with one billion monthly active users according to eMarketer\u2019s statistics in 2018, is the second most engaged social networking site. More than 70% of the billion monthly active users are under the age of 35, according to the data from Statista in 2019. Thus, more and more companies targeting teenage market develop their advertising channels on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to be an IG influencer:
1) Download apps such as SpreadIt and Mingle, which are agencies connecting influencers and brands. Details of various products and corresponding remunerations are listed. Users can browse and filter items by interest.
2) Click \u201cAPPLY NOW\u201d, they can collaborate directly with brands and create posts according to brands\u2019 requirements.
3) After submitting sample posts to brands and getting approval, they can share their posts on Instagram and Facebook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Edited by Ariel Lai<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sub-edited by Tiffany Chong<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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