ABSTRACT
Social influence rests on the fact that, when faced with abundance of choice, we habitually rely on others to know what to buy, read, wear, or listen to. When these others are “regular” people just like us, we tend to trust them more than we would a compensated spokesperson, a model in an ad, an invisible editor, or a distant celebrity. Influencers are close and relatable, and we perceive their recommendations as “honest” and “authentic.” But the social influence market is just like any market. It uses currency (taste) to build capital (social status). For brand practitioners, the most prevalent model for thinking about social influence is still the two-step flow of communication. Marketing and promotional machinery will move toward product seeding across social shopping communities, monitoring the emerging best-sellers and amplifying the best performing product styling.
