How influencer marketing adapts to the impact of AI

Suvita Charanwong, CEO and co-founder of Tellscore, a startup Martech (marketing technology) influencer platform, noted that before the emergence of generative AI, we had already experienced virtual influencers powered by AI which had taken centre stage in the world of influencer marketing.

Nowadays, there is no need for in-depth in computer graphics as anybody can generate their influencers by just uploading their images. This results in an “ideal influencer” with a better appearance and adjustable options.

“I consider these technologies as a massive disruption to the influencer industry,” said Suvita. “However, we embraced and tried to make it our product instead of being afraid of it”.

The scary thing of AI is not that people will be unemployed, but that the influencer marketing landscape will be completely changed, she said. Yet, there is no successful case of companies utilising AI as their product, with the lack of a footprint to follow making it more difficult.

Tellscore has adopted AI and machine learning to enhance marketing effectiveness when choosing influencers, with results showing that a marketing campaign with AI selection has up to 30% higher campaign performance. New tools are making it easier to identify the right influencers to work with, analyse audience data to improve targeting, and automate certain tasks.

Suvita stressed that most of her clients are advised to use both social media advertising and influencer marketing in promoting their products – and it should be done through the influencers’ channels instead of the clients’ for a successful marketing campaign.

How influencers keep up with the challenges

Amid these winds of change, Suvita’s been asked by many influencers who work with her company how they could adapt themselves when the generative AI influencers are more and more widespread.

Suvita’s response is emphatic: the genuine human has characteristics and a distinct personality that cannot be replicated. It is more natural and authentic, which is what sets it apart from artificial intelligence.

However, the day will come when AI develops itself to seem as natural as humans.

For now, Suvita suggests that influencers should move their fandom from online to offline channels, like meet and greets, seminars or media visits. Moving to an offline channel is something that AI couldn’t do.

Furthermore, she notes, we need to admit that we cannot rely solely on social media because the algorithm is uncontrollable. If we could have a strong own-media channel, for instance a website that allows us to connect with our fans, that would create credibility for certain influencers.

It can be seen that influencers are striving to build trust and reliability. On the other hand, brands adapt themselves to create more approachable content such as creators do. We might have heard of the trend, “Brand as a creator”.

Tellscore serves as a connection hub

Officially launched in 2018, Tellscore is an award-winning influencer marketing hiring automation platform in Asia Pacific, serving as the ultimate connection hub between brands, agencies, and influencer content creators.

Tellscore offers two distinct services to cater to diverse needs. It operates as a full-service influencer agency with comprehensive media-buy capabilities. It also provides a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform, empowering brands and agencies who prefer a do-it-yourself approach.

In Thailand alone, Tellscore boasts a network of over 80,000 influencers, encompassing a wide spectrum of macro and micro influencers across 12 distinct tribes including health, travel, tech, and gadgets.

Today, influencer marketing remains a pivotal element of the digital landscape, leveraging the clout of social media personalities to amplify brand visibility and sales.