Influencing – the act of changing how people think or behave – is a powerful tool that humans have been using for millennia to cooperate, organise and form social cohesion. As far back as the 5th century BC, the Sophists were famous in ancient Greece for their rhetorical skill and art of persuasion. During the 19th century, the emergence of an early mass media sparked the development of professionalised influence via public relations and advertising. In the last couple of decades, the internet and social media have democratised influence, breeding “influencers” and giving rise to the phenomenon of influencer marketing.

Today, nearly 80 per cent of global consumers trust recommendations made by influencers, according to Rakuten Advertising. In Hong Kong, it’s a similar story: 73 per cent of consumers trust an influencer’s product recommendation even when they know it’s a paid partnership, per VS Media. For brands, the message is clear: a creator in their bedroom now wields more influence than a celebrity endorsement, and often more than a traditional ad campaign.

“We really saw the tide turn around 2015,” says Kieran Ho, senior vice-president of Hong Kong at international communications and PR agency Purple, about the advertising benefits.

“Creators moved beyond just sharing their lives to actually curating them. Suddenly, a single post had more ‘pull’ than a traditional ad. That’s when we realised that the power to influence spending was moving away from the big media houses and into the hands of individuals.”

Valued at US$21.1 billion in 2023 (per IMH Benchmark Reports/Statista), the global influencer marketing industry has changed the way brands navigate different target markets. From investment platforms to skincare brands and health supplements, this ever-evolving ecosystem has redefined consumer behaviour.

According to Ho, the power of this new economy resides in the “short cut to trust”. “A KOL [key opinion leader] has already built a relationship with their followers that a brand couldn’t build in a decade,” he explains. “Today’s best campaigns don’t look like ads; they look like a natural part of a creator’s day. It’s about storytelling now, not just product placement.”