, with four in 10 Millennials expressing that \u201ctheir favorite creator understands them better than their friends\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut how, if at all, has the COVID-19 pandemic affected expectations for the development of influencer marketing?<\/span><\/p>\nHow COVID-19 has shifted expectations<\/h2>\n
One would be forgiven for assuming that the coronavirus pandemic, and the ensuing lockdowns, might have adversely affected the influencer marketing landscape. Indeed, influencer campaigns and sponsorships that required any form of outside activity or location shooting were largely postponed or cancelled at first.<\/span><\/p>\nWhile COVID-19 may have inspired certain hesitancy on the part of brands in proceeding with influencer marketing-based strategies, the industry was later seized by a distinct shift in priorities that effectively transferred demand elsewhere, instead of removing it entirely.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nFor instance, while the categories of fashion and travel experienced a decline in sponsored content, other areas, including home fitness, saw sudden growth in correlation with the onset of the stay-at-home economy.<\/span><\/p>\nAs a result, instead of putting influencers out of business, the pandemic has merely encouraged a rethink in content creation, with the focus shifting to activities followers currently most relate to \u2013 like home workouts and beauty tutorials.<\/span><\/p>\n